1922 HAPAG Passenger Transport Notification – Emigrant Travel Requirements to the U.S.
📌 Explore a 1922 Passenger Transport Notification from HAPAG (Hamburg-America Line), outlining visa fees, passport requirements, and medical examinations for emigrants traveling to the U.S. A valuable resource for teachers, students, genealogists, and historians studying immigration.
Front Side of a 1922 Transcript of a HAPAG Hamburg-America Linie Telegram from the Passenger Transport Department providing the emigrant with essential information regarding their voyage to the United States. GGA Image ID # 1fb841c6fb. Click to View a Larger Image.
1922 HAPAG Passenger Transport Notification – An Insight into Emigrant Travel to the U.S. 🛂🚢
This 1922 Passenger Transport Notification from HAPAG (Hamburg-America Line) is a rare and invaluable artifact, shedding light on the rigorous immigration process for European emigrants traveling to the United States. The document serves as an official notification from the HAPAG Passenger Transport Department, detailing essential steps for obtaining travel documentation, securing visas, undergoing medical examinations, and finalizing departure plans.
For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this document is an exceptional primary source that helps contextualize early 20th-century immigration policies, the role of shipping companies in managing migrant travel, and the bureaucratic hurdles faced by immigrants before they could even set sail.
Why This Document Matters:
Educational & Research Significance
📚 For Teachers & Students:
🔹 Provides real-world historical evidence of immigration policies in the 1920s.
🔹 Great primary source material for essays on immigration law, public health screenings, and U.S. immigration policy at the time.
🔹 Highlights the bureaucratic challenges emigrants faced, fostering critical discussions about immigration policies today.
🏡 For Genealogists:
🔹 A valuable resource for those tracing European ancestors, particularly Germans, Austrians, and Eastern Europeans who immigrated to the U.S. via Hamburg.
🔹 Offers insight into passport, visa, and health inspection requirements that ancestors would have navigated before arriving in America.
🏛 For Historians & Immigration Scholars:
🔹 Sheds light on how private shipping lines collaborated with government agencies to regulate immigrant travel.
🔹 Provides evidence of Germany’s role as a major hub for U.S.-bound immigration before and after World War I.
🔹 Highlights the strict requirements imposed by U.S. authorities, including affidavits, police certificates, and financial guarantees from American sponsors.
Abteilung Personenverkehr Telegramme Hapag Hamburg Freischein Liste 67139 Nr. 12575 Is wird ersucht, in der Antwort vorstehende Nummer anzugeben.
Von Amerika erhielten wir den Auftrag, Ihnen Für 1 über 10 Fahre alte person Die von Ihnen zu zahlende Gebühr für das amerikanische visum beträgt Dollars 10.
Die nächsten Abfahrten von Hamburg nach New York bleiben Sie aus dem anliegenden Fahrplan zu ersehen.
Ausweispapiere: Sie benötigen eines Reisepasses Ihrer heimatsbehörde, welcher mit einer Eintragung versehen sein muß er zur Ausreise von Hamburg nach New York bis zum Abfahrtstage des gewählten Damfers oder tunlichst eine Woche länger gilt. Der so ausgestellte Deutsche Daß muß von einem in Deutschland befindlichen amerikanischen konsul visiet werden. Amerikanische konsulate, genannt United States.
English Translation
Passenger Transport Department Telegrams Hapag Hamburg Free Ticket List 67139 No. 12575 Please state the above number in your answer.
From America we received the order to send you for 1 over 10 years old person The fee you have to pay for the American visa is 10 dollars.
The Next available departures from Hamburg to New York are in the attached timetable.
Identification documents: You need a passport from your home authority, which must contain an entry valid for the departure from Hamburg to New York until the departure date of the chosen passenger or, if possible, one week longer. An American consul in Germany must visit the German Dass issued in this way. American consulates are called the United States.
Terms and Conditions on the Reverse Side of the 1922 German Passenger Transport Notification. GGA Image ID # 1fb84a5753. Click to View a Larger Image.
Confidential offices arrived in Berlin, Bremen, Wroclaw, Dresden, Frankfurt a. M., Hamburg, Koblenz, Cologne, Königsberg, Leipzig, Munich, Stettin and Stuttgart. At one of these American consular offices, you must apply for the insertion of the American sherbouyer's office, either in writing or orally.
You will then be asked to collect your documents in total, with the following documents:
- travel passport,
- birth certificate (if married, marriage certificate or a certified copy thereof),
- medical certificate,
- police certificate, and three photographs,
- Affidavit, received from America or letters or letters Documents of citizens of the United States, in which, as in the Affidavit, the reason for maturity is stated.
It is a requirement that the author's nationality, folder letters, or documents must be authenticated.
Poster presentation: As soon as you have a passport provided with an American standard, please let us or the agency mentioned below, along with a truthfully filled out questionnaire, indicate on which steamer you wish to have your passport loaded. Only after receiving notice by letter or telegraph that space is occupied for you may travel to Hamburg.
Anyone arriving here without such notice must bear the consequences themselves and, if the steamer is well-ordered, pay the high resident's allowance in Hamburg until the departure of the next ship carrying the placard.
Submitted in Hamburg: In Hamburg, you must arrive three days before the steamer's departure so that the prescribed medical examination, disinfection matters, luggage, etc., can be done.
Noteworthy Images & Their Significance:
1. Front Side of the HAPAG Passenger Transport Notification (1922)
📸 Caption: "HAPAG Hamburg-America Linie Telegram from the Passenger Transport Department – Official Notification for Emigrants to the U.S."
💡 Why It’s Interesting:
🔹 The document resembles an official telegram, showing the urgency and structured nature of pre-departure communication.
🔹 Lists visa costs ($10 USD), departure schedules, and passport requirements, giving insight into the financial and bureaucratic burdens on emigrants.
🔹 Highlights the importance of Hamburg as a key port for transatlantic migration, particularly for Europeans traveling to America.
2. Reverse Side – Terms & Conditions for U.S.-Bound Passengers
📸 Caption: "Reverse side of 1922 German Passenger Transport Notification – Official Instructions for U.S.-Bound Emigrants."
💡 Why It’s Interesting:
🔹 Lists specific documents required for immigration:
- Passport with proper endorsements
- Birth & marriage certificates
- Medical certificate & police clearance
- Three photographs & affidavit from a U.S. sponsor
🔹 Shows how strict the documentation process was, reflecting America’s tightening immigration laws post-World War I.
🔹 Details arrival procedures in Hamburg, emphasizing medical inspections, disinfection protocols, and financial security measures before emigrants could board their ships.
Historical Context & Relevance to Immigration Studies
1. 1920s U.S. Immigration Laws & the Visa System
🔹 The Immigration Act of 1921 (Emergency Quota Act) and the Immigration Act of 1924 drastically reduced the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S., particularly from Eastern and Southern Europe.
🔹 These quota-based restrictions forced emigrants to undergo extensive paperwork and sponsorship requirements, as seen in this document.
🔹 The need for police certificates and affidavits highlights the increased scrutiny on immigrants' financial stability, criminal background, and health.
2. Role of HAPAG & Other Transatlantic Shipping Lines
🔹 HAPAG (Hamburg-America Line) was one of the largest transatlantic passenger carriers during this period, transporting thousands of immigrants from Europe to the U.S. and Canada.
🔹 This document shows how shipping companies acted as intermediaries between immigrants and U.S. immigration authorities, ensuring compliance with legal requirements before passengers even left Europe.
3. Medical Inspections & Public Health Measures
🔹 The document mentions medical certificates, disinfection, and health inspections, emphasizing how public health policies influenced immigration.
🔹 Ellis Island and other U.S. ports had strict medical inspections, and those deemed unfit were denied entry—a serious concern for travelers.
🔹 The mention of quarantine procedures highlights how health screenings were an integral part of immigration control in both Europe and America.
Key Takeaways for Research & Essay Writing
📌 For Students & Teachers:
🔹 Use this document to analyze bureaucratic barriers in immigration history.
🔹 Compare early 20th-century immigration procedures with modern-day U.S. visa processes.
🔹 Discuss how government restrictions & economic factors influenced migration patterns.
📌 For Genealogists & Family Historians:
🔹 Provides clues about ancestors' travel routes, particularly those departing from Hamburg, Germany.
🔹 Shows the types of documents ancestors needed to migrate legally.
🔹 If researching German, Polish, or Eastern European ancestry, this document may be particularly relevant.
📌 For Historians & Immigration Policy Researchers:
🔹 This document serves as evidence of the bureaucratic shift in immigration control after World War I.
🔹 Helps explain how the U.S. government and private companies collaborated to enforce immigration laws.
🔹 Demonstrates how quotas, visa fees, and health inspections played a role in shaping the demographics of U.S. immigrants in the 1920s.
Final Thoughts: A Window into the Immigrant Experience
This 1922 Passenger Transport Notification from HAPAG is more than just an administrative document—it is a window into the real challenges emigrants faced when attempting to enter the United States. It reflects the strict immigration policies, the role of steamship companies in migration, and the growing influence of public health and security in shaping who was allowed entry.
For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this document is a powerful research tool that brings the immigrant journey to life, providing a firsthand account of what it took to legally cross the Atlantic in the 1920s.
📚 Students writing essays on immigration history can use this as a case study to examine the intersection of bureaucracy, public health, and migration policies.
🔍 For genealogists, this document is a treasure trove of information, shedding light on how their ancestors prepared for the journey to America.
🌍 For all history enthusiasts, this is a reminder that behind every official document is a human story—one of hope, resilience, and the pursuit of a better life.
💡 What will you uncover in your research? 🕵️♂️📜
