My family is dealing with some nightmare immigration bureaucracy and it got me wondering… there are so many accounts of, for instance, American artists living in foreign nations for extensive periods (like the Lost Generation writers in 1920s Paris) or wealthy British Victorians who seemed to spend months and months abroad at a time across Italy, France, Greece, etc. How was this accomplished? Did one need to apply for permission to travel or stay? Did they have to worry about taxes in the nation in which they were residing?
And what about much further back? In the Middle Ages, say, if someone from England showed up in France, did they have to register with local authorities or something?
Thanks!
Some discussion on the introduction of visa/passports
When were passports and visa's introduced? by u/Jan_van_Bergen touches on the rationale and origins of these documents, which is near the time period you talked about. However, no mention is made of the application process.
When and how did the use of passport become standard globally? by u/ombudsmen talks about the idea about a decade later than you are inquiring about.
It's the European middle ages, and I'm traveling from England to Rome or Jerusalem for a pilgrimage. What's border security like, as I cross (presumably) multiple international borders along the way? Do I need a passport or some equivalent? written by u/sunagainstgold talks about some medieval happenings.