ID number

This article or paragraph presents the situation in Germany . Help us to describe the situation in other countries.

Identity card issued in Germany since November 1, 2010

ID numbers on the back of the (new) German ID card valid since November 2010 and the front of the (old) German ID card valid until October 2010

The ID number is a unique number for the identification of a passport to a person. For example, it is printed as a separate number on German ID cards or passports . Although these contain alphanumeric characters with the new ID cards issued since November 2010, they are still referred to as numbers in the Personal Identity Card Act (PAuswG) and in the Passport Act (PassG) ( Section 2 PAuswG, Section 4 (1) PassG).

Together with additional check digits and data of the card holder, this results in the identity card ID or passport ID or code number .

construction

The serial numbers of ID cards and passports are made up of a four-digit authority code (BKZ) and a five-digit, randomly assigned number and can contain numbers and letters ( Section 2 (8) PAuswG and Annex 11 PassV ). Temporary ID cards have one-letter and seven-digit numbers. The machine-readable zone of ID cards and passports ( machine readable zone - MRZ) contains a check digit in addition to the serial number (see Section 5 (4) PAuswG and Section 4 PassG). The check digits are calculated from the data in the machine-readable area and are used to determine the integrity of the identity card or passport ( Section 2 (9) PAuswG).

In the case of ID cards issued since November 1, 2010, the machine-readable zone is composed as follows: After the letters "IDD" (for ID card of the Federal Republic of Germany) or "ITD" (for provisional ID card of the Federal Republic of Germany), two filler characters are followed by "<" Serial number and check digit. After further filler characters, the date of birth and check digit follow in a new line, a filler character and the expiry date of the identity card, again a check digit and a character for nationality. After further filler characters, a check digit follows from all digits.

The machine-readable zone of the passport contains the characters “P <D” (for passport), “PCD” (for child passport), “PPD” (for provisional passport), “POD” (for service passport and provisional service passport) or “PDD” ( for diplomatic passport and temporary diplomatic passport), followed by two filler characters "<" and surname and first name, separated by two filler characters. The second line is followed by the serial number and check digit, three characters for the nationality of the person and then the date of birth and check digit, gender ("M" or "F") and the expiry date of the passport, again a check digit and, after additional filler characters, a check digit from all digits .

The first three check digits each relate to the block of characters before. The last check digit, on the other hand, refers to all characters of ID or passport number and data, including the three preceding check digits. The calculation of the check digits is based on Document 9303 Part 3 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It also describes the structure of the MRZ and specifications for machine-readable passports, visas and ID cards.

With the old identity card and passport, the serial number consisted only of digits. In the case of German passports, the numeric serial number was converted to an alphanumeric system on November 1, 2007. The arrangement in the MRZ was also a little different: After “IDD” or “ITD”, surname and first name followed (each interrupted by the filler “<”), four digits for the BKZ and five digits for the randomly assigned one in a new line ID number, a check digit and the "D". After two filler characters followed the date of birth and check digit, a filler character, the expiry date and check digit, after seven additional filler characters a check digit from all digits followed.

The serial number in the new German ID cards and passports issued since November 2010 consists of the digits 0 to 9 and selected letters from the Latin alphabet, with a total of 27 alphanumeric characters being used. To avoid meaningful words, vowels and certain letters (B, D, Q, S) were not used. The serial numbers are made up of the following characters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, C, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, T, V, W, X, Y and Z . Thus, the character 0 is always the number zero ( Appendix 11 PassV ).

To distinguish between different document types, the serial number must begin with a letter. When ID cards serial number starts with the letters L, M, N, P, R, T, V, W, X, Y . With passports and diplomatic and service passports the serial number starts with the letters C, F, G, H, J, K . Temporary passports start with A or B , children's passports starting with E, G or F .

format

ID card valid since November 2010

weighting			7317	31731
Digits	IDD	<<	wwww	NNNNN	n	<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
meaning			Authority code serial number Check digit
weighting	73	17	31			73	17	31
Digits	JJ	MM	TT	n	<	JJ	MM	TT	n	D	<<<<<<<<<<<<<	N
meaning	Year of birth Month of birth Birthday Check digit					Expiration year expiration month expiry date check digit				Nationality (D = German)		Check digit over all digits

ID card valid until October 2010

weighting	7317	31731				73	17	31			73	17	31
Digits	wwww	NNNNN	n	D	<<	JJ	MM	TT	n	<	JJ	MM	TT	n	<<<<<<<	N
meaning	Authority code serial number Check digit			Nationality (D = German)		Year of birth Month of birth Birthday Check digit					Expiration year expiration month expiry date check digit					Check digit over all digits

passport

weighting	7317	31731				73	17	31			73	17	31
Digits	wwww	NNNNN	n	D	<<	JJ	MM	TT	n	G	JJ	MM	TT	n	<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<	N
meaning	Authority code serial number Check digit			Nationality (D = German)		Year of birth Month of birth Birthday Check digit				Gender (F = female, M = male)	Expiration year expiration month expiry date check digit					Check digit over all digits

Websites with adult material often ask for these numbers to verify that a person is of legal age . However, this is an insecure verification method , as the algorithm for checking the code number is known, and methods are also known to generate valid ID numbers. According to the Federal Court of Justice, this method is not sufficient to determine the age of majority beyond doubt, which is why most providers of age verification systems have now switched to other methods.

Calculation of the check digits

1. Starting from left to right with the first digit, the digits are repeatedly weighted with 7, 3, 1.
2. The respective products from both numbers are calculated. That is, the ID number is divided into blocks of three, the first digit of each block is multiplied by 7, the second digit by 3 and the third digit by 1 ; then the sequence starts from the beginning, the fourth digit is multiplied by 7 again, etc. Letters are translated into numbers for weighting according to the scheme A → 10, B → 11,…, Z → 35.
3. The final digits (units) of the products are added .
4. The check digit is the final digit of this sum ( i.e. modulo 10).

example

Erika Mustermann's ID numbers are T220001293 (see picture above left) and 1220001297 (see picture above right). The last digit is the check digit (3 or 7), the first 9 digits are included in the calculation:

T220001293

ID number	Digit	weighting	product	Addition of the last digits
T	29	7th	203	3
2	2	3	6th	6th
2	2	1	2	2
0	0	7th	0	0
0	0	3	0	0
0	0	1	0	0
1	1	7th	7th	7th
2	2	3	6th	6th
9	9	1	9	9
total				33

1220001297

ID number	Digit	weighting	product	Addition of the last digits
1	1	7th	7th	7th
2	2	3	6th	6th
2	2	1	2	2
0	0	7th	0	0
0	0	3	0	0
0	0	1	0	0
1	1	7th	7th	7th
2	2	3	6th	6th
9	9	1	9	9
total				37

If the last digit of the total does not correspond to the check digit, the ID number is incorrect.

Web links

• ICAO : Doc 9303. Machine Readable Travel Documents.
• German identity card - clear presentation of the check digit structure
• Perso - Utility for ID cards of various generation and control identification numbers ( open source - command line program )
• Check ID number online - PHP script to check ID number and explanation of the structure of ID number
• Chaos Computer Club : Identity card ID algorithm under threat. (via verification of legal age) dated May 10, 2002

Individual evidence

1. ↑ International Civil Aviation Organization (Ed.): Doc 9303. Machine Readable Travel Documents . 7th edition. Part 3: Specifications Common to all MRTDs. Montréal, Quebec, Canada 2015, ISBN 978-92-9249-792-7 , pp. 86 (English, icao.int [PDF; 1.3 MB ; accessed on December 7, 2017]).
2. ↑ Passport - Alphanumeric serial numbers. (No longer available online.) Federal Ministry of the Interior, October 5, 2011, archived from the original on October 6, 2014 ; Retrieved August 20, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ The alphanumeric serial number in the new identity card. (No longer available online.) Federal Ministry of the Interior, January 10, 2013, archived from the original on August 21, 2014 ; Retrieved August 20, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.