passbooks

Passbooks are small booklets issued by banks to record deposits, withdrawals, and balances in a savings account.

Before electronic banking, customers brought their passbooks to the bank for each transaction, and tellers would stamp or write in the new balance.

The term persists in some countries, though the practice has largely been replaced by statements and online access.

In apartheid-era South Africa, passbooks were identity documents that Black citizens were required to carry, restricting their movement and employment.