With several million valid US passports in circulation and issued each year, old US passport records may help you uncover valuable information about your family’s history. Depending on how far back in time your family lived, you may be able to obtain fascinating details about your ancestors from their passport applications and official passport records.

The US Department of State retains US passport records from March 1925 to the present, but these records are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. This means that only certain individuals and relatives are authorized to receive these records. Records prior to 1925 can be obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration. You can use border crossings and passport records available on Ancestry® to establish a timeline of your ancestors’ travels.

Brief History and Overview of Passport Applications and Records

The US government started issuing passports at the federal level in 1789 as a letter of introduction that described the bearer. However, federal bodies weren’t the only ones that could issue passports at that time. Until August 18, 1856, individual states and cities were also permitted to provide these official documents to US citizens. Since that date, the federal government has had the sole authority to issue passports to US citizens traveling abroad.

The very first US passports were issued during the American Revolution, and they didn’t take on a standardized format until after World War I. Until World War II, except for specific periods during times of war, the United States didn’t require citizens to have a passport to enter or exit the country. If you are looking for US passport entry-exit records from before 1941, there is a chance that some of these US passport entry records simply do not exist — the individuals may have been allowed to come and go without an official document. 

US passport application records created before 1941 do exist, however, and many people still obtained these documents for their border crossings. US passport travel records of overseas trips may help you in your family history search. Besides application forms, you may also be able to get the information you need about your ancestors from application registers.

Application Forms

Application forms are one of the primary ways that US passport records can help you learn about your ancestors’ travels. Depending on the time period when the application form was filed, you may be able to obtain some or all of the following details from an ancestor’s passport application:

• Date of birth 
• Place of birth 
• Application date
• Age 
• Physical description 
• Where they filed the application 
• The names and ages of other travelers in the group, and their relationship to the applicant
• Where the applicant lived at the time 
• Their occupation 
• Where and why they intended to travel
• The port of departure
• Date of departure 
• Photograph of the applicant 
• Signature from the applicant 
• Name and signature of a witness for the application 

If you can get access to an ancestor’s US passport application forms, you can use the available information to determine important aspects of your family history. For example, surnames, ages of relatives, and dates of international border crossings can help you track your family’s movement, from marriages to permanent residences and deaths throughout the 19th century. 

Application Registers

A register is an official compilation of US passport records and applications. The application registers are part of the US Department of State’s vital records and contain critical information about the application. 

If you are hoping to find a US passport number, the application register for the period when the passport was issued can provide you with that information. The application registers for US passport applications from 1834–1849 may also contain:

• Age of the applicant
• Date of application
• Physical characteristics of the applicant

In some cases, it may also be helpful to search passport registers for specific states, such as California, Hawaii, or New York. 

Passport Applications From 1795–1925

Passport applications can be a useful way to obtain genealogical information. This is especially true if your ancestors were not born in the United States. It was common for people to travel overseas in the 19th century, particularly for businessmen and new citizens of the United States who were visiting relatives in their birth countries. 

Today, it’s easy to view passport records available online. Search for US passport applications from 1795–1925 by simply inputting the information you have about your ancestor. 

A passport records search starts with whatever details about the individual you have access to. To most effectively trace your family history, you’ll want to perform a passport search by name, specifically the name of the head of household.. Passport applications in the 19th century were most often filed under the name of the father or husband within a family unit, if a family was traveling together, then one passport would be issued for the whole family.  Many women did file for passports, however, and by 1923 more than 40% of passport applications were filed by women. 

Emergency Passport Applications 1877–1925

US passport records contain the information that was required for passport approval. During this period, people had to submit proof of US citizenship along with their passport application. These official documents, along with photos, may accompany passport records..

Passports that were issued abroad were considered emergency passport applications. To look up emergency passport applications, you can include any or all of the following information you may have about an ancestor: 

• Surname and given name that appears on the original application 
• Birthplace of the individual (the town and country)
• Country (where the application was submitted)
• Box # and Book # (ignore the zeros in front of these numbers)
• Page # or Application # (number on the document) 

Other useful genealogical information you can obtain from an emergency passport application includes the reason they needed an emergency passport and, in some cases, the relation to a US citizen.

For example, since foreign-born women and children automatically gained US citizenship when marrying an American-born or naturalized citizen, some women and kids of American-born men would apply for emergency passports at consular posts abroad. This would allow them to travel to the US and receive (in the case of children) derived US citizenship. Looking at emergency passport application records can provide details about a woman or child’s connection to your American ancestor. 

Special Passport Applications 1914–1925

Special passport applications are those made by individuals who fall into categories such as members of the military, diplomats, dependents, and civilian federal employees. If you have reason to believe your ancestor applied for a special passport between 1914 and 1925, you may be able to obtain the record of their application, including the documents they had to provide as part of the application process. 

People applying for a special passport would do so for various reasons, usually related to their occupation. As a result, the individual likely had to submit additional documentation, such as official letterhead from their workplace, certificates of employment, or a copy of an ID card for their occupation that may give you useful details about their life, job, and economic status. 

Other useful information you can see on a special passport application may include the reason for travel as related to their work. The duration of the trip will also be part of the application, allowing you to trace when or if they reentered the United States. 

Start Your Search for US Passport Records 

US passport records can provide interesting information about your family history. Whether your ancestors were born in the United States or if they were foreign-born American citizens seeking passports to visit their homeland, you may be able to track their movement through passport application information. Details like where the passport application was submitted, names on the application, dates of birth, and even passport photos can help you gather a more accurate picture of your family’s past. 

The collection of US passport records on Ancestry are compiled to assist you in your family history research. Start your journey through US passport records today with a free trial of Ancestry.