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 years 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.

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

Related Websites
Maps of Coimbra

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Coimbra
 * Portugal Emigration and Immigration

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image citation: