Portugal, Aveiro, Passport Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is In The Collection?
This collection of passport registers covers the years 1882-1965.

The records included in this collection are those of passport registers and application files from the district of Aveiro in Portugal. Most of the documents are handwritten in formatted registers and a few are in narrative style. The book's numeration at the Arquivo Distrital de Aveiro is different than the numeration given in the original books. In this collection the original books start with number 11, but the Aveiro District Archive labeled the same book number 1 (Tomo 1). The original books can help you with you genealogy.

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.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Aveiro, Passport Registers collection can be viewed online by members of the supporting organization(s), at a FamilySearch Center near you, or the Family History Library.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps..

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Passport records usually contain the following information:


 * Names to whom passport(s) were issued
 * Principal person's birth date and place of birth
 * Civil status and residence
 * Physical description
 * Names of children, their age and gender
 * Name of spouse, their birth date and place of birth
 * Physical description of spouse
 * List of countries in which passport is valid
 * Expiration date of passport
 * Date passport was issued

How Do I Search The Collection?
Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select Volume numbers and Years to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Portuguese records, see the following resources:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

How Do I Analyze The Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil records
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Portugal_Emigration_and_Immigration migration pattern for the family.

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection citation:

Image citation:

Top of Page

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.