Brazilian Identity Card

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The identity card — diversely named in Portuguese cédula de identidade (identity bill) cartão/carteira de identidade (identity card) or "RG" (from Registro Geral, General Registry), depending on the state — is the national official identity document in Brazil. It contains the name, the birthdate, the names of the parents, the signature and the thumbprint of the bearer.

Contents 1 History 2 Issue 3 Security 4 Legal Status 5 Appearance 6 Contents 7 Foreigners 8 References

[edit] History

It was created by the Getúlio Vargas’ Estado Novo dictatorship, as a tool to better control and suppress political dissent, but it has never been repealed by the several following democratic or dictatorial governments. There is virtually no organised resistance to it; on the contrary, due to still widespread misery and ignorance, possession of an RG is seen as a mark of having at least basic civil rights, as the most miserable people won’t have access to several public services without having their papers in order.

[edit] Issue

Identity cards are issued by the state governments, but can be used nationwide. It is interesting to note that there is no legal restriction to having more than one identity card, provided that each is issued by a different state.

The documents required for the issue of an identity card depend on whether the person is single or married. For single persons, it is the birth certificate (the original one or a certified copy), for those married, it is the marriage certificate. If the person wants, the CPF can be printed on it too.

[edit] Security

Until the late 1980s, most identity cards were typed on stationery and the photos were simply glued. New IDs are electronically printed, sometimes with scanned photograph.

[edit] Legal Status

The possession of an identity card is needed for nearly all acts of civil life: getting a driver's licence, opening a bank account, buying or selling real estate, financing debts, applying for a job, giving testimony in court, entering some public buildings, etc. The police may ask to see the identity card of anyone arrested or searched. Because of its widespread need it is practically compulsory (though it is not legally so).

Several other documents can be accepted instead of the identity card, including (but not limited to) the driver's licence, the professional identity card (for doctors, engineers, dentists, etc), the military identity card and the workers registry.

Only recently the driver's licence received the same legal status of an id card in Brazil. There are also a few other documents, such as cards issued by the national councils of some professions (Doctors, Accountants, Dentists, Engineers, Lawyers, etc), which are considered equivalent to the national identity card for most purposes.

[edit] Appearance

There is a national standard, but each state can include minor differences (usually numbering scheme, font, printed seal and background pattern. The standard is green and plastified, officially 102×68 mm^[1], but lamination tends to make it slightly larger than the ISO 7810 ID-2 standard of 105×74 mm, resulting it tight to fit in most wallets.

[edit] Contents

Front:

• Registration number (can have verification digits or letters) and each state can design its own system
• Issue date
• Full name of the bearer
• Parents' names (the father above, the mother below)
• Birth place (location, state)
• Birth date
• Base document:

CN: Birth Certificate (Certidão de Nascimento) CC: Marriage Certificate (Certidão de Casamento)

• CPF number

Back:

• State Coat of Arms
• The full name of state
• The name of state office that issued the document
• A 3x4cm photograph
• Thumbprint
• Signature or an observation cancelling it (for illiterate persons)

[edit] Foreigners

Since 1938 foreigners living in Brazil are also required to have their special identity cards called National Foreign Registry (Registro Nacional de Estrangeiros). The IDs are red or pink and issued by the Federal Police.

[edit] References