An In-depth Look at Identity Documents and ID Cards

People use identity documents like driver's licenses and other id cards to prove who they are. Unlike other cards that may serve only a single purpose like an ATM card or visa, ID cards are used to assert the holder is who they say they are. The term "ID card" actually refers to any identity document in the small form of a standard-sized card.

In some countries, citizens are assigned a nation identification number that may be printed on their individual identity card. This may be in addition to the document's serial number.

In modern times identity cards are often computer readable and may contain smartcards, biometrics, or microchips. The original photograph on a piece of cardboard id document is all, but extinct.

Information that is typically present on ID cards or in the supporting linked database includes a person's full name, parents' names, address, profession, and blood type. Biometrics allows for identity cards to contain information on the physical or behavioral characteristics that unique identify an individual. These may include: fingerprint, signature, facial geometry, voice, iris, and retina among other traits.

In the

, when an individual State issues an official identity card, it will contain a unique civil identity, meaning the person's identity is defined in relation to that State; a typical example of this is the state driver's license.

There are a multitude of laws limiting who is authorized to require an identification documents. Typical professions authorized to request ID cards or other identity documents include police and immigration officers.

In addition to these government professions, many other public and private entities can ask to see identification. They can't legally require you to give it to them, but it's common for a shopkeeper or cashier to request an ID document before accepting a credit card or check as payment for merchandise.

No national identity card is required in the . Surprisingly to most people, there is no federal agency with nationwide jurisdiction that issues ID cards to all

citizens. There have been attempts in the legislature to propose such a bill, but all have been defeated.

Driver's licenses issued by the various states and special state issued ID cards are often used as a form of national identification and may be required for boarding airplanes or entering certain office buildings.