When Did Passports Become A Thing? | 60 Seconds History

Nowadays, if you travel to another country, you won't get very far without a passport. A standardized document confirming your identity, nationality and basic biometric details. But when did passports actually become a thing? Well, passports have existed for thousands of years, but for most of history they were issued to specific individuals, not entire populations. Early travel documents functioned less as identification and more as letters of permission and protection. Some of the earliest examples come from ancient empires such as Persia and Rome, which issued written authorizations that allowed officials, messengers or trusted individuals to travel through certain regions under the explicit consent of the ruler. A famous early example appears around 444 BC when the Persian king Ataxerxes issued letters granting safe passage to imperial officials traveling west. Throughout the medieval period, travel documents remained highly selective. Rulers and religious authorities issued papers to merchants, diplomats and especially pilgrims traveling to destinations such as Jerusalem, Nazareth or Santiago de Compostela to prove the peaceful intent of their bearers. This limited use of passports persisted well until the early 19th century. In fact, the age of railways and steamships is often considered the freest period of international movement in European history. At that time, many states rolled back travel restrictions and countries like Britain largely abandoned passport requirements altogether. Passports only returned on a mass scale with World War I, as wartime governments needed tighter border control, better identification of potential spies and deserters and new ways to manage refugees and displaced people. In 1920, the League of Nations convened a conference on passports and travel documents, effectively creating the modern standardized booklet passport, remarkably similar to the one we carry today. Now as always, thank you for watching and if you enjoyed the video, please like, comment, subscribe and become a channel member to support our work.