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To prevent delay in obtaining a passport, the application should be accompanied by such evidence as may show the applicant to be a citizen of the United States (when that fact is not already known to the Department of State). ... embracing the following particulars (description of applicant to be included) ... (it) permitted one passport to include the applicant, his wife, children, servants, or females under his protection ... and it is therefore recommended to every citizen of the United States whose purposes going abroad to furnish himself, before leaving home with the necessary passport.4

Explicit instructions to applicants were issued in the May 1846 circular of instructions and repeated again in April 1850.

More applications began to appear in the form of affidavits because of the lack of enforcement of the applicable regulations.

In the early days U.S. diplomatic agents abroad occasionally issued passports to persons who were not U.S. citizens. The Personal Instructions to Diplomatic Agents of the United States, issued in 1853, said in part:

They sometimes receive applications for such passports from citizens of other countries; but these are not regularly valid, and should be granted only under special circumstances, as may sometime occur in the case of foreigners coming to the United States.

In 1856 U.S. passports overseas could be issued only to U.S. citizens:

when an application was made for a passport by a native citizen of the United States, before granting it, the applicant had to file in the consulate an affidavit stating that fact, and also his age and place of birth; this was signed and sworn to by himself and one other citizen of the United States named therein, to whom he was personally known, and to the best of whose knowledge and belief the declaration made by him was true.5

The circular instruction of 1862 to the diplomatic and consular officers modified the requirement relative to the number of persons who could travel on one passport. The modification was to include only the husband, wife, and minor children with all other members of the household requiring separate passports.6

Persons liable to military duty under the Act of March 3, 1863, were refused passports unless they gave bond to perform such duty or to provide substitutes."

The first comprehensive general instructions for those applying for a passport was issued April 1, 1869. (Exhibit 76) A section on "Information for Passport Applicants" has been included with passport application forms ever since.

Until 1888 the passport application was supported by an

4 Gaillard Hunt, The American Passport, U.S. Government Printing Office, Wash., D.C., 1898, pp. 46, 47.

5 Consular Regulations of 1856.

• Gaillard Hunt, The American Passport, U.S. Government Printing Office, Wash., D.C., 1898, p. 54.

7 Ibid.

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GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS.

Department of State, U. S. A.,

Washington, April 1, 1869.

CITIZENS of the United States visiting foreign countries are liable to serious inconvenience if unprovided with authentic proof of their national character. The best safeguard is a passport from this Department, certifying the bearer to be a citizen of the United States. Passports are issued only to citizens of the United States upon application supported by proof of citizenship.

On all subsequent occasions a simple reference to the number and date of passport will be fficient.

The oath of allegiance to the United States, as prescribed by law, will be required in all cases here a renewal is required of a passport issued prior to the year 1861.

When the applicant is a native citizen of the United States, he must transmit an affidavit of is fact, signed by him, stating his age and place of birth, and sworn to by himself, and one other tizen of the United States named therein, to whom he is personally known, and to the best of hose knowledge and belief the declaration made by him is true. This affidavit must be attested ya Notary Public, under his signature and seal of office. When there is no Notary in the place, he affidavit may be made before a Justice of the Peace, or other officer authorized to administer ths.

If the applicant be a naturalized citizen, his certificate of naturalization must be transmitted inspection, (it will be returned with the passport,) and he must state under oath that he is the tical perso:: described in the certificate presented.

The wife or widow of a naturalized citizen must transmit the naturalization certificate of the sband, stating under oath that she is such wife or widow.

The children of a naturalized citizen must transmit the certificate of naturalization of the cher, stating under oath that they are such children and were minors at the time of such naturalzation.

The applicant should be accompanied by a description of the person, stating the following ticulars, viz: Age:

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When the applicant is to be accompanied by his wife, children, or servants, it will be sufficient o state the names and ages of such persons and their relationship to the applicant.

Persons who leave the country, expecting to obtain passports whilst abroad from the Diploatic or Consular Agents of the United States, are liable to disappointment, inasmuch as it is the luty of those agents not to grant documents of that character, except to persons who are certainly hown to be entitled to them; and it is sometimes difficult, if not impracticable, to procure proof this fact in a foreign country.

Certificates of citizenship or passports issued by State authorities, or by Judicial or Municipal nctionaries of the United States, are not recognized by the officers of foreign governments; and y the twenty-third section of the Act of Congress, approved on the 18th of August, 1856, it is made penal for such authorities and functionaries to issue such passports.

When husband, wife, and minor children expect to travel together, a single passport for the whole will suffice. For any other person in the party a separate passport will be required.

A new passport will be expected to be taken out by every person whenever he or she may leave the United States, and every passport must be renewed, either at this Department or at a Legation or Consulate abroad, within one year from its date.

Five dollars tax, as imposed by law, will be required, in United States currency, for every passport issued from the office of the Secretary of State.

The oath of allegiance to the United States, as prescribed by law, will be required in all cases. sound in MOROCCO BOOKS, one dotter in addition to the regular tax.

BUREAU.

Address all communications relative to the above to DEPARTMENT OF STATE, PASSPORT

Courtesy: National Archives

Exhibit 76. General instructions in regard to passports, April 1, 1869

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my

I solemnly swear that I was born at.........
on or about the...

.day of..........

..., in the State of

18.....: that

father is a......................citizen of the United States; that I am domiciled in the United
States, my permanent residence being at..
in the State of

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.with the pur

that I intend to return to the United States within...........
pose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship therein; and that I desire the pass-
port for the purpose of...

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

Further, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion: So HELP ME GOD.

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I hereby certify that I know the above-named.

personally, and know h...... to be a native-born citizen of the United States, and that the facts
stated in h...... affidavit are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

ADDRESS OF WITNESS )

NOTE-The form is to be filled out in duplicate, one copy being retained on the bles of the Legation and the other forwarded with the quarterly returns to the Department of State. It saxy be so filled out by the applicant, in which case no fee therefor is chargeable.

Exhibit 77. Application form for native citizen, 1889

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the accompanying Certificate of Naturalization, that I am the bearer of Passport No............
issued by...
.....on the......... day of....
which is returned herewith; that I am the identical person referred to in said certificate and
passport; that I am domiciled in the United States, my permanent residence therein being at

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Further, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and alle giance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion: So HELP ME GOD,

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to be the identical person referred to in the within described Certificate of Naturalization, and that the facts stated in h. affidavit are truc to the best of my knowledge and belief

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PERSON CLAIMING citizenship throUGH NATURALIZATION OF HUSBAND/OR BAREYU'E

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that I am the

Passport No.

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on the

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, as shown by the accompanying Certificate of Naturalization;
of the person described in said Certificate; that I am the bearer of
issued by
on the
day
which is returned herewith; that I am the identical
person referred to în said passport; that I have resided in the United States, uninterruptedly, for

years, from

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am domiciled in the United States, my permanent residence being at
in the State of
that I last left the United States on the

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where I follow the occupation of
day of

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; and that I intend to return to the United States within with a purpose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship therein.

I desire the passport for the purpose of

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

Further, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion: So help me God.

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The form, & to be thed out in Sapthats hé copy being retained on the Ôles of the neuing office and the other forwarded with the quarteste returns to the Department of State It may be a tiled cut by the applicant, in which case no ker therekor is chargeable.

Exhibit 79. Application form for person claiming citizenship through naturalization of husband or parents, 1889

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