The Dutch identity card ( ) is an official non-compulsory

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''). ...

issued to Dutch nationals in the European part of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and certain diplomatic missions. It has similar dimensions and structure as those of a regular

bank card A bank card is typically a plastic card issued by a bank to its clients that performs one or more of a number of services that relate to giving the client access to a bank account. Physically, a bank card will usually have the client's name, th ...

Use

All Dutch citizens from the age of 14 are required to be able to show a valid

when the police or other enforcement officers ask for identification. The identity card is commonly used for this purpose, but other identity documents such as a

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

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 ...

may be used instead. The Dutch identity card is also a valid means of personal identification in a number of countries outside the Netherlands and may be used as a

travel document A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the beare ...

in those countries in place of a Dutch passport.

Identity information

A Dutch identity card includes the following information about the holder and the document (with fields in Dutch and English): *

Nationality Nationality is the legal status of belonging to a particular nation, defined as a group of people organized in one country, under one legal jurisdiction, or as a group of people who are united on the basis of culture. In international law, n ...

(''Nederlandse'') * Document number * Full name, including surname and all given names * Photograph (both printed and processed to

watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations i ...

) * Date of birth * Place of birth * Height * Sex * Personal number * Authority (the authority who issued the concerning identity card, commonly the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the municipality of residence; for example "Burgemeester van Utrecht") * Date of issue * Date of expiry (normally 10 years after the date of issue for adults, 5 years for minors) * Signature * Machine Readable Zone at the backside starts with Ichip containing the information mentioned. Since May 2016, the identity card no longer contains the holder's fingerprints. The chip has been included due to European regulations.

Validity

The Dutch identity card is a valid

within all of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

(except

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) as well as

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...

(max. 14 days),

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and on organised tours to

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. Validity in EU/EFTA states is based on membership of 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 ...

, while validity in Turkey is based on the "''European Agreement on Regulations governing the Movement of Persons between Member States of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

''". Since the document is defined within the Dutch Passport Law (''Paspoortwet'') as a "travel document of the European part of the Netherlands" rather than a "travel document of the Kingdom", this identity card is ''not'' issued or valid in the ABC islands or the

SSS islands The SSS islands (), locally also known as the Dutch Windward Islands ( or ), is a collective term for the three territories of the Dutch Caribbean (formerly the Netherlands Antilles) that are located within the Leeward Islands group of the Less ...

. An identity card is normally valid for a period of 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors.

European identity card

Before the introduction of the Dutch identity card (1 October 2001) in credit card format, an ID2-format European identity card was issued. This card was also machine-readable and was valid for the same group of countries (but not for 11 out of 12 EU countries which acceded in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

). The card contained also information on the bearer's address and had fields in English, Dutch and French. After introduction of the Dutch identity card, existing European identity cards remained valid until expiry.

References

External links

Official copyright-free images of 2014 model Dutch travel documents
{{identity cards

Government of the Netherlands

Use

Identity information

Validity

European identity card

See also

References

External links