Passport Act of 1920

Passport Act of 1920 or Passport Control Act, 1920 was a federal statute authored by the United States 66th Congress. The legislation was an appropriations bill authorizing a fiscal policy for the United States Diplomatic and Consular Service.

The Act of Congress established a fees schedule for identity documents and travel documents as related to United States passports and visas. The public law repealed section one of the Expatriation Act of 1907 discontinuing the issuance of passports to persons not declaring an American citizenship or a renunciation of citizenship in the continental United States.

The United States administrative law petitioned the requisite articles of the Wartime Measure Act of 1918 providing regulatory travel authority for United States foreign departures, domestic entries, and mandatory U.S. passport purposes. The Wartime Measure Act remained in effect through World War I whereas the United States 66th Congress drafted bill H.R. 9782, superseding public law 65-154 by passing the Aliens Restriction Act or public law 66-79 as signed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson on November 10, 1919.

Clauses of the Act
The Passport Act of 1920 contains five sections establishing regulations for the issuance and passport validity of American passports with an inclusion for United States travel visas and work visas.


 * Passport Control Act - 41 Stat. 750
 * Expenses of regulating entry into the United States
 * Fees for Passports and Visés - 41 Stat. 750 § I
 * Act effective from and after the 1st day of July, 1920
 * Fees established for application and issue
 * Retention of fee by State officials
 * Persons exempted
 * Alien Passports - 41 Stat. 750-751 § II
 * Fees for visé and application
 * Persons exempt
 * Validity of Passport or Visé - 41 Stat. 751 § III
 * Validity limited to two years
 * U.S. Secretary of State by regulation shall limit the passport or visé validity to a shorter period
 * Foreign Country Refusal to Visé a Passport - 41 Stat. 751 § IV
 * Return of passport fee if visé refused by foreign officer
 * Expatriation of Citizens and Their Protection Abroad - 41 Stat. 751 § V
 * Expatriation Act of 1907 § I
 * Authority to issue passports to persons not American citizens repealed