International student ID
The International Student Identity Card (English: International Student Identity Card , ISIC ) is since 1968 by the ISIC Association issued a non-profit organization for the travel industry, an association under the umbrella of the International Student Travel Confederation ( ISTC ), in which the world around Organized 70 travel companies specializing in school trips. In 2006 the ISTC merged with the Federation of International Youth Travel Organizations ( FIYTO ) to form the World Youth & Student Educational Travel Confederation ( WYSETC ). The ISIC Association is one of the eight sub-associations of the WYSETC. The exhibitors promise the cardholders numerous discounts in currently 120 countries (as of 2012) - from discounted flights to discounted accommodation to reduced admission to museums and theaters. For young people up to the age of 26 there is also the IYTC ( International Youth Identity Card ), for teachers the ITIC ( International Teacher Identity Card ), which are also issued almost identically by organizations of the ISIC Association .
The ISIC is valid for one year from the date of issue, whereby the requested month is also valid in the following year (= 13 months).
A relatively new development is the ISIC app for iOS and Android, which now makes the actually physical card available virtually and extends it to include functions such as the search for nearby locations that grant discounts.
meaning
The international student card allows access to services specially reserved for cardholders by the travel companies involved in the ISIC Association and their partners. For all other places with generally granted discounts (especially entrance fees), however, the regular ID of an educational institution must be presented. The ISIC's benefit there lies in its high level of international awareness. The completely inconsistent design of pupil and student ID cards makes checking authenticity so difficult that occasionally - especially abroad - people prefer to rely on the correct examination of the student status by the ISIC issuers than on their own assessment.
The ISIC should therefore be viewed more as a membership card in a discount system . It is not an official ID , although its designation and self-promotion (“... the only proof of student status recognized worldwide”) suggest an association with official IDs. The ISIC enjoys extensive support from state and supranational agencies, for example it also bears the UNESCO logo. However, in the absence of uniform official legitimacy, their recognition is usually at the discretion of the respective body to which it is presented in the individual case. There is basically no entitlement to recognition.
requirements
For a fee of € 15 in Germany, € 13 in Austria or CHF 22 in Switzerland, schoolchildren and students can acquire the ISIC. Some German and Swiss universities regularly issue the ISIC to their students.
To apply for an ISIC , one of the following requirements must be met:
- Attending a secondary school (Hauptschulen, Realschulen, Gymnasien, comprehensive schools from the fifth grade, vocational schools, commercial schools and vocational schools). A minimum age of twelve years applies.
- Full-time attendance at a university or academy that enables a degree with an academic degree. The minimum stay at the teaching institute must be six months. There is no age limit here.
A current certificate of enrollment or a student ID card is valid as proof .
Individual evidence
- ↑ About on the homepage of the WYSE Travel Confederation
- ↑ ISIC app. Accessed June 7, 2019 (German).