Swiss identity card | |
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Type | Optional identity document, optional replacement for passport (see below) |
Issued by | Switzerland |
First issued | 3 March 2023 |
Valid in |
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Eligibility | Swiss citizenship |
Expiration |
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The Swiss identity card in its current form dates back to July 1994. It is in the form of a plastic photocard. It can be used as a travel document when travelling within European Free Trade Association [2] or to the European Union, [3] the European microstates, Georgia, [4] Turkey, and on organized tours to Tunisia.
The Swiss identity card first introduced in 1955 was blue. After World War II, European travel was starting to be more prevalent and the Swiss confederation also wanted to make it easier for Swiss citizens to identify themselves within everyday business operations like picking up parcels or registered mail from the post office.
The Swiss identity card was then modified in 1977 and it changed its colour to a more green/brown colour. Both the 1955 and 1977 series of Swiss identity cards were in a booklet format with the outer page on the 1955 ID card having the coat of arms of Switzerland, and then text in what were then the only three national languages of Switzerland: German, French, and Italian.
When the 1977 version of the Swiss identity card was issued, the first issue was still printed in German, French, and Italian. Later on, Romansch was added to the identity cards (along with English) after it became a national Swiss language in the new 1999 Swiss constitution that followed the 6 March 1996 referendum of Swiss voters.
As a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Swiss citizens enjoy freedom of movement to live and work in other EFTA countries in accordance with the EFTA convention. [2] [5] Moreover, by virtue of Switzerland's bilateral agreements with the EU, Swiss citizens also have freedom of movement in all EU member states. [6]
As an alternative to presenting a passport, Swiss citizens are entitled to use a valid national identity card to exercise their right of free movement in EFTA [2] and the EU. [3] Strictly speaking, it is not necessary for an EEA or Swiss citizen to possess a valid national identity card or passport to enter the EEA and Switzerland. In theory, if an EEA or Swiss citizen can prove their nationality by any other means (e.g. by presenting an expired national identity card or passport, or a citizenship certificate), they must be permitted to enter the EEA and Switzerland. An EEA or Swiss citizen who is unable to demonstrate their nationality satisfactorily must, nonetheless, be given 'every reasonable opportunity' to obtain the necessary documents or to have them delivered within a reasonable period of time. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
It was planned to introduce a new identity card by the end of 2016. This would then have been available in four versions with the applicant choosing the version to be issued to them. There were plans for a basic version without electronically stored data, a version with electronically stored biometric data (photo and two fingerprints), a version with electronically stored credentials for e-government and e-business, and a fourth version which would have been a combination of the second and third versions.
However, on 13 January 2016 the federal Swiss government, when announcing the next steps to be taken for state-approved electronic identities, stated in a footnote that it does not expect the new identity card to be available before 2019. It sees no immediate need to have a biometric identity card available with a biometric chip. [12]
As of 3 March 2023 a new model with the latest security technology is issued, [13] [14] however the card does not yet have a biometric chip.
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 Norwegian passport is the passport issued to nationals of Norway for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Norwegian citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Norwegian consular officials abroad.
Finnish passports are issued to nationals of Finland for the purpose of international travel. Aside from serving as proof of Finnish nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Finnish consular officials abroad.
Swedish passports are issued to nationals of Sweden for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as proof of Swedish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swedish consular officials abroad.
A Danish passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark to facilitate international travel. Besides serving as proof of Danish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Danish consular officials abroad.
A Swiss passport is the passport issued to citizens of Switzerland to facilitate international travel. Beside serving as proof of Swiss citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swiss consular officials abroad.
There are several identity documents used in Sweden. None are compulsory by law, meaning that there is no formal penalty for not possessing one. Certified identification cards are issued by the tax agency. The Swedish police issues passports and national identity cards for Swedish citizens. A Swedish driver's license, issued by the transport agency, is also accepted as an identity document. Banks sometimes issue identity cards for established customers or their children.
The European Union itself does not issue ordinary passports, but ordinary passport booklets issued by its 27 member states share a common format. This common format features a coloured cover emblazoned—in the official language(s) of the issuing country —with the title "European Union", followed by the name(s) of the member state, the heraldic "Arms" of the State concerned, the word "PASSPORT", together with the biometric passport symbol at the bottom centre of the front cover.
The Swedish national identity card is a non-compulsory biometric identity document issued in Sweden. It is one of two official identity documents issued by the Swedish Police, the other being the Swedish passport. It is only issued to Swedish citizens, and indicates the citizenship.
Icelandic passports are issued to citizens of Iceland for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Icelandic citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Icelandic consular officials abroad. As of 2023, 94.9% of Icelandic citizens possess an Icelandic passport. It is one of three official documents issued by the Icelandic government, the others being the Icelandic identity card and the Icelandic driving licence.
The Croatian identity card is an identity document issued in Croatia. Any Croatian citizen who is resident in Croatia can obtain an ID card and it is compulsory for all citizens over the age of 18. This document is issued by the police on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior.
The Italian electronic identity card, or simply carta d'identità, is an identification document issued to any Italian citizen and to legal aliens, that has been progressively replacing the paper-based identity card since version 3.0 was first released on 4 July 2016. The CIE is intended for both digital and physical identification. The biometric information is printed on an ID-1 card and stored in a contactless chip.
The Finnish identity card is one of two official identity documents in Finland, the other being the Finnish passport. Any citizen or resident can get an identification card. Finnish citizens will get indication of citizenship on the card. It is available as an electronic ID card, which enables logging into certain services on the Internet, local computers or adding digital signatures into LibreOffice ODF documents or creating DigiDoc formatted containers that also allows encryption during content transfer. ID card is applied at a police station and it is issued by the police.
The Portuguese identity card, is an identity document issued by the Government of Portugal 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. However, as of 2017 BIs continued to be issued in some cases.
The Cypriot identity card is issued to citizens of Cyprus. It can be used as a travel document when visiting countries in Europe, as well as French overseas territories, Montserrat and Georgia. This document is not valid in Turkey.
The Liechtenstein identity card is issued to Liechtenstein citizens by the Immigration and Passport Office in Vaduz. The card costs CHF65 for adults aged 18 or over and is valid for 10 years. For children, the card costs CHF30 and has a validity of 3 years.
National identity cards are issued to their citizens by the governments of most European Economic Area (EEA) member states, the exceptions are Denmark and Ireland. Ireland however issues a passport card which is a valid document in the EEA and Switzerland. Denmark issues simpler identity cards that are not valid as travel documents. From 2 August 2021, new identity cards are harmonized as a common identity card model replaced the various formats already in use.
The Norwegian identity card, commonly referred to as the national identity card in Norway, is a non-compulsory biometric identity document issued since 30 November 2020. It is one of two official identity documents issued by the Norwegian Police Service, the other being the Norwegian passport. It is only issued to Norwegian citizens, and may indicate citizenship so that it can be used as a travel document facilitating freedom of movement within the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area. For travel within the Nordic countries no identity documentation is legally required for Nordic citizens due to the Nordic Passport Union.
Passports of the EFTA member states are passports issued by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. EFTA is in this article used as a common name for these countries.
The Icelandic identity card, is a voluntary identity document issued by Registers Iceland since 12 April 1965. It is one of three official identity documents issued by the Icelandic Government, along with the Icelandic passport and Icelandic driving licence. It is only issued to Icelandic citizens regardless of age and may indicate citizenship, so that it can be used as a travel document facilitating freedom of movement within the European Free Trade Association and the rest of the European Economic Area. For travel within the Nordic countries no identity documentation is legally required for Nordic citizens due to the Nordic Passport Union.