Passports are an invaluable document dating back to Biblical times when individuals could be granted safe conduct letters requesting that the governors of foreign lands grant them safe passage. The first mention of a passport is in the Bible's book of Nehemiah from approximately 450 BC.
In the 13th century Marco Polo’s father became the first European to receive safe conduct from Kublai Khan, granting him safe passage and access to the entire Mongol Empire.
Mentions of safe conduct appeared in England as early as 1414 under King Henry V, who had the authority to grant safe conduct to anyone, even foreigners. By 1540 in England the granting of travelling papers became normalized under the Privy Council. The term passport was already in use at this time. However, they were not necessarily required for international travel, being mostly used as identity documents.
Travelling and identity were finally officially merged in the early 20th century. The British Nationality and Status Aliens Act of 1914 produced the first modern British passport. By 1920 the League of Nations had adopted a standard passport format.
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