Resident Identity Card
Encyclopedia
The Resident Identity Card is the official form of personal identification
in the People's Republic of China
.
Prior to 1984, citizens within the People's Republic of China were not required to obtain or carry identification in public. On April 6, 1984, the State Council of the People's Republic of China
passed the , commencing the process of gradual introduction of personal identification, in the footsteps of many developed countries at the time. The first generation identification cards were single paged cards made of polyester
film. Between 1984 and 1991, trials for the new identity card system took place in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. , a Chinese Opera performer and soprano from Beijing, was the first person to receive a first-generation identity card in China.
On September 6, 1985, the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress
passed the Identity Card Bill of the People's Republic of China, which regulated that all citizens over the age of 16 apply for identification cards. At that point, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
created a unified authority responsible for the issuing and management of the ID cards. From 2003, it is reported that a total of 1.14 billion ID cards have been created in China, for a total of 960,000,000 holders. However, as a result of technological development and certain techniques made available to the civilian population, the existing cards became relatively easier to counterfeit, opening the increasing threat of false identification.
On June 1, 2003, the National People's Congress passed the new Resident Identity Card Law, which expanded the scope of documents issued, and allowed soldiers in the People's Liberation Army
and members of the People's Armed Police
to apply for special identity cards. Individuals under the age of 16 were also permitted to voluntarily apply for an identification card. The law also established the use of newer, second-generation cards, which are machine-readable and more difficult to forge.
Obverse side:
Reverse side:
Information stored in the identity database for biometric ID cards documents information such as work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status, landlord's phone number and personal reproductive history.
In 1984, discussion over the contents of the identity card became controversial regarding whether to include details such as "marital status" and "occupation"; considering the actual situation of the People's Republic of China at the time, these details ultimately were not included in the ID card.
The first-generation ID cards contained a black-and-white photograph portrait of the individual; following the introduction of the second-generation cards, all identification portraits are printed in colour.
The dimensions of the second-generation cards are 85.725 mm×53.975 mm×0.900 mm, and the identity photo is sized at 358x441 pixels (width by height), printed at a resolution of 350dpi on RGB using 24-bit True Color, prepared using JPEG compression techniques in line with the requirements of ISO DIS 10918-1. The final image appears as a 26 mm × 32 mm portrait box in the top-right hand corner.
, identity cards possess corresponding text in the respective minority language for both first-generation and second-generation cards. For example, cards officially signed and issued in Guangxi
all contain accompanying text in Zhuang
, as well as Chinese characters. The following table shows the languages used on identity cards within minority regions (hover mouse over for romanizations):
Recently, there have been more services that require the display of identification cards, such as at Internet cafes and certain stores.
Police are required to inspect identification documents where:
of "Jumin Shenfenzheng"), and a "Great Wall" logo revealed by ultraviolet light.
Identity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
History
State Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
passed the , commencing the process of gradual introduction of personal identification, in the footsteps of many developed countries at the time. The first generation identification cards were single paged cards made of polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
film. Between 1984 and 1991, trials for the new identity card system took place in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. , a Chinese Opera performer and soprano from Beijing, was the first person to receive a first-generation identity card in China.
On September 6, 1985, the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
passed the Identity Card Bill of the People's Republic of China, which regulated that all citizens over the age of 16 apply for identification cards. At that point, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
created a unified authority responsible for the issuing and management of the ID cards. From 2003, it is reported that a total of 1.14 billion ID cards have been created in China, for a total of 960,000,000 holders. However, as a result of technological development and certain techniques made available to the civilian population, the existing cards became relatively easier to counterfeit, opening the increasing threat of false identification.
On June 1, 2003, the National People's Congress passed the new Resident Identity Card Law, which expanded the scope of documents issued, and allowed soldiers in the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
and members of the People's Armed Police
People's Armed Police
The People's Armed Police , officially Chinese People's Armed Police Force is a paramilitary or gendarmerie force primarily responsible for civilian policing and fire rescue duties in the People's Republic of China, as well as provide support to PLA during wartime.In contrast to public security...
to apply for special identity cards. Individuals under the age of 16 were also permitted to voluntarily apply for an identification card. The law also established the use of newer, second-generation cards, which are machine-readable and more difficult to forge.
Contents
The identity card contains basic information regarding the individual, such as the following:Obverse side:
- Full namePersonal nameA personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
– in Chinese characterChinese characterChinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s only. Non-Chinese ethnic names and foreign names are transliterated into ChineseTransliteration into Chinese charactersIn Chinese, transcription is known as yīnyì or yìmíng . While it is common to see foreign names left in their original forms in a Chinese text, it is also common to transcribe foreign proper nouns into Chinese characters....
. First-generation ID cards contained handwritten names for rare Chinese characters, whilst the second-generation cards exclusively used computer-printed text in a larger font compared to that of the first generation, and do not support rarer characters. - GenderGenderGender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
– containing one character for either male (男) or female (女). - Ethnicity – as officially listed by the People's Republic of China.
- Date of birth – listed in the Gregorian calendarGregorian calendarThe Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
format, in YYYY年MM月DD日 Big-endian (ISO 8601ISO 8601ISO 8601 Data elements and interchange formats – Information interchange – Representation of dates and times is an international standard covering the exchange of date and time-related data. It was issued by the International Organization for Standardization and was first published in 1988...
) order. - DomicileDomicile*In architecture, a general term for a place of residence or "permanent residence" in legal terms*Domicile , the zodiac sign over which a planet has rulership...
– the individual's permanent residence as dictated by the Identity Card Bill of the People's Republic of China. - Identification numberNational identification numberA national identification number, national identity number, or national insurance number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other...
- Photo of the individual
Reverse side:
- Issuing authority (first-generation cards utilised a stamp; second-generation cards display text only)
- The limits to validity of the document (for individuals under 16 years of age: five years; for individuals between 16 and 25 years of age: ten years; for individuals between 26 and 45 years of age: twenty years; for individuals over 46 years of age: long-term)
Information stored in the identity database for biometric ID cards documents information such as work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status, landlord's phone number and personal reproductive history.
In 1984, discussion over the contents of the identity card became controversial regarding whether to include details such as "marital status" and "occupation"; considering the actual situation of the People's Republic of China at the time, these details ultimately were not included in the ID card.
The first-generation ID cards contained a black-and-white photograph portrait of the individual; following the introduction of the second-generation cards, all identification portraits are printed in colour.
The dimensions of the second-generation cards are 85.725 mm×53.975 mm×0.900 mm, and the identity photo is sized at 358x441 pixels (width by height), printed at a resolution of 350dpi on RGB using 24-bit True Color, prepared using JPEG compression techniques in line with the requirements of ISO DIS 10918-1. The final image appears as a 26 mm × 32 mm portrait box in the top-right hand corner.
Identity cards in ethnic minority areas
Within the ethnic minority regions in ChinaAutonomous regions of China
An autonomous region is a first-level administrative subdivision of People's Republic of China. Like Chinese provinces, an autonomous region has its own local government, but an autonomous region theoretically has more legislative rights. An Autonomous Region is a minority entity which has a...
, identity cards possess corresponding text in the respective minority language for both first-generation and second-generation cards. For example, cards officially signed and issued in Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
all contain accompanying text in Zhuang
Standard Zhuang
The standard Zhuang language is the variety of Zhuang spoken in Wuming County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, where it is an official language.-Classification:...
, as well as Chinese characters. The following table shows the languages used on identity cards within minority regions (hover mouse over for romanizations):
| English | Chinese (ROM: Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... ) | Zhuang Standard Zhuang The standard Zhuang language is the variety of Zhuang spoken in Wuming County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, where it is an official language.-Classification:... | Tibetan Tibetan language The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,... (ROM: Wylie Wylie transliteration The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959... ) | Mongol Mongol language Mongol language may refer to* The Mongolian language as the most important language spoken by Mongols * Any Mongolic language currently or formerly spoken by Mongolic peoples, but especially Middle Mongolian... | Uyghur Uyghur language Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other... (ROM: ULY Uyghur Latin Yéziqi Uyghur Latin script is an auxiliary alphabet for the Uyghur language based on the Latin script. Uyghur is primarily written in a Arabic alphabet and sometimes in a Cyrillic alphabet.- Construction :... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | SINGQMINGZ | ||||
| Gender | SINGQBIED | ||||
| Ethnicity | MINZCUZ | ||||
| Date of birth | SENG | ||||
| Year-Month-Day | NIENZ NYIED HAUH | ||||
| Domicile | DIEFYOUQ | ||||
| Resident Identity number | GUNGHMINZ SONHFWN HAUMAJ | ||||
| Issuing authority | CIEMFAT GIHGVANH | ||||
| Validity | MIZYAUO GEIZHANH |
Identity card number
From October 1, 1999, the PRC State Council approved the establishment of a citizen identification number system, and currently consists of an 18-digit code.| 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | M | M | D | D | 8 | 8 | 8 | X |
| Address code | Date of Birth code | Order code | Checksum | ||||||||||||||
- Address code refers to the resident's location, where administrative divisions (including cities, banners, and districtsDistrict (PRC)The term district, in the context of the People's Republic of China refers to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China....
) have their own specific codes. (For example, the code for Xicheng DistrictXicheng DistrictXicheng District is a district in Beijing, China. Xicheng District spans 32 square kilometres, making it the largest portion of the old city , and has 706,691 inhabitants . Its postal code is 100032. Xicheng is subdivided into 15 subdistricts of the city proper of Beijing...
in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
is 110102.) - Date of Birth in the form YYYY-MM-DD.
- Order code is the code used to disambiguate people with the same date of birth and address code. Men are assigned to odd numbers, women assigned to even numbers.
- The Checksum is the final digit, which confirms the validityChecksumA checksum or hash sum is a fixed-size datum computed from an arbitrary block of digital data for the purpose of detecting accidental errors that may have been introduced during its transmission or storage. The integrity of the data can be checked at any later time by recomputing the checksum and...
of the ID number from the first 17 digits, utilizing ISO 7064:1983, MODModulus (algebraic number theory)In mathematics, in the field of algebraic number theory, a modulus is a formal product of places of a global field...
11-2. The checksum is obtained by:
- Marking the Identity card number right-to-left
，
for the parity-check codes； - Weight coefficient calculation
；
-
i 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Wi 7 9 10 5 8 4 2 1 6 3 7 9 10 5 8 4 2 1
-
- Calculation of
Usage of identification
Citizens within the People's Republic of China must carry identification in public at all times, compulsory from the age of 16. The identity card is the only acceptable legal document to obtain resident permit, employment, open bank accounts, obtain passport, driver licence, application for tertiary education and technical colleges, security checkpoints in domestic terminals of Chinese airports. Documentation is also required for marriages, household registrations and legal cases.Recently, there have been more services that require the display of identification cards, such as at Internet cafes and certain stores.
Police are required to inspect identification documents where:
- Criminal suspects need to be identified;
- To inspect those related to personnel involved in an incident;
- In the occurrence of a serious security emergency, and there is a requirement to obtain the identity of the a person at the scene;
- If the law requires so during a case.
Anti-counterfeiting measures
First generation ID card
Polyester plastic film, which utilizes an anti-counterfeit laser logo.Second generation ID card
Second-generation ID cards contain a non-contact IC chip card, a directional holographic "Great Wall" image, an anti-counterfeiting film made of green multi-layer polyester (PETG) composite material, optical variable optical storage containing the text "中国CHINA" situated on the card, and a microfilm string generating the letters "JMSFZ" (initials for the PinyinPinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
of "Jumin Shenfenzheng"), and a "Great Wall" logo revealed by ultraviolet light.
See also
- National Identification Card (Republic of China)
- Hong Kong Identity CardHong Kong Identity CardThe Hong Kong Identity Card is an official identity document issued by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card is a class of HKID issued to Hong Kong residents who have the right of abode in Hong Kong SAR. According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance...
- Macau Special Administrative Region Resident Identity CardMacau Special Administrative Region Resident Identity CardThe Macau Special Administrative Region Resident Identity Card is an official identity card valid in the Macau Special Administrative Region. There are two types for Resident Identity Cards: one for permanent residents, and one for non-permanent residents....
- National Registration Identity CardNational Registration Identity CardThe National Registration Identity Card is the identity document in use in Singapore...
(Singapore) - Identity documentIdentity documentAn identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...