Passport records are documents that our ancestors used to travel from one place to another, especially if they were traveling from one country to another. These types of records could also be referred to as travel papers and many immigrants needed to have these records to enter a new country they were traveling to. In America, to travel from one state to another, there was no requirement or law to obtain a passport. During most of American history, before World War I, most individuals could travel abroad without a passport. According to the United States National Archives, prior to 1952 passports were generally not required for international travel, except for brief periods of time during the Civil War and World War I.
Information found in passport records
The amount of information found on a passport varies depending on the era it was produced. Early passport records didn’t have very much information contained on them while more recent passports tend to have more information. The information found on passports can help genealogists place their ancestors in a time and place and help to track their migration patterns.
The kinds of information that can be found in early passports if it was provided are:
- Applicants name who would be holding and using the passport
- Birthdate of the passport holder
- Residence of the passport holder
- The destination the person was traveling
The kinds of information that can be found in later passports, if provided are:
- Applicant’s name and age
- Applicant’s mailing address
- Birthdate and place of birth
- Applicant’s occupation or type of work
- The ship name if traveling by ship
- The destination where the person was traveling
- The oath of allegiance
- The applicant’s prior destination
- Physical description that could have included height, eye color, hair color, complexion and weight
It may be that your ancestors traveled out of their native country. To travel from one country to the other, they may have needed to have a passport or travel papers. Genealogists should check their genealogical records for passports or any type of travel papers their ancestors left behind.
Availability of US passports
The U.S. Department of State has made US passport applications available from 1795 to March 1925 through the National Archives; these have been digitized and are available on MyHeritage. For applications after April 1925, the researcher will have to send a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the U.S. Department of State. The U.S. National Archives estimates that 95% of mid-19th century passport applications were for men but many women also traveled overseas. If the passport application was a male and was to be accompanied by their spouse, children, servants or others, their names, ages, and relationships were stated on the passport application. Also, keep in mind that many of our ancestors traveled more than once across the ocean, so be sure to look for more than one entry in the passport databases.
Passport record collections from US and worldwide
MyHeritage has a few passport databases genealogists can explore. To see what MyHeritage has on passports, go to the Collection Catalog and search for the term “passport”. For the United States, they have a database entitled United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925 that contains over a million images. Other passport databases on MyHeritage include Lithuanian Internal Passports, 1919-1940, Portugal, Madeira Passport Applications and Latvia, Riga Internal Passport Holders Index, 1918-1940.
Passport records can be a good source of information for our traveling ancestors. Foreign travel in the 19th century was more frequent than we may think. Overseas travelers included many people traveling for their occupations and those that were fleeing wars, famine, and other life tragedies. Passport records will help genealogists know where their ancestors traveled and even why they traveled.
See also
Search citizenship, passport, and naturalization records on MyHeritage
Explore more about passport records
- United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925 collection on MyHeritage
- Immigration and travel records on MyHeritage
- 4 Famous Americans Who Applied for a U.S. Passport 100 Years Ago from the MyHeritage Blog