PASSPORT, a warrant of protection and permission to travel, granted by the proper authority, to persons moving from place to place. Every independent state has the right to exclude whom it pleases from its territory, and may require that,all strangers entering it be furnished with properly authenticated documents, showing who they are, and for what purpose they are visiting the country. Passports are sometimes issued by the ministers and consuls of the country which the traveler intends to visit, which can not, however, be done without the consent or connivance of the state of which the holder of the instrument is a subject; they properly proceed from the authorities of the state to which the traveler belongs. and ought to bear the visa or countersignature of the minister or consul of the country which he is about to visit. In some European states no one is allowed to go abroad without a passport from his government authorizing him to leave the country—a provision used as a means of detaining persons charged with crime; and passports are even required by the natives to enable them to go from pined to place in their own country. The regulations of different states have varied much regarding the use of passports; and of late years there has been a great relaxation of the stringency of the regulations connected with them. Since the facilities of traveling have so greatly increased. it seems to have become the prevalent opinion that the passport system tends to obstruct the free. intercourse that is desirable between citizens of different countries; while it is ineffectual to prevent the entrance of dangerous or suspicious characters, who can obtain passports on false pretenses, or make their way in without them. Within the United Kingdom no passports are required; but for a British subject traveling in some parts of the continent they are still requisite. At one time the greater part of British subjects traveling abroad used to be furnished with passports from the ministers or consu's of the countries which they purposed to visit; the lord provost of Edinburgh was also in the way of issuing passports to Seotchnten. Of late years the passport 'nest used by British subjects is that of the British secretary of state for foreign affairs, which is now granted to any British subject for a fee of two shillings, and is good for life. If the applicant be not personally known to the secretary of state, he must either be recom mended to him by some pert;ou who is known to him, or produce an application in his favor by some banking firm established in Loudon or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, or a certifieate of identity signed by a mayor, magistrate, justice of the peace, minister of 'religion, physician, surgeon, solicitor, or notary, resident in the United Kingdom. In
certain cases the production of a certificate of birth may be required. If the applicant be a naturalized British subject, his certificate of naturalization must be forwarded to the foreign office. If it be dated subsequently to Aug. 24, 1850, and previously to Aug. 1, 1858, his passport will be good for one year only; if subsequently to Aug. 1, 18.8, for six mouths only. The passport of a British subject naturalized by act of parliament is good for life. Where the passport system is in full force, it is required that the pass port be countersigned by the minister or consul of the country which the holder means • to visit, the visa being only of force for a year. Ulu: French government allows British subjects to enter and leave France, and travel in it without passports; but they arc said to be szunetintes asked for when France is entered from the s. and east In Belgium, Holland, Germany', Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. pass ports are no longer required. For Greece and Portugal they are necesary, and the visa is insisted on in Russia, Turkey, mid Egypt. A British subject traveling in countries where passports are not de rilpteltr, will sometimes find it an advantage to hire one as an evidence of his identity and nationality. Till lately, throughout the greater part of Europe, a traveler was liable to be called on to produce his passport, not only at every frontier town, but at every garrison town which he passed. In several of the countries where passports are not required of travelers they are of a decided advantage, if not a necessity, to those who propose to settle there for some time—for example in Germany, especially since the auti-socialist In time of war, passports or safe-co ducts are granted by the supreme authority on the spot—i.e., the officer in command—to insure safety to the holders when passing from spot to spot, or whIle occupied in the performance of some net specified in and permit ted by (lie passport. Passports may lie granted for goods as well as individuals; and, in time of war, the passport of a ship is the formal voucher of its neutral charai ter. It purports to be a requisition on the part of the government of a state to allow the vessel freely with hereompany, passengers, goods, and merchandise, without hindrance, or molestation, as being owned by citizens or subjects of such state.