List of National Identity Card Policies By Country - Identity Card Policies By Country - Countries With Non-compulsory Identity Cards

Countries With Non-compulsory Identity Cards

These are countries where official authorities issue identity cards to those who request them, but where it is not illegal to be without an official identity document. For certain services, identification is needed, then e.g. passports or identity cards issued by bank etc. can be used.

• Austria
• Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) issues the Canada Permanent Resident Card to permanent residents of Canada. In the past Canadian citizenship cards were issued to new Canadians upon naturalization and established Canadians (upon request). As of 2012 these cards have been discontinued.
• Finland: national identity cards exist, but commonly people use their driving licences or national social security cards as ID. When making purchases with a credit card, ID card will usually be asked for. In electronic transactions, online bank identifiers have been introduced also for personal identification purposes. Many government services can be accessed in this way.
• France: see extended discussion below.
• Iceland: The National Register of Persons ("Þjóðskrá") issues national identity cards ("Nafnskírteini") to all teenagers in the year they become 14 years old. People in Iceland are required to present identification if asked by police, but driving licenses and various other ID cards are acceptable as well as the identity card.
• Italy: Carta d'Identità (Italian Wikipedia) may be issued to anyone resident in Italy and to Italian citizens living abroad. It is issued after the 15th birthday. It is not compulsory to have it or to carry it, unless expressly ordered by public security authorities. The latest version is the Italian electronic identity card.
• Liechtenstein: the Principality of Liechtenstein has a voluntary ID card system for citizens, called the "Identitätskarte".
• Japan: There is an optional Juki Net (住基ネット, Jūki netto?) card for Japanese citizens, corresponding to the compulsory Jūminhyō (住民票?) record of residential address. The compulsory Certificate of Alien Registration (外国人登録証明書, Gaikokujin Tōroku Shōmeisho?) that all resident foreigners were required to have is being replaced with a resident's ID card that is essentially the same as the Juki Net card, and resident foreigners are now registered in Jūminhyō, together with Japanese family (if any). Foreigners who enter the country on a visa that is valid for 3 months or less need only a passport with a valid landing permit. Driving licenses, National Health Insurance Cards (国民健康保険証, Kokumin Kenkō Hoken Shō?), Certificates of Alien Registration (or the new resident's ID card that replaces it) and passports containing a registration for a Certificate for Alien Registration are accepted as IDs for most purposes. Health insurance cards do not have a photograph of their owner.
• Mexico: The Federal Electorate Institute("Insituto Federal Electoral") issues a Voting card (Credencial para votar) for Mexican citizens when they become 18 years old. The card is compulsory in order to participate in Federal level elections, and is the de facto ID for most legal transactions.
• Sweden:

Having an identity card in Sweden is not mandatory, but it is needed in several situations, e.g. for bank services or when picking up a package at a post office.

Sweden has since 2005 issued national identity cards, but they are not compulsory and only obtainable by Swedish citizens, mostly intended to use for intra-Schengen area travel. The Swedish tax authority does since 2009 issue official identity cards for anyone resident in Sweden. Driver's licenses is the most commonly used identity document in Sweden. Between 2005 and 2009 it was almost impossible for immigrants to get a card because of tightened security to get a bank card, since a close family member having a Swedish identity document had to vouch the identity.

• Switzerland: Swiss identity card
• In Trinidad and Tobago the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is responsible for the issuing of National Identification Cards. A National Identification (ID) Card is issued to a citizen or eligible resident when they register to vote. The National ID Card is an electoral document used as proof of identity when voting. It is also accepted as a primary form of identification within Trinidad and Tobago, and can be obtained before voting age. Eligible for the card are citizens of Trinidad and Tobago of 15 years of age or older, and Commonwealth citizens 15 years of age or older who have resided legally in Trinidad and Tobago for at least one year immediately preceding the application. The National ID Card is valid for 10 years. It is not, however, mandatory when voting; other forms if ID, including passport or driver's permit, can be presented.
• United States: the Passport card is issued to citizens upon request. Although its main purpose is for land and sea travel within the country, under the REAL ID Act, the passport card is also accepted for domestic air travel. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indicated that the U.S. Passport Card may be used in the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 (form) process. The passport card is considered a "List A" document that may be presented by newly hired employees during the employment eligibility verification process to show work-authorized status. "List A" documents are those used by employees to prove both identity and work authorization when completing Form I-9. The passport card can be used as valid proof of citizenship and of identity both inside and outside the United States. Most people, however, use state issued driver's licenses, or state-issued (generally by the state's DMV) non-driver's ID cards, as identity cards.