The German Identity Card (German: Personalausweis) is issued to German citizens by the local registration offices (although today they are produced centrally at the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin).
It is compulsory for all German citizens age 16 or older to possess either an identity card or a passport but not to carry one. While police officers and some other officials have a right to demand to see one of those documents, the law does not state that one is obliged to submit the document at that very moment.
As everyone in Germany must possess an ID card or a passport, acceptance of other official documents (like driving licences) as proof of identity is not guaranteed.
Germans travelling inside the European Union or the Schengen Area can use their ID card, which is a machine-readable travel document, instead of a passport.[1]
Just like German passports, German identity cards are valid for ten years (six years if the holder is under 24 at the day of issue).
The current ID card costs 28.80 € (22.80 € if the holder is under 24 at the day of issue).
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In 1951 both the West German and the East German authorities began issuing booklet identity cards in the ID-2 format.
In West Germany an improved identity card was developed in the 1980s and issued from April 1987 on: It consisted of a single laminated sheet of paper with a machine-readable zone. To prevent counterfeiting, it contained watermarks, guillochés, microprinting, fluorescent dyes and multi-colour fluorescent fibres. In addition, the holder's name was laser engraved into the plastic film and the holder's picture was printed on the document, so it could not be removed and replaced by a different one (unlike the older ID cards, where the picture was just glued to the document).
When East Germany joined West Germany on 03 October 1990, the West German identity was introduced in the former East German territory. However, unexpired East German identity cards could still be used until 31 December 1995.
In November 2001, the so-called Identigram feature was added - a number of holographic security elements, including a three-dimensional German Eagle, a holographic copy of the holder's picture (the so-called Holographic Shadow Picture), a holographic copy of the machine-readable zone, holographic microprinting and kinematic elements.
The current ID-1 type has been issued since November 2010. It contains an RFID chip similar to that in biometric passports: The chip stores the information given on the ID card (like name or date of birth), the holder's picture (which, unlike the picture on older ID cards, has to be a biometric one) and, if the holder wishes so, also his/her fingerprints. In addition, the new ID card can be used for online authentification (such as for age verification or for e-government applications). An electronic signature, provided by a private company, can also be stored on the chip.
The current ID card is an ID-1 (credit card size) plastic card with an embedded RFID chip. It is covered with multi-colour guillochés and appears green-brown from the distance. All the information on it is given in German, English and French.
The front side shows the German Eagle and the words "BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND / FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY / REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE D'ALLEMAGNE" and "PERSONALAUSWEIS / IDENTITY CARD / CARTE D'IDENTITE". It contains the following information:
The back side shows the Brandenburg Gate. It contains the following information:
The three-line machine-readable zone on the back side contains the following information:
| positions | text | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | ID | identity document |
| 3 | D | issuing country: Germany (Deutschland) |
| 6-14 | alphanumeric digits | document number |
| 15 | decimal digit | check digit over 6-14 |
| positions | text | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | decimal digits | date of birth (YYMMDD) |
| 7 | decimal digit | check digit over 1-6 |
| 9-14 | decimal digits | date of expire (YYMMDD) |
| 15 | decimal digit | check digit over 9-14 |
| 16 | D | nationality of holder: German (Deutsch) |
| 30 | decimal digit | check digit over 6-30 (upper line), 1-7, 9-15, 19-29 (middle line) |
| positions | text | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1-30 | alphabetic digits<<alphabetic digits<alphabetic digits | SURNAME<<GIVEN<NAMES |
Empty spaces are represented by "<".
The ID card contains an ISO 18000-3 and ISO 14443-A compatible 13.56 MHz RFID chip that uses the ISO 7816 protocols.[2][3] The chip stores the information given on the ID card (like name or date of birth), the holder's picture and, if the holder wishes so, also his/her fingerprints. In addition, the new ID card can be used for online authentification (e.g. for age verification or for e-government applications). An electronic signature, provided by a private company, can also be stored on the chip.
The document number, the photo and the fingerprints can be read only by law enforcement agencies and some other authorities.[4]
To use the online authentification function, the holder needs a six-digit decimal PIN. If the holder types in the wrong PIN, he has to type in the six-digit decimal access code given on the ID card to prove he/she really possesses the ID card. If the wrong PIN is used three times, a PUK must be used to unlock the chip. The data on the chip are protected by Basic Access Control and Extended Access Control.
The identity card contains the following security features:
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