A national

identity document An identity document (abbreviated as ID) is a documentation, document proving a person's Identity (social science), identity. If the identity document is a plastic card it is called an ''identity card'' (abbreviated as ''IC'' or ''ID card''). ...

is an identity card with a photo, usable as an identity card at least inside the country, and which is issued by an official national authority. Identity cards can be issued voluntarily or may be compulsory to possess as a resident or citizen.

Driving licence A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...

s and other cards issued by state or regional governments indicating certain permissions are not counted here as national identity cards. So for example, by this criterion, the United States driver's license is excluded, as these are issued by local (state) governments.

Identity card policies by country

Generally, most countries in the world issue identity cards, with less than 10 countries worldwide not issuing them, mostly confined to the

anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

microstate A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or land area, usually both. However, the meanings of "state" and "very small" are not well-defined in international law. Some recent attempts to define microstates ...

s and unrecognised states. Many states issue voluntary identity cards to citizens as a convenience. As of 1996, identity cards were compulsory in over 100 countries. In these countries, the meaning of compulsory varies. In the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, an EU/EEA national identity card can be used to travel freely within the EU/ EEA in lieu of a passport. Similarly, in South America, citizens may use an identity card to travel between

MERCOSUR The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...

states. In many other areas of the world, simplified travel arrangements are in place for neighbouring countries, allowing the use of identity cards for travel.

Countries with compulsory identity cards

The term "compulsory" may have different meanings and implications in different countries. of a card may only become compulsory at a certain age. There may be a penalty for not a card or identification such as a

driving licence A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...

. In some cases a person may be detained until identity is proven. This facilitates police identification of fugitives. In some countries, police need a reason to ask for identification, such as suspicion of a crime or security risk, while in others, they can do so without stating a reason. Random checks are rare, except in

police state A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the exec ...

s. Normally there is an age limit, such as 18, after which possession is mandatory, even if minors aged 15–17 may need a card in order to prove that they are under 18.

Countries with non-compulsory identity cards

These are countries where official authorities issue identity cards to those who request them, but where it is not illegal to be without an official identity document. For some services, identification is needed, but documents such as passports or identity cards issued by banks or driving licences can be used. In countries where national identity cards are fully voluntary, they are often not so commonly used, because many already have a passport and a driving licence, so a third identity document is often considered superfluous.

Countries with no identity cards

These are countries where official authorities do not issue any identity cards. When identification is needed, e.g. passports, driving licences, bank cards etc. can be used, along with manual verification such as utility bills and bank statements. Most countries that are not listed at all in this page have no national ID card.

Notes

* As noted above, certain countries do not have national ID cards, but have other official documents that play the same role in practice (e.g. driver's license for the United States). While a country may not make it ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' compulsory to own or carry an identity document, it may be '' de facto'' strongly recommended to do so in order to facilitate certain procedures. * In most countries, non-resident foreign citizens have to be able to identify themselves through a passport. For residents with "foreign" characteristics (e.g. skin color, dialect) possession of an acceptable identity card might be useful to reduce the risk of harassment from the police and other authorities. * In many countries, people suspected of crime will be detained until their identity is proven even in countries not requiring an identity card.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Identity Card Policies Identity documents by country Lists by country *