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Modern identity cards bear little resemblance to the traditional "photograph on piece of cardboard" and are often hi-tech smartcards capable of being swiped and read by computer.
Where the identity card is issued by the State, it asserts a unique single civil identity for a person, thus defining that person's identity purely in relation to the State. New technologies allow identity cards to contain biometric information, such as photographs, face, hand or iris measurements, or fingerprints.
Other information typically present on the cards — or on the supporting database — includes full name, parents' names, address, profession, nationality in multinational states, blood typeA blood type is a description of certain characteristics of blood which depend on certain substances present on the surface of red blood cells. There are 46 known antigens, each of which is described by its own system. Two important classifications to des and Rhesus factor.
Laws usually limit who is authorized to require an identification (for example limiting it to policeFor the band, see The Police. For the Polish town, see Police, Poland. Police forces are government organisations ostensibly charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. The word comes from the French, and less directly from the Greek pol, immigrationImmigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. An immigrant is usually someone who intends to reside permanently, and not a casual visitor or traveler. Immigration means "in-migration" into a coun officers etc), though practice usually broadens the range to many civil functionaries, for example when paying with a credit cardA credit card system is a type of retail transaction settlement and credit system, named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. A credit card is different from a debit card in that the credit card issuer loans the consumer money rathe. This can lead to functionality creepFunctionality creep is what occurs when an item, process, or procedure designed for a specific purpose ends up serving another purpose for which it was never planned to perform. Example In the United States, when the Social Security system was created in whereby carrying a card becomes de factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "in fact" or "in practice", commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning "by law") when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as create if not de jureDe jure is a Latin expression that means "by law", as contrasted with de facto which means "in fact". The terms de jure and de facto are used like "in principle" and "in practice" when one is describing political situations. They are also often used when compulsory.
In many cases, other forms of documentation such as a driver's license, passport, or Medicare card serve a similar function, identifying the bearer in a variety of contexts. However, possession of these documents is typically optional from a legal point of view.
Not carrying a required identity card can be beneficial for people who wish to avoid detection (such illegal immigrants) as well as innocent citizens who value their privacy.
In some countries like Spain, if their identity, age or citizenship cannot be ascertained, laws on foreigners may give them a longer term for pleading or staying, compared to adult nationals of states like Morocco, that have signed fast repatriation agreements.