Soviet Passports and IDs (1927-1999)

Posted by user
On October 22, 2016
6 Comments
1930s, 1950s, GARF, passport, Research, Russian Family History, Russian Genealogist, Russian Genealogy, USSR

We have completed the research and found out how the letters in the Soviet passports (and удостоверения личности, personal IDs, and in ZAGS birth certificates) were assigned over the most part of the XX century. A couple of months of fruitless archival research finally brought some Real Historical Gems.

It turned out that the 1974 series passports (which remained in use until 1999 and were not technically made invalid until today) were assigned regional two-letter series with the effort not to duplicate the 1934 series logical design — this way it seems that the 1974 series are very chaotic, although they are not.

We should try to make it into the book and the online database some time by the end of this year. Should somebody wishes to volunteer to help us with (mostly) database design, we will appreciate the effort.

Soviet 1930s passport cover page

Want to discuss this? Need help with old historical documents? We are ready to help.

Those underlined letters we were after.

This passport series IV-ДИ was from ~1938 to ~1974 assigned to Chelyabinsk region. Which matches the writing on this passport page. The 6-digit number is also valid one.

6 Comments

Judith Johnson

Apr 11 2018

My grandfather immigrated from Russia in January of 1914 through Libau. He was from what is today called Belarus. I have his Russian passport, #778. Is there genealogical information that can be linked to his passport? I do not speak or5 write Russian. Thank you.

admin

Apr 12 2018

If you can send us the copy of this Russian Passport # 778 we should be able to read it and tell you what genealogical information could be further found based on this knowledge. This is a free service. Please let us know what you think. --Kirill Chashchin Member, Association of Professional Genealogists

Thank you so much! I will make copies of his passport and send them along to you. I really appreciate your direction and expertise, as this Russian geneology is very new to me.

My grandfather was named Prokopi Solotki (Solodky/Solodki) on his Canadian documents. We believe his birthday to be June 8th, 1898. However, he increases his age in a couple of documents, including his passport. He tells Canadian authorities he was born in Cherikowskino, Mogilev but gives his residence as Vysoki Borok, Pauhskaya, Cherikowskino, After some searching, I believe this to be. I am unsure if he moved or if he was being more general in his birth place. “Mogilev Cherikov Paluzhskaya Vysokiy Bork -now called High Borok I have tried to find information about the parish of Paluzhskaya. The Historical Archives of Belarus in minsk tells me that church documents no longer exist. Through information in the passport, I was able to determine that he left Russia on the Mitau and the ship departed port of Libau on January 30, 1914” . He departed the ship in Halifax, Canada. From military documents that my grandfather filled out on arrival in Canada, He states that his father’s name is Elei (also Ilia/ Illyc) Solotki, and he is a shop keeper , His mother’s maiden name is KONDROLENKO. In military records from 1917 he says his mother as deceased I also have one other document written in Russian that I will send along. Thanks for your generous support. Judith

Please e-mail copies of documents to [email protected] Thank you

Just emailed copies of my grandfather's passport. I also sent along a paper verifying Prokopi Solidly is in the military service. It is in English on one side, stating his Russian address, as well as a hand written copy, in Russian, signed by the imperial Russian Counsel in Canada. I am including this in case they contain more clues for records. Thank you. Judith

Soviet Passports and IDs (1927-1999)

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