Czech national identity card

Czech national identity card (Občanský průkaz)
The new ID1 format Czech identity card (with chip )
Date first issued	2012-01-01
Issued by	Czech Republic
Valid in	Czech Republic  Europe (except Belarus, Kosovo (?), Russia, Turkey and Ukraine) French overseas territories Georgia
Type of document	Identity card, optional replacement for passport in the listed countries

The new ID1 format Czech identity card

The reverse of the new ID1 format Czech identity card

The reverse of the new ID1 format Czech identity card - version without chip

The front of old Czech identity card

The reverse of old Czech identity card

The Czech national identity card (Czech: Občanský průkaz, literally civic certificate; Czech pronunciation: [ˈoptʃanskiː ˈpɾuːkas]) is the identity document used in the Czech Republic (and formerly in Czechoslovakia), in addition to the Czech passport. It is issued to all citizens above 15 years of age, and every such person permanently living in the Czech Republic is required by law to hold a valid identity card.^[1]

It is possible to use the ID card for travel within Europe (except Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey) as well as Georgia instead of a passport.

History

A 1991 průkaz booklet from the ČSFR.

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 (1948–89) 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 (in case of renewals), 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 (in case of renewals) or a birth certificate and proof of citizenship.

Photograph

The photograph(s) 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 (except the blind), without any head cover (except for health/religious reasons, which may not cover the face in a way that makes the person difficult to distinguish). The photograph must be smooth.

Data included

Front side

• Surname
• First name
• Date of birth
• Birth number
• Nationality (Česká republika)
• Date of expiration

Reverse

• Place of birth
• Permanent address
• Birth name
• Other data
• Issuing authority and date of issue

The following information is printed if requested by the applicant (who must provide proof if necessary):

• Academic degree

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

• Marital status

See also

• National identity cards in the European Union

References

1. Law No. 328/1999 Coll. § 2, section 2

External links

• The Ministerstvo Vnitra page on občanský průkaz (Czech)