Until 1941, passports were not required by the United States for traveling. However, in Italy the situation was different and already in 1869, after the unification of Italy, passports were required. Visit our section dedicated to Passport records.
These documents do contain precious genealogical information.
Usually, passport applications generally include:
- Naturalization information
- Birth date
- Birthplace of the immigrant and his or her family members
- Occupation
- Physical description
- Photograph from 1914
Where can you find them?
Microfilms of passports applications can be found at the National Archives (NARA has a Web site with information as to the location of the Centers, hours open, etc. http://www.nara.gov) and are also available at the Family History Centers
They are indexed by date of departure or issue and alphabetically.
For women, you may also want to check also under their maiden name.