Genealogy Index Search Request

Instructions for Genealogy Index Search Request
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

USCIS
Form G-1041

OMB No. 1615-0096
Expires 08/31/2025

What Is the Purpose of Form G-1041?
You should use Form G-1041 to request a search of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) historical
databases. To obtain copies of USCIS historical records, use Form G-1041A, Genealogy Records Request.
Requests for searches of USCIS historical databases are used to determine whether any USCIS records exist on the
immigrant and, if such records exist, to capture the file number and/or other identifier of each record.

Who Should Use Form G-1041?
You should use this Form G-1041 if you are a:

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1. Researcher seeking records of your ancestors for genealogical or family history purposes;

2. Historian or social scientist seeking historical records of persons you can identify by name, date of birth, and place of
birth; or
NOTE: For information about the Index Search process, visit Searching The Index at www.uscis.gov/genealogy.

When Should Form G-1041 Not Be Used?
You should not use Form G-1041 to request:

1. Records of naturalization prior to September 27, 1906. Consult Federal records stored at the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA) Record Group 21, at www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/021.
html or contact the clerk of the court where the naturalization occurred;
2. Sea, land, or air passenger manifest lists recording arrivals prior to December 1982. For these documents, contact
NARA at www.archives.gov/research/immigration;
3. Certification of Nonexistence of a Naturalization Record. All these requests must be submitted to the USCIS Records
Operations Branch at www.uscis.gov/unassigned/faq/how-do-i-get-certification-non-existence-record-or-nonaturalization-record-deceased-immigrant;
4. Information related to living persons. This information must be requested from the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) at www.uscis.gov/about-us/freedom-information-and-privacy-act-foia/how-file-foia-privacy-act-request/
how-file-foiapa-request; or
5. Deportation records.
NOTE: For any records not specifically mentioned in Form G-1041 or not available through any other USCIS program,
use Form G-639, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request.

What Information Is Required To Begin an Index Search?
The following information is required to initiate a search of USCIS historical indices:
1. Required Information:
A. Immigrant’s full name (last, first, and middle);
B. Alias names or variant spellings, if any;
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C. Date of birth (provide whether date given is exact or an estimated year); and
D. Country or place of birth.
2. Additional data will help identify a certain immigrant from others with the same name, such as:
A. Date of the immigrant’s arrival in the United States (provide whether the date is actual or estimated); and
B. The immigrant’s residences in the United States including exact street address, city, and/or state. (For example,
you could type or print, “in Pennsylvania until 1938, then lived in Madison, Wisconsin.”)
3. If the immigrant’s date of birth is less than 100 years before today’s date, you must attach documentary proof of death
to this request. Examples of acceptable documentary proof of death include:
A. Death certificate (uncertified copy);
B. Printed obituaries, funeral programs, or photographs of gravestones;
C. Bible, church, or other religious records;
D. U.S. Social Security Death Index records (individual records only, not lists);

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E. Records relating to the payment of death benefits; and

F. Other documents demonstrating that the immigrant of the request is deceased.

Submit a copy of one of these items with this request. Do not include original records because USCIS will not return
such documents.

What If the Required Information Is Not Provided?

USCIS cannot make any search without at least the immigrant’s name, year of birth, and country of birth. If the
immigrant appears in USCIS records under a name other than that provided, we will return no matching records. We will
search alternative names only if you provide the names, spellings, and aliases. Similarly, if multiple immigrants with the
same name appear having the identical birth year and country, we will return no matching records (for example, actual
or estimated date of arrival or naturalization, or place of residence when naturalized.) USCIS can identify an immigrant
from among others with the same name only if you provide additional information.
NOTE: We will consider foreign versions of names as the same (for example, Giuseppe and Joseph, which are different
spellings of the same name.)
To learn about various foreign spellings of common names and about alternate sources for some USCIS record file
numbers, visit the USCIS Genealogy Program website at www.uscis.gov/genealogy.

General Instructions

We provide free forms through the USCIS website. To view, print, or complete our forms, you should use the latest
version of Adobe Reader, which you can download for free at www.get.adobe.com/reader/. If you do not have internet
access, you may call the USCIS Contact Center and ask that we mail a form to you.
Signature. You (or your signing authority) must properly complete your request. USCIS will not accept a stamped or
typewritten name in place of any signature on this request. If you are under 14 years of age, your parent or legal guardian
may sign the request on your behalf. A legal guardian may also sign for a mentally incompetent person. If your request is
not signed, or if the signature is not valid, we will reject your request. See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(A). If USCIS accepts a
request for adjudication and determines that it has a deficient signature, USCIS may deny the request.
Validity of Signatures. USCIS will consider a photocopied, faxed, or scanned copy of an original handwritten signature
as valid for filing purposes. The photocopy, fax, or scan must be of the original document containing the handwritten ink
signature.
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Filing Fee. See Form G-1055, available at www.uscis.gov/g-1055, for specific information about the fees applicable to
this form.
Evidence. When you file your request, you must submit all evidence and supporting documents listed in What Evidence
Must You Submit section of these Instructions.
Copies. You should submit legible photocopies of requested documents unless the Instructions specifically instruct you to
submit an original document. USCIS may request an original document at any time during our process. If we request an
original document from you, we will return it to you after USCIS determines it no longer needs the original.
NOTE: If you submit original documents when they are not required or requested, USCIS may destroy them after we
receive them.
Translations. If you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit a full English
translation. The translator must sign a certification that the English language translation is complete and accurate, and that
they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The certification must also include their signature,
printed name, the signature date, and their contact information.

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USCIS Contact Center. For additional information on the request and Instructions about where to file, change of
address, and other questions, visit the USCIS Contact Center at www.uscis.gov/contactcenter or call at 800-375-5283
(TTY 800-767-1833). The USCIS Contact Center provides information in English and Spanish.
Disability Accommodations/Modifications. To request a disability accommodation/modification, follow the instructions
on your appointment notice or at www.uscis.gov/accommodationsinfo.
How To Complete Form G-1041

1. Type or print legibly in black ink.

2. If you need extra space to complete any item within this request, use the space provided in Part 4. Additional
Information or attach a separate sheet of paper. Type or print your name and Alien Registration Number (A-Number)
(if any) at the top of each sheet; indicate the Page Number, Part Number, and Item Number to which your answer
refers; and sign and date each sheet.
3. Answer all questions fully and accurately. If a question does not apply to you (for example, if you have never been
married and the question asks, “Provide the name of your current spouse”), type or print “N/A” unless otherwise
directed. If your answer to a question which requires a numeric response is zero or none (for example, “How many
children do you have” or “How many times have you departed the United States”), type or print “None” unless
otherwise directed.
4. USCIS Online Account Number. You will only have a USCIS Online Account Number (OAN) if you previously
filed a form that has a receipt number that begins with IOE. If you filed the form online, you can find your OAN in
your account profile. If you mailed us the form, you can find your OAN at the top of the Account Access Notice we
sent you. If you do not have a receipt number that begins with IOE, you do not have an OAN. The OAN is not the
same as an A-Number.
We recommend that you print or save a copy of your completed request for your records.

What Evidence Must You Submit?
You must submit all evidence requested in these Instructions with your request. If you fail to submit required evidence,
USCIS may reject or deny your request in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(1) and these Instructions.
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Where To File?
Please see our website at www.uscis.gov/G-1041 for the most current information about where to file this request.

Processing Information
Initial Processing. Once USCIS accepts your request, we will check it for completeness. If you do not completely
complete this request, you will not establish a basis for your eligibility and we may reject or deny your request.
Requests for More Information. USCIS may request that you provide more information or evidence to support your
request. We may also request that you provide the originals of any copies you submit. If we request an original document
from you, we will return it to you after USCIS determines it is no longer needed.

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USCIS Forms and Information

To ensure you are using the latest version of this request, visit www.uscis.gov.

DHS Privacy Notice

AUTHORITIES: The information requested on this historical records request, and the associated evidence, is collected
under 8 CFR parts 103.38 through 103.41.
PURPOSE: The primary purpose for providing the requested information on this request form is to assist USCIS with
identifying and obtaining copies of the requested USCIS historical records.
DISCLOSURE: The information you provide is voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information, and
any requested evidence, prevents USCIS from processing your request.
ROUTINE USES: DHS may share the information you provide on this form with other Federal, state, local, and foreign
government agencies and authorized organizations. DHS follows approved routine uses, as described in the associated
published system of records notice [DHS/USCIS-001 Alien File, Index, and National File Tracking System of Records]
and as described in the published privacy impact assessment [DHS/USCIS/PIA-017(a) Microfilm Digitization Application
System], which you can find at www.dhs.gov/privacy. DHS may also share the information, as appropriate, for law
enforcement purposes or in the interest of national security.

Paperwork Reduction Act
USCIS may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and you are not required to respond to a collection
of information, unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The
public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 0.317 hours per response, including the time
for reviewing instructions, gathering the required documentation and information, completing the request, preparing
statements, attaching necessary documentation, and submitting the request. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, 5900 Capital
Gateway Drive, Mail Stop #2140, Camp Springs, MD 20588-0009; OMB No. 1615-0096. Do not mail your completed
Form G-1041 to this address.

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