Country of Arrival Records - Passport Records Many people are under the impression that only the rich travelled abroad prior to the mid-20th century. This is a misconception. Many ordinary Americans travelled frequently to Europe, usually to visit family in their homeland. Passports were, as they are now, issued to those travelling outside the United States. Even though a passport wasn't a legal requirement until 1941, they were issued as early as 1795! Passports were issued free-of-charge until July 1, 1862, when a three dollar fee was imposed. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) produced the following figures: 1810-1873: 130,360 passports issued 1877-1909: 369,844 passports issued 1912-1925: 1,184,085 passports issued Even though there was no law requiring travellers to obtain a passport until 1941, there were certain periods in American history when a passport was required. The two most notable periods are: August 19, 1861 through March 17, 1862 May 22, 1918 through 1921 - following the formal end to WWI There are different types of passports, but the one most useful to the researcher is the regular, standard-issue passport. This type gives the most information including date and place of birth, physical description, occupation and destination. If the individual was a naturalized citizen, the passport *may* state the court and date of naturalization, as well as the ship he/she arrived on. Was a passport issued to everyone who applied? No. Aliens were *not* issued passports unless they had made their Declaration of Intent in a court of law. (Remember from the Naturalization series that this was the first step in obtaining citizenship.) The law regarding aliens was enacted and subsequently repealed several times throughout history. How do you know if an ancestor travelled abroad? This is certainly easier to ascertain if your ancestor lived during the time period of Ellis Island. The Ellis Island Database lists all arriving individuals, not just newly-arrived immigrants. It's definitely worth the time to run your ancestors' names through their database. You may be surprised to see them returning home from a trip to the old country! Passport applications from October 1795 through March 1925 can be found at the National Archives (NARA). To request a search, you can simply email NARA with the individual's name and approximate year of travel. The NARA website (fee information included): http://www.nara.gov To search these films yourself, you will need the following: Registers and Indexes for Passport Applications 1810-1906 Record Group: M1371. NOTE: This film covers the following dates: December 21, 1810-October 7, 1817; February 22, 1830-November 15, 1831 and November 14, 1834-February 28, 1906. Index to Passport Applications Record Group: M1848. NOTE: This film covers the following years: 1850-1852; 1860-1880; 1881; 1906-1923. The two microfilms mentioned above can also be found at the New York Public Library. To obtain a passport application issued after 1925, you will need to contact the Department of State: http://www.state.gov/