Alien Registration Forms on Microfilm, 1940-1944

Background

Alien Registration (as opposed to enemy alien registration) began in August 1940 as a program intended to fingerprint and create a record of every non-citizen within the United States.  The original Alien Registration Act of 1940 was a national security measure, and directed the Service to fingerprint and register every alien age 14 and older living within and entering the United States. The 1940 Act directed that a specific form be developed for the Alien Registration program.  INS then introduced the Alien Registration Form (AR-2), a form individually stamped with a unique Alien Registration Number.  Forms AR-2 date from August 1, 1940 to March 31, 1944.

The Forms Today

Alien Registration Forms completed between August 1940 and March 1944 were microfilmed and the originals forms were destroyed.  USCIS maintains this microfilm containing 5,665,983 Alien Registration Forms (AR-2). The microfilmed forms are technically not part of the A-File series.   Alien Registration Forms available from this series are as follows

Alien Registration forms on microfilm are arranged in numerical order, and are indexed by name, date of birth, and place of birth.

Research Value

Though not official arrival records, Alien Registration Forms dating from the early 1940’s may be useful in documenting an individual’s presence in the United States.  Many resident aliens registered under the Alien Registration Act during 1940-1941 had been living in the United States for decades.  Some arrived as early as the 1880’s and the Alien Registration form is the agency’s only record of that immigrant. 

Form AR-2 asked for the information listed below.  Researchers must remember that not all registrants provided all information.

• Name
• Name at time of entry to the US
• Other names used
• Address
• Date of Birth
• Citizenship/Nationality
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Race
• Height & Weight
• Hair & Eye Color
• Port, date, ship and class of admission at last arrival in US
• Date of first arrival in US
• Years lived in US
• Intended stay in US
• Usual occupation
• Present occupation
• Present employer, including address
• Club, organization, or society memberships
• Military service (Country, branch, dates)
• Date and number of Declaration of Intention (if filed), and city and State where filed.
• Date of Petition for Naturalization (if filed), and city and State where filed.
• Arrest history
• Fingerprint
• Signature
• Date and place of registration

Index Search Issues

Alien Registration forms were indexed in a way to include up to three names for each individual (aliases, alternate spellings, maiden names)--but only if the immigrant provided more than one name on the form.  AR-2 index entries also include an exact date of birth (if given on the form) and place of birth (if given). 

To differentiate between individuals of the same name and date of birth in AR-2 records, the most useful information is the immigrant’s residence ca. 1940 (State, county, town) and/or their occupation.  Family member names do not appear on the forms.

Record Request Issues

One challenge surrounding Alien Registration Numbers (A-numbers) is determining whether the number corresponds only to an AR-2 form, or whether there is an additional A-File jacket identified by the same A-number.  A-numbers in the AR-2 Form range, the majority numbered from 1 million to approximately 5.6 million, may or may not relate to a physical A-File.  In other words, the existence of an A-number from the early 1940’s does not guarantee the existence of an A-File.

A second Forms AR-2 challenge is producing the best possible image of the record from aging microfilm.  A number of factors determine the quality of any given copy, including quality of the microfilm, reader/printer machine function, and the skill or determination of the machine operator.  The USCIS Genealogy Program is committed to producing the best possible image of Alien Registration Forms AR-2.  In addition, the Genealogy Program is investigating methods for the future reproduction and delivery of enhanced digital images taken from the Alien Registration Forms on microfilm.

A third challenge for researchers is distinguishing the A-number from other USCIS file numbers.  One series of derivative C-File numbers are also prefixed with an “A” (learn more about C-Files on the "Historical Records Series" page).  Other numbers appear on other records, such as ship passenger manifests, and it is dangerously tempting to add an “A” to the number and assume it is an A-number.

Where do I find an Alien Registration Number?

If the immigrant later naturalized between ca. 1942 and 1956, you may find the A-number at the bottom of the naturalization index card maintained by the naturalization court.  If that number is below ca. 5.6 million, there should be a corresponding Form AR-2.  If the immigrant did not later naturalize, you may find the number on or among the immigrant’s personal papers. 

The best way to identify the correct A-number is to submit a Genealogy Index Search Request on form G-1041.