The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is a photo identification card that identifies the holder as a full-time student. It is currently a form of identification that is internationally recognized (though not accepted at many establishments as proof of age).
Cardholders gain access to special discounts with many companies, particularly on travel-related services such as airplanes, buses, trains, ferries, and rental cars. Other discounts are for museums and cultural sites, various attractions and entertainment, hostels and hotels, and bars and restaurants. Microsoft's DreamSpark program provides free copies of many full-featured development tools, such as Visual Studio 2010 and SQL Server 2008, to ISIC holders.
As a guide price, cards cost $22 in the US or £9 in the UK. In the United States, cards come with international travel/medical insurance, hence the increased cost. In Canada, the usual price of the card is $20 which is waived by being a full-time student at certain Universities [1].
The card is issued by the ISIC Association, which describes itself as "an international, not-for-profit membership association of the World Youth & Student Educational Travel Confederation".[2] The ISIC Association reports that it has issued almost 45 million ISIC cards since the early 1960s.[3]
ISIC is endorsed by UNESCO.
If an individual is not a full-time student, but aged under 26 or is a full-time teacher or professor, the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) or International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) could apply. The IYTC and ITIC offer similar benefits, services and savings to the ISIC card.
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