Passports
Passports are government documents issued to citizens for travel to other countries. They can be useful when researching your ancestors.
This page is for historic documents, not current passports.
On this page
Before you start
Gather information such as:
- name
- approximate year of birth
- place or province where the person lived
Places to look
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) only has a few records relating to Canadian passports:
Government records
Consular Division series, Department of External Affairs fonds, RG25-A-5-c, volumes 711 and 712
The Government of Canada kept some passports samples for historical purposes. The 130 sample files in this series relate to passports issued between 1891 and 1920.
Passenger lists
In the past, passenger lists, Form30A records, border entry lists and Form30 records were the official records of immigration. Those records often include the immigrant’s passport number, beginning in the following years:
1925: passenger lists (includes place and date of issue)
1919: Ocean arrivals, Form 30A (includes issued by and date of issue)
1931: border entry lists (In the Remarks column, it sometimes includes passport information for overseas immigrants who entered Canada via an American ocean port.)
Border entry Form 30: no passport information was included
If you find passport information for your immigrant ancestor, you can try searching archives in their native country for possible passport records, registers or lists.
Private sources
Immigrants from the Russian Empire, 1898-1922 database
Files relating to immigrants whose passports were issued in the former Russian Empire are found in the LI-RA-MA collection. Those passport files are digitized and searchable by name in the above database.
Other sources
There are also some passports in the collections of individuals who donated their personal papers to us.
To find out if there is a record relating to your ancestor, use Collection search. In All these words, enter a person’s name; “passport” or “passeport;” and “RG25”
Search tips
- The use of passports was not common before the First World War.
- The Canadian government did not collect nor keep copies of immigrants’ passports when they arrived.
- The Passport Office does not keep expired passports or passport applications.
Access the records
Digitized records
If you find a record of interest, there may be a digital image. Some of these are available through Collection Search. Others, particularly digitized microforms, are available through Héritage.
Records that are not digitized
For records that are not digitized, you'll need to see them in person. If you can't visit us in person, you can order copies or hire a researcher.