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

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

Collection Time Period
This collection of miscellaneous records covers the period from 1835-1938.

Record Description
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.

Record Content
Key genealogical information found in most passport records include:


 * Place of origin
 * Residence
 * Place of departure and arrival
 * Name of principal
 * Name of spouse and children, if traveling together
 * Age or date of birth
 * Occupation

How to Use the Record
In order to find data in this collection, it will be necessary to know at least the name of the ancestor, the place of origin, and an approximate date of departure. These records should be researched if other vital records are not available.

Record History
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.

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

Record Reliability
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.

Related Websites

 * University of Coimbra Archives–Collection Guide
 * Migration Information Source
 * Portuguese passport
 * Emigração e população en finais do século XIX

Related Wiki Articles
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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
Please help FamilySearch Wiki by supplying source citations for this collection here.


 * "Delaware Marriage Records," index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) : accessed 4 March 2011, entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) : accessed 21 March 2011, entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Sources of Information for This Collection
Portugal. Coimbra district offices. Passport registers, 1835-1938. University of Coimbra Archive, Coimbra, Portugal.

Detailed instructions for adding citations are also listed in the wiki article: How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.