CYIL vol. 9 (2018)

CYIL 9 ȍ2018Ȏ CZECHOSLOVAKIA: CERTIFICATES AND PASSPORTS OF REFUGEES Recommendation from Czechoslovak nationals was used as an alternative solution, which could be seen as a certain part of local integration of these individuals. The application for the certificate had to meet an extensive list of requirements regarding the personal identity of the refugee. It was absolutely necessary to provide the first and last name in the application. Competent officers of the Russian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were not obligated to insist that otchestvo be given to make the distinction between individual family members with a common surname. However, they did enter patronymic names into the personal certificate. Other data were; the place of birth (place of origin), day, and year of birth. The application contained former and present occupations, if possible, with its confirmation from the current employer. Furthermore, it included an exact address, the place from where and when the applicant entered the Czechoslovak state. Applicants outside of Prague filed their application for personal certificates through political administration offices, and in Slovakia with the County Office. In Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia, the police captain authority provided a public service for submitting the form. The listed authorities either recommended or opposed the approval of the request. The certificate had only national validity. The certificate was valid for one year from the day it was granted. The circular did not regulate the renewal of certificates. This shortcoming was later corrected by circular of the Ministry of Interior no. 23.501-5. 58 Personal certificates of residency were issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in agreement with the Ministry of Interior from 6 April 1921 with a limited duration as an exception to the passport duty imposed upon all non-nationals. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs drafted by letter no. 39.016/22-II on 11 March 1922 that the district political administration in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia be authorized to extend the validity of the certificates for the following year. In Slovakia and Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia, the renewal of certificates was entrusted to the county offices, or alternatively to state police units. The renewal was revocable at any time if the authorities had objections to the residency of Russian and Ukrainian refugees in Czechoslovakia. Despite the security, visa, and administrative measures taken, the unruly, spontaneous influx of Russian and Ukrainian refugees continued. Police authorities noted that the main entry point for the increasing number of refugees was no longer the southern border. Refugees irregularly entered the Czechoslovak territory from Germany, Poland and other neighbouring countries, or were leaving other nearby states. They often stayed in dormitories or in houses designated for Russian and Ukrainian students. They also looked for housing in shelters established by Zemgor , the Agricultural Unity, the Ukrainian Joint Committee, or the Czechoslovak Red Cross. From towns they fled to different villages where they were looking for occasional jobs. They lived without any identity documents or public registration for long periods of time. This chaotic refugee situation was usually perceived by administrative and police organs as an imminent threat to public order, national security, and primarily a hindrance to the so-called Russian aid operation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued letter no. 171019-II dated 6 October 1923, in which it requested that the competent organs point out the duty 58 Registration of Russians and Ukrainians in Czechoslovak republic (Registrace Rusů a Ukrajinců v Československé republice). Circular of the Ministry of Interior no. 23.501-5, 10 April 1922. Official gazette of the Ministry of Interior of the Czechoslovak Republic, Praha, Rolnické tiskárny, 1922, ročník IV, p. 95.

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