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(This page's most recent update is January 2026)
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One of the many – and often overlooked genealogy documents for us to research are passport applications and the passports themselves.
For United States passport applications, the required reading is from the U.S. National Archives – Passport Applications. The history, types, limitations, and how to access the microfilms of registers and indexes are included.
So what unique and interesting information can be found in a U.S. passport application from the collection of 1795 – 1925?
- Name of applicant
- Birth date or age
- Birthplace
- Date of application or issuance of passport
- Marital status
- Father’s or husband’s name
- Father’s or husband’s birth date or age
- Father’s or husband’s birthplace
- Father’s or husband’s residence
- Wife’s name
- Date of immigration
- Date of naturalization and where and what court
- Ship information
- Possible information about children and other relatives
- Occupation
- Current residence and length of residency
- Destination and reason for travel
- Physical description – with no photograph, this may be the only hint of what they looked like
- Photograph – this is a huge bonus as these applications provided the only photograph that I have of some ancestors. Low quality, but better than nothing.
In microfilm form, they are available from NARA and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Online, check out these collections:
FamilySearch – free
- United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925
- Hawaii, Passport Records, 1874-1898
- Also, Passport Documents from Fiji, Finland, Germany, Portugal, and Spain
Ancestry – subscription
- U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925
- Connecticut, Passport and Birth Certificates, 1852-1928
- U.S. Consular Posts, Emergency Passport Applications, 1915-1926
- Hawaii, Passport Records, 1849-1850, 1874-1900
- Also, Passport Documents from Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Portugal, and Romania
FindMyPast – subscription
Fold3 – subscription
My Heritage – free
If you’d like this information in a clean, printable, and well-organized reference format, this topic is also included in the Quicksheet Vault. The Vault is designed for researchers who prefer working tools they can save, print, and reuse—whether that means building a personal binder of key resources or keeping reliable references close at hand. You can learn more about the Quicksheet Vault HERE