In 1719, in connection with the introduction of the poll tax and conscription duty, travel certificates were introduced. In 1724, rules were established regarding peasants’ absences, and feeding passes and transit letters were introduced; they described the height, face, and distinguishing marks of the person released. The first were issued to peasants leaving their villages for seasonal work within their own districts, as well as to landowners and stewards. The second were for persons traveling to other districts. Population movements were supervised by local administrative bodies and the police. Peasants found without documents were subjected to corporal punishment and sent back to their owners.
From 1763, the passport acquired significance as a means of collecting passport fees. Passport fees were introduced in 1763: for one-year and shorter-term passports—10 kopeks; for two-year passports—50 kopeks; for three-year passports—1 ruble. At the beginning of the 19th century, for townspeople and peasants the passport fee for a one-year passport was already 6 rubles, and for 5 years—70 rubles in assignation banknotes. In 1825 and 1894, passport fees were significantly reduced; in 1894 they were introduced for the privileged estates as well; in 1897 they were finally abolished.
From 1803, instead of feeding passes and transit letters, printed passports valid only within Russia were introduced for merchants, townspeople, and peasants.
From 1809, address offices were established in St. Petersburg within the city police. All persons working for hire in the capitals were required to register with the address office and obtain an address ticket there. When changing jobs and place of residence, as well as upon expiration of the ticket, registration was required; moreover, a ticket was not issued without a favorable reference from the previous place of employment. Persons suspected of unreliability could be expelled from the city by the police.
In 1837, the Address Office was reorganized into the Address Expedition, and an address desk was opened under it, “to provide to each and everyone who wishes the necessary information about the place of residence of a person staying in the capital.” A similar address desk appeared in Moscow as well, but only in 1861, “following the example of St. Petersburg.”
From the 1830s until the end of the 19th century, the main law defining the rights and duties of the police in enforcing the passport regime in the empire was the “Charter on Passports and Fugitives.” The main rule of the Charter (Art. 1) stated that no one may leave their place of permanent residence without a legally established permit or passport. The law required all persons to present passports when moving from one province to another at the outposts established in cities, and upon arrival— to the police. Nobles not serving in state service could have no passports; for them, the document was the diploma of noble status. For peasants and townspeople, three categories of passports were established, issued depending on the distance from the person’s principal place of residence and their period of validity (up to 3 years maximum).
The passport register was compiled by private bailiffs; for peasants—in volost administrations. Travel certificates, travel warrants, passports, residence permits, and others were recorded there. They contained the following information: surname, given name, patronymic, rank/status, age, religion, marital status—the composition of the family. Other versions of passport registers are also found, listing such data as: house number, surname, given name, patronymic, rank/status, where the person arrived from, when the passport was issued, in whose house the person lives, permit for trade or craft, when and where the person departed. They are kept in regional archives: in the collections of private bailiffs and volost administrations.
The system of issuing passports changed; what was common were the short periods of their validity.
From 1883, homeowners were required without fail to notify the police of all arrivals and departures in all cities, towns, and small settlements, submitting their passports to the police for registration.