Archives of the Dienst voor Emigratie

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: State Archives in Beveren

Holding institution (official language):: Rijksarchief te Beveren

Postal address:: Kruibekesteenweg 39/1, 9120 Beveren

Phone number:: +32 (0)3 750 29 77

Web address:: http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=praktische-info&r=onze-leeszalen&d=beveren

Email:: rijksarchief.beveren@arch.be

Reference number:: SAB-Beveren-512-M77

Title:: Archives of the Dienst voor Emigratie

Title (official language):: Archief van de Dienst voor Emigratie

Creator/accumulator:: Dienst voor Emigratie; Service de l’Émigration

Date(s):: 1912/1974

Extent:: 12.3 linear metres

Scope and content:: The fonds of the Dienst voor Emigratie contains a number of files related to the emigration of Jews, such as the emigration of Polish and Russian Jews to America in the 1920s or of Jewish refugees in the 1930s. File no. 35 contains correspondence with the Antwerpse Komiteit voor Joodsche Vluchtelingen, dated 1939-1940. We also note a file on violations of the laws and regulations on the transport of emigrants specifically concerning the Centrale de Bienfaisance Juive (1946)(see file no. 123) and a file concerning the granting of a visa to the representative of the Joodse Weldadigheidsmaatschappij Hachnosas Orchim (1922)(see file no. 279). The so-called “Ezra files” (dated 1921-1940; see files nos. 269-278) form an important series. The files contain requests addressed by this philanthropic organisation to the Regeringscommissaris in the name of the emigrants, in order to obtain a certificate of good conduct, necessary for obtaining a visa. The fonds also contains reports of medical and health inspections of the ships (nos. 291-294), as well as minutes of the sessions of the advisory commission to the Dienst voor Emigratie. Lastly, we point out various general series such as annual, quarterly and monthly statistics on overseas emigration, passenger lists of ships transporting emigrants, documents related to the according of emigration licenses to entrepreneurs and subcontractors etc.

Administrative/biographical history:: The Dienst voor Emigration / Service de l’Émigration (‘emigration service’) of Antwerp was created by virtue of the regulations regarding the ‘transport of emigrants’ (15 December 1876), in application of the law on the transport of emigrants of 14 December 1876. It consisted of a government commissariat, a medical service, a supervisory commission and an ‘expert commission on emigration’. The Dienst voor Emigratie was under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and later (from 1956 onwards) under the authority of the Ministry of Transport. The service had a fairly broad set of competences, including: the reception of passenger lists and of declarations of businessmen wishing to transport emigrants; the establishment of the date and time of medical examinations and embarkation of emigrants; the inspection of emigrant housing; the registration of complaints about the food quality and accommodation on board etc. The government commissioner was also authorised (since 1890) to determine violations of the laws and regulations regarding the transport of emigrants, and to establish reports about these incidents. Furthermore, he supervised the use of the ‘transit card’ created following the international agreement of Geneva (14 June 1929), enabling emigrants to disembark temporarily during their journey. Lastly, the supervisory commission was created to solve potential problems regarding the transport of emigrants, to inspect the mandatory insurances of companies for emigrants, and to provide advice regarding the granting or revocation of transport permits. When emigration came to a standstill in the 1960s-1970s, the workload of the Dienst voor Emigratie also declined sharply. The service was abolished by the law of 3 May 1999 establishing the competences of the new Federal Police. (J. Vermote, Inventaris van het archief van de Dienst voor Emigratie, I 169 (Rijksarchief te Beveren), Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2008.)

Access points: locations:: Antwerp; United States of America

Subject terms:: Aid and relief; Aid and relief--Philanthropy and charity; Migration; Migration--Emigration; Passports and visas; Refugees

Finding aids:: J. Vermote, Inventaris van het archief van de Dienst voor Emigratie, Brussel, ARA-AGR, I 169 (Rijksarchief te Beveren), 2008.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

fullscreen: Archives of the Dienst voor Emigratie

Collection

Downloads

Full record

Image fragment

Formats and links

Formats