Ordinance, issued by the Department of the Interior of Prussia [Present-day Germany]: “We hereby order all government offices responsible for the issuance of passports, to pay particular attention to Jews without means, as they jeopardize public safety everywhere. They are not to be issued any passports, unless they convincingly demonstrate that they have some major business to attend to in the place to which they want to travel, and that they have sufficient means to undertake their journey. Both purpose and destination of travel must be noted expressly in all passports. At the same time, we ask that all authorities that report to us shall arrest all Jews who are encountered without such passports, and to treat them as vagabonds. Officers who fail to enforce this ordinance shall be subject to a mandatory fine of 10 thalers for each occurrence.”
Kletke, M.G. (ed.). Organisation des Judenwesens im Großherzogthum Posen (Organization of Jewish Affairs in the Grand Duchy of Posen). Heymann: Berlin, 1843. Page 285. Researched by Dominik Jacobs 4/13/2020