Better security for ID documents: Council agrees its position - Main contents
The EU is introducing tighter security for ID cards in order to reduce identity fraud. Today's meeting of EU ambassadors agreed the Council's position on a proposal for a regulation which will strengthen the security of identity cards of EU citizens and of residence documents issued to EU citizens and their non-EU family members.
The proposed new rules will improve the security of these documents by introducing minimum standards both for the information contained in them and for security features common to all member states that issue them.
Ensuring the security of identity documents is a vital tool in the fight against terrorism and organised crime. More secure documents make it harder to commit document fraud and identity theft.
Herbert Kickl, Minister of the Interior of Austria
On the basis of this mandate, the Council Presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament once the latter has adopted its position.
Security standards for ID cards
Under the proposed new rules, identity cards will have to be produced in a uniform, credit card format (ID-1), include a machine-readable zone, and follow the minimum security standards set out by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation). They will also need to include a photo and two fingerprints of the cardholder, stored in a digital format, on a contactless chip.
Identity cards will have a maximum period of validity of 10 years. Member states may issue ID cards with a longer validity for persons aged 70 and above. If issued, ID cards for children under 12 will have a maximum period of validity of 5 years.
Phase out of old ID cards
The negotiating mandate foresees that the new rules will enter into force 2 years after adoption, meaning that by this date all new documents issued must fulfil the new criteria.
In general, existing identity cards which do not meet the requirements will stop being valid 10 years after the date of application of the new rules or at their expiry, whichever is earlier. ID cards issued to citizens aged 70 or more will remain valid until their expiry, provided they meet the security standards and have a machine-readable zone.
The least secure cards which do not meet the minimum security standards or do not have a machine-readable zone will expire within five years.
Residence documents
The proposed rules also specify the minimum information to be contained in residence documents issued to EU citizens, and harmonise the format and other specifications of residence cards issued to non-EU members of families of EU citizens.
Background
In recent years, common EU security standards have been introduced for identity and travel documents including passports, visas and residence permits for third country nationals. However, under existing rules, the security levels of national ID cards and resident documents for EU citizens and their family members still vary significantly, increasing the risk of document fraud.
The new rules are set out in a draft regulation which was proposed by the Commission on 17 April 2018.
The proposed rules do not require member states to introduce identity cards or residence documents if they are not foreseen under national law.
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