The list below covers major series of individual Chinese Exclusion Act case files at regional facilities of the National Archives. It does not currently include records at the National Archives in Washington, DC and College Park, MD (Archives I and Archives II.) See Chinese Immigration and Chinese in the United States (Reference Information Paper 99), originally published in 1997, for additional record series in the National Archives relating to Chinese Exclusion.
Additionally, researchers should view the "Researching the Records" section of the National Archives' webpage Restricting Immigration from Asia and the Pacific, 1870s to 1950s.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1911 – 1955 (NAID 606277). Includes some deportation case files from the sub-ports of Springfield, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Hartford, Connecticut; and Providence, Rhode Island, for the years 1944-1955. Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1900 – 1952 (NAID 606625). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1895 – 1952 (NAID 567443). Available as National Archives microfilm publication M1144, which has been digitized and is available on National Archives online catalog. It is also digitized and indexed on Ancestry and digitized (but not indexed) on FamilySearch. As of 2023, the "file units" on the National Archives online catalog correspond to reels of microfilm for M1144. Individual case files are listed alphabetically by name in the descriptive pamphlet for M1144.
Correspondence Regarding Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1904–1940 (NAID 569674). Per archivist Heather Glasby in June 2016, this series comprises records formerly misattributed in older finding aids to the Baltimore, Maryland office.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1882 – 1960 (NAID 584668). Index may be searched on Ancestry in their database New York, Index to Chinese Exclusion Case Files, 1898-1943. Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1898 – 1940 (NAID 623512). Index searchable on National Archives online catalog; also available as a list on the National Archives website.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1906 – 1942 (NAID 623518). Entire series has been digitized on FamilySearch as black and white images, but case files are not yet indexed by name on FamilySearch database. Index searchable on National Archives online catalog; also available as a list on the National Archives website.
Investigative Case Files on Chinese Persons, 1909 – 1953 (NAID 589956). No index available. Small volume of records. Includes investigations in Galveston, Laredo and San Antonio, Texas.
The Seattle District Office’s series Chinese Passenger Arrival and Disposition Volumes, 7/1/1903 - 6/23/1944 (NAID 646080) is digitized and available on the National Archives online catalog. Entries in these volumes may include Chinese Exclusion Act Case File numbers and the Certificate of Identity numbers. These records have also been transcribed and indexed on Ancestry as the database "North Dakota and Washington, U.S., Chinese Arriving Passenger Arrivals and Disposition, 1903-1944."
In addition, the Seattle District Office's Index to Chinese Passengers Arriving at Seattle, Washington, 1893 - ca. 1943 (NAID 2953536) is digitized and available on the National Archives online catalog. This index is arranged alphabetically by surname and includes Chinese Exclusion Act Case File numbers and Certificate of Identity numbers. These records have also been transcribed and indexed on Ancestry as part of the database "Washington, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1965."
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1891 – 1913 (NAID 567252). See National Archives microfilm publication M1638. Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1893 - ca. 1948 (NAID 567253). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1895 - ca. 1941 (NAID 561435). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1900 - ca. 1920 (NAID 561434). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1895 - 1927 (NAID 1174261). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1892 - 1920 (NAID 298968) [“RS” Files]. Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1895 - ca. 1943 (NAID 298951). Index (in progress - not yet complete) publicly available as Excel spreadsheet.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files , ca. 1905 - ca. 1925 (NAID 566588). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files , 1905 – 1925 (NAID 567663). Index publicly available as Excel spreadsheet; also searchable by name on National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1893 - ca. 1945 (NAID 5830001) [Los Angeles District Office]. A portion of the series has been digitized and indexed on the National Archives online catalog.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1932 – 1950 (NAID 5831054) [“Local” Los Angeles Files]. Index available as a PDF on the Chinese Family History Group website.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1911 – 1976 (NAID 295389). Index searchable on National Archives online catalog. A portion of the series has been digitized. Index also available as a PDF on the Chinese Family History Group website. (Note that past finding aids which describe records from a Bakersfield, California office were incorrect. Per archivist Jennifer Albin in June 2022, these records were re-processed and correctly re-allocated to the San Diego Substation or to the El Paso, TX office.)
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1935 – 1965 (NAID 5831056). Index available as a PDF on the Chinese Family History Group website.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1919 – 1968 (NAID 5831059). Index available as a PDF on the Chinese Family History Group website.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, 1922 – 1965 (NAID 5831061). Entire series has been digitized and indexed on the National Archives online catalog.
The Early Arrivals Records Search (EARS) tool hosted by the University of California, Berkeley Library contains a partial dataset that can be used to search case files from the Honolulu and San Francisco District Offices. The Ancestry databases "Hawaii, U.S., Index to Chinese Exclusion Case Files, 1903-1944", "California, U.S., Index to Chinese Exclusion Case Files, 1903-1944", and "California, U.S., Chinese Arrival Case Files Index, 1884-1940" also refer to files in these series.
For more on the Honolulu District Office case files, see this November 8, 2022 blog post by National Archives at San Francisco archivist Ruth Chan: Honolulu INS Office Filing System
Chinese Immigration Case Files (C-Files), 1903 – 1915 (NAID 594779). Index searchable on National Archives online catalog. These are the oldest Chinese Exclusion Act case files for Honolulu. Case file numbers are usually structured as “####-C” or "C-####".
Deportation Case Files, 1913 – 1944 (NAID 628184). Files are prefixed with “4280”. Name index database available from NARA by request.
Hawaiian Islands Certificate of Citizenship Application Case Files, 1924 – 1941 (NAID 628294). Files are prefixed with “4333”. Name index database available from NARA by request.
Application Case Files for Admission as Students, Teachers, and Clergy, 1917-1938 (NAID 628297). Files are prefixed with “4379”.
Return Certificate Application Case Files of Lawfully-Domiciled Chinese Laborers, 1916-1938 (NAID 628298). Files are prefixed with “4380”.
Chinese Merchant Return Certificate Application Case Files, 1912-1934 (NAID 628299). Files are prefixed with “4381”.
Application Case Files of American Citizens of Chinese Ancestry for Return Certificates and of Chinese-Born United States Citizens for Admission to Hawaii, 1916-1942 (NAID 628300). Files are prefixed with “4382”.
Application Case Files for Admission as Wives of Chinese Merchants, Teachers, and Clergy, 1916-1939 (NAID 628301). Files are prefixed with “4383”.
Application Case Files for Admission as Wives of United States Citizens of Chinese Descent, 1916-1940 (NAID 628303). Files are prefixed with “4384”.
Application Case Files for Admission as the Children of Chinese Merchants, Teachers, and Clergy, 1913-1938 (NAID 628304). Files are prefixed with “4385”.
Application Case Files for Admission as Children of Hawaiian-Born United States Citizens of Chinese Descent, 1916-1926 (NAID 628305). Files are prefixed with “4386”.
Application Case Files for Admission as Chinese Students, Teachers, and Travelers, 1916-1942 (NAID 628306). Files are prefixed with “4387”.
Visa Application Case Files of Chinese Merchants, Students, Teachers, Travelers, and Clergy Seeking Admission to the Continental United States from Hawaii, 1917-1942 (NAID 628453). Files are prefixed with “4388”.
Application Case Files for Replacement Certificates of Residence, 1921-1938 (NAID 628454). Files are prefixed with “4390”.
Application Case Files for Replacement Certificates of Identity, 1920-1942 (NAID 628455). Files are prefixed with “4391”.
Application Case Files for Admission as Wives and Children of Chinese Americans Naturalized under the Hawaiian Kingdom and Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Americans Naturalized under the Hawaiian Kingdom, 1919-1925 (NAID 628458). Files are prefixed with “4393”.
Case Files of Chinese American Applicants for Certificates of Citizenship in the Hawaiian Islands, 1924-1942 (NAID 628463). Files are prefixed with “4500”. Index searchable on National Archives online catalog.
Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Departing, 12/14/1912 - 12/3/1943 (NAID 296477). Files are prefixed with “12017”.
Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Americans, 1903 – 1912 (NAID 1573271). Files are prefixed with “9170”.
Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Laborers, 1903 – 1912 (NAID 1573279). Files are prefixed with “9180”.
Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Merchants, Students, Teachers, and Clergy, 1903 – 1913 (NAID 1573287). Files are prefixed with “9190”.
Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Americans and Chinese Nationals, 2/8/1894 - 1/23/1913 (NAID 1566759). Files are prefixed with “11505-12499”.
Immigration Arrival Investigation Case Files, 1884 – 1944 (NAID 296445). Most files in this series are indexed by name on the National Archives online catalog. Name index database available from the National Archives at San Francisco by request: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov These case files are also partially indexed by the database "California, U.S., Chinese Arrival Case Files Index, 1884-1940" on Ancestry.com.
Last updated 06/20/2025