Guide
What Library and Archives Canada Holds
Library and Archives Canada is the national archive and the national library in one institution, and its genealogy collections are more open than those of most countries. The census returns from 1825 to 1931 are digitized, indexed by name and free, with the 1931 census released in 2023. Passenger lists from 1865 to 1935, border entries from the United States from 1908 to 1935, the First World War service files, the naturalization index from 1915 to 1951 and the western land grants from 1870 to 1930 are all searchable online without an account.
The archive also holds the records of the federal government itself, from cabinet documents to Indian Affairs files, and anything not yet open can be requested under the Access to Information Act or examined in the reading room at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
The main databases
Collection Search is the single search box across the archival, library and genealogy databases, and the results show whether an item is digitized, restricted or available only on site. The census pages are searched by name, place and year and return the image of the original page. The immigration databases cover passenger lists by ship and port, the Home Children sent from Britain between 1869 and 1948, and the Chinese head tax register. The land records cover the western land grants and the Upper and Lower Canada land petitions.
Guide
Requesting what is not online
Government records that have not been reviewed for release are requested through the federal Access to Information and Privacy portal, which routes the request to Library and Archives Canada or to the department that still holds the file. Personal information about a living person goes only to that person under the Privacy Act. The provincial archives hold the provincial and municipal records, including most vital records older than the privacy periods, and the Canadian genealogy page on this site lists them by province.
Straight answers
Common questions about Library and Archives Canada
Is the Canadian census free to search?
Yes. Library and Archives Canada has digitized and indexed the censuses from 1825 to 1931, and they are searched by name free of charge with images of the original pages. The 1931 census was released in 2023.
How do I find an immigrant ancestor's arrival in Canada?
Search the passenger lists from 1865 to 1935 and the border entries from 1908 to 1935 at Library and Archives Canada, by name, ship or port. Earlier arrivals rarely have a surviving list.
How do I request a government file that is not online?
File a request through the federal Access to Information and Privacy portal. Records about a living person are released only to that person.