The procedure for expatriation involved the application for and subsequent granting of a passport. That for the emigrant, from the beginning of the twentieth century, was for a long period characterized by a red cover. To obtain it, it was necessary to apply for it to the mayor of the municipality of residence who, in turn, turned it over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accompanying it with a declaration of clearance for expatriation. The passport of the man with accompanying family could include his wife and children and also cohabiting ascendants. Conscripts also needed clearance from the military authorities. Of course, a concession fee was paid from which people traveling abroad on business were exempt.