Portugal, Coimbra Passport Registers and Application Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Pasaportes de Coimbra, Portugal.

Record Description
This collection of miscellaneous records covers the period from 1835 to 1938.

The records included in this collection are those of passport registers and passport application files, which have been kept at the University of Coimbra Archives. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Most of the documents are handwritten in formatted registers, and a few are in narrative style.

Emigration from Portugal dates from the 15th century, the beginning of Portugal's period of overseas exploration. From the middle of the 19th century to the late 1950s, nearly two million Portuguese left Europe to live in Brazil and the United States.

Passports and citizen cards were necessary to keep a record of the population movement both within the country and to overseas countries.

Emigration records are reliable because people had to present some sort of identification when applying for a passport. These records are important to find the residence and destination of ancestors.

For a list of records by dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Passport records usuallly contain the following information:


 * Name of principal
 * Age and physical description
 * Place of origin
 * Current residence
 * Date passport was issued

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Volume number and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Portuguese Script Tutorial

Related Websites

 * University of Coimbra Archives–Collection Guide
 * A brief history of Portugal's emigration and immigration
 * "Emigração e população en finais do século XIX: A miragem do Brasil no concelho da Meda (1889-1896)"

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Portugal Emigration and Immigration
 * Portugal Websites

Citing FamilySearch Historical Records Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation for This Collection
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Portugal, Coimbra, Passport Registers and Application Files, 1835-1938

The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.