Czech national identity card


The Czech national identity card is the identity document used in the Czech Republic, in addition to the Czech passport. It is issued to all citizens, and every person above 15 years of age permanently living in the Czech Republic is required by law to hold a valid identity card.
It is possible to use the ID card instead of a passport for travel within Europe as well as Georgia and Montserrat.

History

The first mandatory identity document was introduced during the German occupation, on 17 March 1939 in a decree made by Reichsprotektor Konstantin von Neurath. This document was based on the model of a similar document already in use in the Third Reich and included a photograph. Known as a legitimace, it was often nicknamed kennkarta.
During the communist regime this simple card developed into a booklet dozens of pages long. It contained such personal details as employment history and vaccination records.

Requirements

To acquire the machine-readable version of the card, a citizen must present either a currently valid card, or a birth certificate and proof of citizenship. A photograph is made at the premises of the issuing authority; the form is filled out by an employee of the issuing authority and only requires the signature of the applicant.
To acquire the non-machine-readable version, a citizen must present a filled out application, two photographs, and either a currently valid card or a birth certificate and proof of citizenship.

Photograph

The photograph must be 35x45 mm, correspond to the current look of the person, show the person looking forwards with the distance from the eyes to the chin at least 13 mm, in civil clothes, without dark glasses, without any head cover. The photograph must be smooth.

Data included

Front side

The following information is printed if requested by the applicant :
The following information is printed unless the applicant explicitly opts out: