The ID cards currently used in Germany were introduced on 1 November 2010. Unlike those used in the past, these ID cards are only as large as a credit card and include a contactless chip.

The data on a German ID card

The following images show the data that is printed on the front and back of a German ID card:

• Last name
• Birth name
• First name(s)
• Doctoral degree
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Photo
• Signature
• Height
• Eye colour
• Address (if abroad, states 'primary place of residence outside of Germany')
• Postal code
• Nationality
• Serial number
• Religious name or pseudonym (if applicable)
  

The machine-readable zone (MRZ) is located along the lower edge of the back of the card. It is designed to meet the specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This ensures that German ID cards can be read by machines for border-control purposes (for example).

The data stored on an ID card's chip

The chip contains all the data found in the card's machine-readable zone and all the data printed on the card (except for height, eye colour, and signature). A higher-resolution version of the holder's picture is also stored on the chip. The additional storage of two fingerprints will be voluntary until July 2021; after that, this will be required for newly issued ID cards throughout Europe.

Protection of personal data

The data found on German ID cards is not stored in a central location. The types of personal data and facial images that are being stored in the registries of Germany's identification authorities have not changed since the new ID cards were introduced. Fingerprints are only stored on an ID card's chip, as well as for a brief period during ID card production (provided that this is desired at all by the card's holder). Once the ID card in question has been created, the data required in collecting fingerprints and storing them on the chip is deleted. This procedure is stipulated by Section 26 of the German law governing personal identification ( Personalausweisgesetz).

Digital security mechanisms ensure that the data on German ID cards can only be read by authorised individuals. Here, safeguards have also been implemented to guarantee that such individuals can only access the information they require. Further information on this topic is available under Security Mechanisms in German Electronic Identity Documents.

Areas of use

Thanks to their integrated chips, German ID cards can be used as both secure travel documents and a secure means of online identification. To learn more, please see ID Cards: Areas of Use.