Lithuania Internal Passports Database 1919-1940
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Lithuania Internal Passports Database 1919-1940 Introduction - Historical · Historical Background · Why an Internal Passport was Important Background · Obtaining an Internal Passport · Contents of the Files · Location of the Files Prior to World War I in the Russian Empire, individuals were · Lithuanian Central State Archives required to have an internal passport in order to travel within · Kaunas Regional Archive the boundaries of Russia. These internal passports were · Pre-1915 Passport records issued by local municipalities, town dwellers administration, · About this Database or the police. They were of different categories and colors - · Notes on Lithuanian Surnames some were valid to travel only within the guberniya, others · Project Description and Needs "within the Pale of Settlement and to the towns of the · Search the Database Russian Empire where Jews were permitted to reside", etc. The terms of these passports also varied - half a year, a year, two years. Not only Jews, but all the categories of population, including even nobility, needed internal passports for traveling, and these also might have been different. In 1915, during World War I, the majority of Jews living in Lithuania were forced by the Russians to go deep into the interior of Russia. After the war ended, Lithuania became an independent country, and many Jews returned. Almost 100% of them came from Russia through the Obeliai frontier station, where they obtained a temporary document to cross the border. During a period of one month they had to apply to the authorities for a permanent internal passport. The date of the Internal Passport Application, after 1920, enables one to almost know when they came back to Lithuania. For the period 1919-1940, every Lithuanian citizen age 17 or older was required to have an internal passport. These passports could only be used to travel within Lithuania. However, these internal passports were not issued for the purpose of traveling - these were personal identification documents every Lithuanian citizen was issued at the age of 17, even if one had no intention of traveling. In the beginning of the 1920s, all the adult citizens, regardless of age, had to obtain internal passports. They had to prove the right to Lithuanian citizenship by producing evidence that they were residents of the territory of Lithuania before World War I. Why an Internal Passport was Important An internal passport was very important to those who came to the territory of Lithuania after the war, and wanted to stay there. Even if it was their birth place, Lithuania was a new independent country, separate from the old Russian empire, and an internal passport was required. It also gave them Lithuanian citizenship and, without it, after about 1922 they could be sent back to Russia (i.e. the USSR). While waiting to receive their internal passport, individuals were required to have a temporary document in order for them to remain in Lithuania. These documents were valid for only a certain period of time. If the internal passport was still not received, the temporary document could be renewed for an additional period of time. However, if the individual kept the temporary document too long because of their own problems, or a delay by the authorities, they received the status of foreigner. This was indeed strange for someone who may have been born in Lithuania. As a foreigner, they were required to pay 5 Litas per month for each family member in order to remain in the country. This was a large sum during that period of time. Also, there were additional costs for the temporary documents plus fines. This monetary burden “encouraged” individuals to obtain their permanent internal passport and be recognized as a citizen of Lithuania. Prior to World War I, the Vilnius region was considered part of ethnic Lithuania. After the war, the Polish General refused to give up Vilna and it became part of Poland. Vilna did not become the capital of Lithuania until after the Soviets took over in 1940. (The inter-war capital of Lithuania was Kaunas). This presented a particular problem for those who were born in the Vilnius region and, at the time of the war, went not to Russia but to the territory of ethnic Lithuania. They wanted to live in Lithuania, they needed documents, but of which country? If they had not left for Poland, they finally obtained an internal passport and Lithuanian citizenship only about 1925-1926. Obtaining an Internal Passport The system for obtaining a permanent internal passport was very simple in the first years. All a person needed was some document showing where they lived before, during, or after World War I. It could be the passport given them by the Czarist authorities as the resident of Kovno Guberniya before World War I; the document given in some place in Russia where they spent the war years, or the Ober Ost passport or Personal Weiss given by German authorities in 1917-1918. Any document that could give information about them and the fact that they were born, or their parents lived, in the territory which became independant Lithuania after the war. The second group of documents, which could make the procedure easier, was the birth records from the Jewish communities from where they came from. This they had to find during a very short period. Unfortunately, in most cases, these books of Jewish records were destroyed during the war. The third group was the certificates of marriage, child’s birth, active service, and so on. If people did not have any of these documents, the Internal Passport still could be given on the basis of the Obeliai document (frontier border-crossing station) and the witness of some persons, i.e., neighbors, relatives, friends, etc. Later on, the procedure became more complicated, because of the availability of more documents on file with the police and so on. However, if a child was 16-17 years old, whose parents had a Lithuanian passport and citizenship, wrote an application to the authorities and the data from the security department was positive, they could get a passport very easily — usually within a month, sometimes even sooner. The same situation existed with changing the internal passport. They just had to mark the reason; marriage and changed surname, lost, or some other valid reason. Later on, the application forms included questions about the Lithuanian language, knowledge, and property. Later, internal passports were issued to young people coming of age; women, when they changed their surnames after marriage; when old passports were lost, etc. But this is unrelated to traveling. To go abroad, one had to obtain an external passport — issued not by local municipalities or local police, as the internal passports were — but by the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Contents of the Files Many of the Internal Passport files contain photographs as well as additional records — applications, affidavits, copies of birth and marriage certificates, etc. Sometimes, when vital records were missing, extracts from revision and family lists were produced to prove one's identity and right to Lithuanian citizenship. Even extracts from otherwise currently missing 1858 revision lists have been found in some files. The Internal Passport itself consisted of four pages with the basic information; name, surname, date of birth, place of birth, address, nationality, religion, occupation, some special traits (if the person had any), family status, inscription about children, the passport numbers, issue date, photo, the registration stamp about where they lived, and some other short notes. Here are some illustrations of the types of documents which are found in this collection. Click on the images for a larger view: The application card for the internal passport. Everyone who applied for the internal passport handed in an application for the authorities, and then some clerk formed this special card with the most important personal information, such as names, age, address, occupation, family status, nationality, religion, some special traits and so on. But in less than half of the files have these cards survived. [LCVA / 1264 / 3 / 22296]. The application for the internal passport in "free form". It includes various information, such as name, address, for what reasons person needs the passport, on what documents the application is based, and whom among other family members needs separate one (wife, grown children, mother, etc.). Sometimes this information is very laconic. [LCVA / 1264 / 3 / 10736]. Certificate given by Lithuanian diplomatic representatives in Russia instead of the foreign passport (it was already 1924). With this document, the whole family could pass the Lithuanian border getting the visa on it and temporary permission to live in Lithuania. Later on, this document was proof for their identification as Lithuanian citizens. [LCVA / 1264 / 3 / 10736]. The Birth Certificates forms (the earlier one written in Russian; the latter in Lithuanian) given by Panevėžys city council, used to prove the birth place and age, when applying for internal passport. It includes information about parents, and if the child or the parents were born or lived in Panevėžys before World War I. There were no problems getting the passport through the Panevėžys municipality. Having the birth certificate, it was easier and quicker to get the passport, because there was no need for investigation, witnesses, etc. [LCVA / 1264 / 3 / 10736]. The Internal Lithuanian Passport. The passport was four two-sided pages, with all personal information, photo, and some space for the stamps on the last page. It was just for internal needs. You can find such passports only in these files, when the passport owner had died, left the country, wanted to change the surname, or to get new one (because the writing became unreadable after some intensive use).