Recording the Process of Population Movement: from the Past to the Present

The article examines the documentation of population migration records in prerevolutionary Russia, the USSR, and modern CIS countries. Documentation of population migration records is primarily associated with the introduction of the passport system. Already in ancient states, a passport system was introduced that allowed recording of population movements. In the 18th century, different types of passports were introduced, and the formation of the Russian passport system began. Internal migration records were mainly introduced in the 1920s. During the 20th century, one of the best systems of recording population migration was built in the USSR. At the present stage, a number of information systems and several types of documents are used for this purpose: passports, temporary residence permits, residence permit, etc. In different CIS countries, based on similar legislation, different but comparable in their functions documents (identification cards, migration cards, etc.) are used. This causes certain problems with accounting for international migration and requires the improvement and harmonization of national information systems.