During the years of 1930 through 1959, the Bureau of Employment and Identification (1930-1948) and the Migration Division of the Labor Department of Puerto Rico (1948-1989) issued 47,342 English identification cards. Although the ID cards were not mandatory, they were extremely valuable documents for proving American citizenship and easing the way for migrants.
This site is the first phrase of a project to digitize selected records from these stateside agencies that we have grouped under the name of the Offices of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States. Centro is committed to making these documents accessible in digital format and will continue the project as funding permits.
On this site, you may:
- Browse through a sample of 46 applications for an identification card.
- Search through the names of Puerto Ricans who applied for an ID card.
- Request records and schedule an appointment to verify if the name found on your search is your relative.
- Browse the brief chronology of key dates in the history of Puerto Rican migration to the U.S. and U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans.
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