Today, a passport is this type of document that is considered mandatory in all countries. Without him, a man, as without a name. Although each state sets its own rules for registration, the order of information changes, the format of the passport itself varies, there are still common features. Who invented this document and when? Why did he become so important today? A prerequisite for increasing importance was changes in the laws, social structure and form of government. About the features of documentation in the Russian Empire and the appearance of a passport on its territory - in this article.
Origin of the word
The word "passport" comes from Italy, where, in order to identify the identity of the visitor, it was necessary to write him a paper with the surname, name, patronymic. “Passa” means to come somewhere, or to come, and “port” is a port or harbor. To let a person into or out of the country, one had to find out the identity and certify in writing.
So securities appeared, allowing you to leave or return to the country. For a long time, in Germany and France, all documents fulfilling this function were called this word. Soon, such a large empire as Russia also needed to regulate the movement of people, to document their authority. The passport of the Russian Empire appeared as a separate type of document and was mandatory for those who travel somewhere. In fact, now this function is performed by passports, which may not be available to citizens who are not going to leave the country. What contributed to the change?
The need for documents in the Russian Empire
Until the 18th century, there was no need to issue a passport of a citizen of the Russian Empire. This word called all the documents that were issued to the one who came to Russia. But in the XVIII century the very book appeared that now comes to mind when mentioning a passport. And those papers that were needed for the guests of the country began to be called “passers-by letters” or “travel certificates”. On them it was possible to cross the border of two principalities, voivodships and enter the provinces.
Diplomas were issued only by the king, then Siberian, Ambassadorial and other orders began to deal with this, after which they began to trust such work to the voivodships. The nobles belonged to the privileged class, and therefore, if they were still issued letters, then they did not need a passport - their name spoke for itself. The peasants did not need to confirm their citizenship, they could not leave anywhere. Without such a document could move:
- Doctors
- clergy (except for wandering monks);
- counts, barons, princes;
- nobles;
- officers
- officials
- teachers at universities and gymnasiums;
- merchants 1 and 2 of the guild.
But in 1703 the construction of a new capital began, and the needs of the empire increased.
Passport of the Russian Empire
Due to the large construction of St. Petersburg, the Urals metallurgical plant, warships on the Volga and the navigable canal at Lake Ladoga, many craftsmen and specialists were required. For their registration and free movement around the country, they were issued a passport of the Russian Empire (photo below). With him, they could cross the borders of different principalities and provinces. Along with this, Peter I tightened the law for the nobility - they also needed this document.
This system lasted until the first half of the 19th century. A little later, without a passport, assuring that his bearer is a citizen of the empire, it was impossible to travel even outside the city. In connection with the appearance of foreign masters, the empire introduced Abshid passports - retired documents for those who did not intend to leave for their homeland, but remained to live in Russia. It wrote the profession, the characteristics of the employee, personal identification data and the date when the bearer of the abhid was hired. Names were written in Russian, so that illiterate police officers of lower ranks could not make mistakes due to lack of knowledge of the language.
The emergence of new features
Soon, people from different classes, professions and categories began to receive a passport of the Russian Empire. There were so many citizens that it was difficult for the government to understand the rights of everyone. The functions of the document were reduced, and Catherine II issued a decree that you must pay for the existence of such a book. Previously, this was considered inapplicable: to sell or somehow pay for their privileges is low, as if to betray the homeland. Even foreigners paid the fee, and veterinarians and doctors left the category of professions that needed “sovereign paper”. They could show a diploma of medical education, which gave the right to cross borders.
In 1862, upon entering Russia, guests of the country should have been noted in the “Book for recording certificates”, and in 1894 the “Regulation on residence permits” removed the compulsory presence of a passport when staying at the place of residence or moving within the county. Men received “sovereign paper” at the age of 18, and women at 21. Wives entered the documents of their husbands, and minors - to their parents. In connection with the 1914 war, independent women were able to obtain passports without the permission of men.
Validity period
There were perpetual passports of the Russian Empire. They belonged to honorary citizens, nobles and officers who had long left the empire for duty. Although later the owners could be retired, they had the right to use the document for their trips, since the validity period was not established. Peasants were issued passports for a period of 6 or 3 months, and then they had to return, and the police to renew residence permits. This strongly emphasized the dependence of ordinary people and workers on senior ranks.
If the tradesman did not have a good reputation, he could issue a one-year document. But a craftsman or tradesman with a good reputation had passport books, urgent documents, which expired after 5 years. Interestingly, the fee remained - the owners paid it once every six months. In addition, there was a page for pasting passport stamps, and photographs were not considered mandatory - not everyone could afford them.
Replacement for a passport of the USSR
The need to regulate the rights granted by "sovereign paper" is clearly traced in the last years of the existence of tsarist Russia. Decisions were still issued in 1906, 1914, but by 1917 amendments were no longer needed. For the passport of the Russian Empire, the year of the collapse of the empire was one of the last. The interim government soon recognized this document as an identification document, and by 1923 the imperial documents completely ceased to be valid.
So, 1917 was not only a year of great changes on the territory of the USSR and modern Russia, but it pushed the new state apparatus to create a single regulated document.
Appearance
The 1913 document had an ugly cover without a coat of arms, but the passport books of 1903 were endowed with the emblem of the empire. The book had 24 pages: 1 for the name of the owner in Russian, French and German, on the 2nd - the profession, on the 3rd - the date of issue. On pages 4 and 5 it is written in German and French about the purpose for which a citizen went beyond the borders of the empire. On the 6th there is a place for photography, and up to the 15th page, where the border guards put their stamp (up to the 19th page), there were blank sheets. At 19, 20, 21st - a ticket for customs, at 22 - regulations, rules and cases of exclusion from the rules.
Now the passport cover of the Russian Empire exists as an original protection for a modern document, allowing you to feel the connection with previous generations who lived in Tsarist Russia. Authentic souvenir copies have the same style and spelling used in the pre-revolutionary state.