Just after the fall of uprising of 1831, under regulation of Administrative Council dated as of 6th / 18th of May of 1832, those Polish citizens wishing to go abroad had to apply for a specific authorization of foreign travel, issued solely by the military Governor-General of Capital City of Warsaw. This gevernor was seen as the only person authorized to issue passports in the whole Kingdom of Poland at this time. At the same time, the provincial/voivodship authorities were instructed to send all requests for the issuance of passports to travel beyond the borders of the Kingdom directly to the office of above mentioned Governor-General of Warsaw. Simultaneously, the inhabitants of the Kingdom possessing double (or even more) citizenship, as well as these who lived near the border - particularly near borderline with Russia, received passports enabling them to cross the border several times. Such passports one could only obtain from the very hands of military Governor-General of Warsaw himself. However, landowners having their proprieties cut in two by the border from side of Prussia, Austria, and Free City of Cracow, obtained the opportunity to receive the so-called travel passes (in other words: “card coupons”), entitling them to cross the border every day "depending of the the needs of the farm”.
The new regulations issued in terms of obtaining passports have contributed greatly to increase control over the people who have decided to travel abroad. After the November Uprising the authorities ”were dealing in the procedure of issuing passports with a greater degree of caution”. In practice it meant initially almost completely separation of country from the outside world. The military Governor-General of Capital City of Warsaw - person authorized to issue passports for foreign trips and to travel all over the Kingdom - now had a “very solid” messages about almost all the journeys undertaken by citizens of the Kingdom.
The main problem concerned Prussia here, where all the local administrative levels of government have the power to issue written authorization allowing crossing of the border, what was obviously resulting in quite a liberal politics in this regard. Thus, Prussian citizens have been authorized to enter into the Kingdom of Poland not only on the basis of showing their passports issued by each and every regencies and landrates, but even on the basis of presenting certificates given away by municipalities, and especially by mayors of urban municipalities. As a consequence, the authorities of post-uprising Kingdom of Poland expressed their constant opinion that such a conduct of Prussian government was unable to provide adequate “security guarantee” of proper control of persons crossing the border. It was therefore decided to agree on the subject with the Prussian authorities, what in reality took place with an extensive help of Consul General of Prussian State. The consultation resulted in highly “desired” effect. Strict rules for verification of the nature and provenance of the Prussian passports were laid down, corresponding exactly with the matter which of them were to be considered by the government of Kingdom as legitimate ones.
Inne tematy w dziale Kultura
