The Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) (which means in the official translation National identity card; literally National identity document Spanish pronunciation:[/dokumento//naθjonal//de//iðentiðað/]) or carnet de identidad is a national identity document compulsory to all citizens of Spain aged fourteen and above. It has a personal, unique and exclusive identification number or número de DNI –made up of eight digits plus a control letter– that is assigned to the holder the first time he/she obtains the document and that keeps throughout his/her life as a general identifier.
The first DNI was issued in 1951. The current document is an electronic identification laminated card –or polycarbonate– with NFC technology, in the standard credit card size, which details the full name of the holder, legal ascendant(s), place and date of birth, address, signature, and contains a photograph.[lower-alpha 1] The card also prominently displays the unique identification number. This number is required in many legal actions and business transactions. When used for tax purposes, it receives the name of Número de identificación fiscal (NIF).
The DNI is enough to visit and register as a resident in the member countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. It can also be used for short-term visits in the rest of Europe (except Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and United Kingdom) as well as Georgia, Montserrat (max. 14 days), Turkey and organized tours to Tunisia.
The ID card is issued at offices of the National Police. To apply for a DNI, it is necessary to have Spanish nationality. Foreigners legally residing in Spain are issued a Tarjeta de Identidad de extranjero (TIE) or Foreign Identity Card with its own Número de identidad de extranjero (NIE) or Foreign Identity Number.
History
In 1824, King Ferdinand VII of Spain founded the first police force in Spain and gave it the exclusive right to create and maintain city registries which would hold information on each resident's age, gender, marital status and profession. This was its first role and something that has continued to today.[2]
The idea to create a new document began by instituting a law on 2 March 1944, with the purpose being to gather census data. The government enlisted the public by making a contest to make the new DNI, which was won by Aquilino Rieusset Planchón.[3]
The initiative to create a new DNI came from Francisco Franco, which got his first DNI in 1951. The first group of people who were required to get a DNI were prisoners and people on bail, house arrest or parole. The next group required were men who had to frequently move houses for their job, then people living in cities of 100,000 people and plus, then people in cities between 25,000 people and 10,000, and so on until everyone in the population had a DNI.[4]
Zaragoza was the first provincial capital to issue a DNI. After that test run, the issuance was extended to Valencia and then it continued spreading all around Spain.[4]
The first modern DNI included the name(s) of the holder legal ascendant(s) and what their jobs were. The card was green in colour and used the emblems of the régime in Spain at the time, and it also included the holder's social status. The second card in 1962 incorporated their marital status and their blood type. The colour of the DNI was changed to blue. This version didn't have the gender of the user. The next card –issued between 1965 and 1980– kept everything the same, except for the signature of the Director which was superimposed.
The most significant changes happened between 1981 until 1985 with the card replacing the previous emblems with the new constitutional ones. It also re-introduced the gender of the holder. In the next model –issued between 1985 and 1991– the profession, marital status and blood type were removed, which was causing medical issues. In the 1990s, new models were being made with computers, the fingerprint was removed and the Royal Mint began producing the DNIs.
In 2006, they included a chip inside the DNI, making it an electronic identity card. This card allows the card holder to use the Internet for communications with the government.[4] In 2015, they launched the DNI 3.0 with NFC technology.[5]
Rules
DNIs are personal documents and are not allowed to be transferred. They are issued at the offices of the National Police by the Ministry of the Interior, which regulates their protection and their laws. The cardholder is obligated to hold and maintain the card during its period of validity. Any DNI is sufficient proof of identity and all the personal information in it, and is also a proof of holding Spanish nationality. On each DNI there is a number which is considered a general personal numerical identifier.
To obtain a DNI it is necessary to have Spanish citizenship, and all Spanish citizens have a right to obtain a DNI. Spanish citizens fourteen years or older are required to hold a DNI if residing in Spain and for people who return to Spain for more than six months.[6] People can be fined for not holding a DNI and have a requirement to hold one.
Everyone who is required to have a DNI are obligated to show the card to the authorities if asked. While people aren't required to have the DNI on hand at all times, they are required to identify themselves and give it to the police officer if having it on themselves. If a DNI is required but can not be given, another document can be given in substitution for the document, even if that document is not officially a way to identify themselves. For example, under Spanish law, a driver's license isn't a document to identify a person, but an authority can choose to admit it.
If it is not possible to identify someone because they don't have their DNI at the moment, it is possible that they are required to accompany a police officer to the closest place to identify the person.[7] If someone doesn't present their DNI when they can or don't agree to the police station, it can be considered civil disobedience –which results in a fine– or it can be considered disobedience to an authority which is a felony under section 634 of the penal code.[8]
Validity
DNIs have a validity period of two years for minors less than five years old, five years for people less than thirty years old, ten years for people less than seventy years old and does not expire for people who are older than seventy years old.
Number
The number of the National Identity Document includes eight digits and one letter for security. The letter is found by taking all eight digits as a number and dividing it by twenty-three. The remainder of this digit, which is between zero and twenty-two, gives the letter used for security. The letters I, Ñ, O, U are not used. The letters I and O are omitted to avoid confusions with the numbers 0 and 1. whilst the Ñ is absent to avoid confusion with the letter N.
Remainder
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Letter
T
R
W
A
G
M
Y
F
P
D
X
B
N
J
Z
S
Q
V
H
L
C
K
E
From the beginning up to the present day, DNIs are assigned to the different police stations. Thus, every police station that issues DNIs do not run out of numbers. If the station runs outs of numbers they are assigned a new lot, which is not necessarily the same as the previous lot. This stops the false belief that low new DNI numbers are actually old DNI numbers of someone who has died.[4]
DNI number one was given to Francisco Franco,[9] with number two being given to his wife, Carmen Polo, and number three to their daughter, Carmen Franco y Polo. The numbers four through nine are vacant to this day. The numbers ten through ninety-nine are reserved for the royal family. Number ten was given to King Juan Carlos I, number eleven for Queen Sofía and numbers twelve and fourteen for InfantasElena and Cristina, respectively. King Felipe VI has the number fifteen,[4] Princess Leonor has the number sixteen and Infanta Sofía has the number seventeen.[10] The number thirteen was left out due to superstition.
There is evidence that there are thousands of people that share their DNI numbers from the time when its issuance was not computerized.[11]
Elements
Since December 2015, version 3.0 of the electronic DNI has been issued at all police stations. The card is made of polycarbonate and has an electronic chip with the digital information of the cardholder. The dimensions are identical to a credit card (85.60mm wide × 53.98mm tall). This version of the DNI has the following elements:[12]
On the front
The main section indicates the last names (all Spanish citizens are required to have two last names), first name, gender, nationality and date of birth. The serial number includes a security feature, expiry date and signature of the cardholder
On the lefthand side of the card there is a photo of the cardholder. The photo is in black and white and is a bigger size than all of the previous cards.[13] Under the photograph is the holders DNI number and security letter.
On the righthand side there is a transparent window with a laser engraved physical support number. Below that there is a changing image made via a laser which consists of the issuing date and a miniature photograph of the cardholder and the Card Access Number to access the RFID chip.[14]
On the back
The top includes the holder's address and country of residence. Under that is where the holder was born and the name(s) of the legal ascendant(s) of the cardholder.
On the left is the issuing code of the DNI and the cryptographic chip with an NFC antenna
On the bottom part there is OCR-B information, compliant with ICAO regulations on travel documents
On the cryptographic chip, in electronic form
Electronic certificate to authenticate the citizen
Electronic certificate to sign electronically, with the same legal power as a handwritten signature
Electronic certificate from the issuing body
Keys of every electronic certificate
The cardholder's fingerprint
The cardholder's photograph
Digitalized image of the cardholder's signature
The electronic chip does not hold personal information that is not on the card, including from other government agencies.
Security methods
In the electronic DNI there have been various security methods implemented to hamper attempts at falsification.[12]
Visible security features to the naked eye include optically variable inks and moving letters
Visible security features to microscopes and electronic systems include ultraviolet light and micro-sculptures.
Electronic security features include encrypting the data on the chip, requiring a PIN to access the card and no connection to the Internet.
Use
To use the electronic DNI it is required to know the personal password. This can be changed at a police station that issues DNIs. It is also required to have a computer and a card-reader. Card-readers come in many different ways, including inside the actual computer or being connected to a USB port, and the card-readers must be able to read an electronic DNI, meaning it must be ISO 7816 compliant. Finally, one must download the software which the police provide.[15]
In October 2011, five years after its launch, El País newspaper reported that use of the electronic DNI feature was very low, with many people preferring to use a digital certificate.[16]
In 2015 the DNI 3.0 was launched, incorporating NFC technology which can be read by phones.[17]
Vulnerabilities
During the month of November 2017, the National Police Force disabled the digital certificates issued after April 2015 due to a study by Czech researchers at the University of Masaryk. They found that those DNIs were vulnerable to an attack known as ROCA, which allows the hacker to find the passwords of the user. The government informed that they had not detected any DNI to be affected by it, but they decided to take precautions to make sure that it wouldn't happen. While the cards could not be used for electronic usage, they can be used for identification purposes.[18] In December 2017, they informed the public that cardholders could go to a police station to fix the security issues.[19]
This vulnerability not only affected the DNI certificates, but it is a generic vulnerability detected in some cryptographic cards from some manufacturers, among which were the DNI issued after the indicated date. According to the study, the flaw was in a code library used by Infineon, one of the most important providers of smart chips. The ruling implies that it cannot be verified if a digital signature was made by the owner of the DNI or that the encrypted data is exposed to third parties.[18]
For this reason, the validity of the signatures already made with these documents is questioned since it cannot be shown who signed them. Another vulnerability has also been revealed in the issuance of the signature: it does not certify when a signature was made, or the date or time of the operation.[20]
Foreigner Identity Card
To get a DNI it is necessary to have Spanish citizenship. Foreign residents in Spain can get a card similar to the DNI but in blue, called the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE). This card is the document that proves that the foreigner is legally in Spain. This card shows that the cardholder has been granted permission to stay in Spain for more than six months. The card is personal and non-transferable. On the card it also has the Número de identidad de extranjero (NIE).
↑ Photograph with size 32mm ×26mm (1.3in ×1.0in), with plain white uniform background, taken from the front with the head completely uncovered and without dark glasses and any items which may prevent or hinder the identification of the person.
Related Research Articles
An identity document is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card, or passport card. Some countries issue formal identity documents, as national identification cards that may be compulsory or non-compulsory, while others may require identity verification using regional identification or informal documents. When the identity document incorporates a person's photograph, it may be called photo ID.
A national identification number, national identity number, or national insurance number or JMBG/EMBG is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other governmentally-related functions.
The cédula de identidade is the official national identity document in Brazil. It is often informally called carteira de identidade, "RG" or simply identidade in Portuguese. The card contains the name of the bearer, filiation, place of birth, date of birth, signature and thumbprint of the bearer. Other national documents can legally be used as an identity card, such as a federative unit-issued driver's license, passport or, for minors, a birth certificate. Each card has a unique RG number. As of 11 January 2023, the CPF number will be used as the RG number on new identity cards.
Argentine passports are issued to citizens of Argentina by the National Registry for People (ReNaPer). They were issued exclusively by the Argentine Federal Police up to 2011. Their primary use is to facilitate international travel.
The Mexican passport is the passport issued to Mexican citizens for the purpose of travelling abroad. The Mexican passport is also an official ID and proof of Mexican citizenship. According to the January 2024 Henley Visa Restrictions Index, holders of a Mexican passport can visit 161 countries without a visa, placing Mexico in the 23rd rank in terms of global travel freedom.
A Chilean passport is an identity document issued to citizens of Chile to facilitate international travel. Chilean passports are valid for worldwide travel and facilitate the access to consular services whilst abroad. They are issued by the Registro Civil e Identificación.
The Estonian identity card is a mandatory identity document for citizens of Estonia. In addition to regular identification of a person, an ID-card can also be used for establishing one's identity in electronic environment and for giving one's digital signature. Within Europe as well as French overseas territories, Georgia and Tunisia the Estonian ID Card can be used by the citizens of Estonia as a travel document.
The NIE is a tax identification number in Spain, known in Spanish as the NIE, or more formally the Número de identidad de extranjero. The Spanish government have linked the NIE number to residence, where the NIE appears on the tarjeta de residencia, and to social security in Spain.
A cédula de identidad (Spanish), also known as cédula de ciudadanía or Documento de identidad (DNI), is a national identity document in many countries in Central and South America. In certain countries, such as Costa Rica, a cédula de identidad is the only valid identity document for many purposes; for example, a driving license or passport is not valid to open a bank account. The term "cédula" may also colloquially refer to the number on the identity document.
The Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) is an identity card issued by Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The card is available to any citizen of Pakistan who is 18 years of age or older. The CNIC is a computerised version of the National Identity Card (NIC).
The German Identity Card is issued to German citizens by local registration offices in Germany and diplomatic missions abroad, while they are produced at the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin.
Documento Nacional de Identidad or DNI is the main identity document for Argentine citizens, as well as temporary or permanent resident aliens. It is issued at a person's birth, and must be updated at 8 and 14 years of age, and thereafter every 15 years. It takes the form of a card, and is required for voting, payments, military service inscriptions and formalities. They are issued by the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER).
The Citizen Card or CC is an identity card issued by the Portuguese government to its citizens. The card replaces several previous documents, including the Bilhete de Identidade, Social Security card, National Health Service card, Taxpayer card and voter registration card, in one secure card. The Citizen Card was first issued in the Azores in mid-2006.
A card security code is a series of numbers that, in addition to the bank card number, is printed on a credit or debit card. The CSC is used as a security feature for card not present transactions, where a personal identification number (PIN) cannot be manually entered by the cardholder. It was instituted to reduce the incidence of credit card fraud.
The Lebanese identity card is a compulsory Identity document issued to citizens of the Republic of Lebanon by the police on behalf of the Lebanese Ministry of Interior or in Lebanese embassies/consulates (abroad) free of charge. It is proof of identity, citizenship and residence of the Lebanese citizens.
The Dominican national identity card is a polycarbonate card containing the holder's full name, place of birth, date of birth, nationality, sex, civil status, occupation, polling station, and residential address, as well as a photograph that adheres to ISO/IEC 19794-5. The card can also optionally include the holder's blood type. Formerly, it included the holder's race.
The Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) (Spanish for 'National Identity Document') is the only personal identity card recognized by the Peruvian Government for all civil, commercial, administrative, judicial acts and, in general, for all those cases in which, by legal mandate, it must be presented. It is a public document, personal, and non-transferable and also constitutes the only title of right to the suffrage of the person in whose favor it has been granted. Its issuance is in charge of the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC).
The Colombian Identity Card is the identity document issued to Colombian citizens by local registry offices in Colombia and diplomatic missions abroad to every Colombian person over 18 years of age, while for minors it is the "Tarjeta de Identidad”. This is the only valid identification document for all civil, political, administrative and judicial acts according to Colombian Law 39 of 1961. They are produced and issued by the National Civil Registry.
The identification document of Uruguay, formerly known as "Cédula de identidad". is issued by the Ministry of the Interior and the
Biometric identity cards () are indicated in italics.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Spain 
