The Chinese Han dynasty (about 2000 years ago) used a form of passport to track merchants moving along the silk road. Archaeology has uncovered some of this documentation at road side way stations in central Asia.

Source: Raoul McLaughlin, The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes, 2016

US passports have been in existence since the founding of America. Originally passports were issued to aliens as they passed through ports of entry and exit. Passports could be and were issued by local municipalities and states as well as the federal government. In 1856, Congress made the Secretary of State the only official issuer of passports. 10 years later, it was established that only U.S. citizens could be issued passports. During the 19th century and until WWI, there was little requirement for the use of passports besides during times of war. During World War I, passports became a requirement for international travel as many European nations required that official identification be presented on entry to their country. During and after the war, passports were used by some governments as a means to wield control over their citizens, by either revoking a passport of a citizen, or limiting travel to certain nations. This includes the United States which passed the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950, which prevented members of the Communist Party from retaining a passport.

From the Chapter "A Brief History of the Passport" in: Kahn, Jeffrey. Mrs. Shipley's Ghost, University of Michigan Press, 2013.

I was about to ask something very similar, so instead of posting a separate thread I will just ask a follow-up question.

At what point did national/state borders start to matter for the average person?