Governmental authorities issue personal identification cards to their citizens as proof of their citizenship, the fundamental purpose being to identify individuals based on their photographs and personal data cited on the card.
Nowadays, more and more countries make efforts to implement their national e-ID card projects. The e-ID card itself contains data which are safeguarded from forgery by means of sophisticated security elements on the card body and encryption mechanisms on the chip. Thanks to their e-ID cards, all citizens acquire an electronic identity enabling them to use various all e-Government services online. In this manner, the introduction of e-ID cards facilitates simpler and more cost effective communication in the performance of administrative tasks for the public, and, for the state, better public services, lowering administrative costs and reinforcing internal security.
Third-generation national ID card
In mid-2013, following Croatia's accession to the European Union and as a result of efforts to align its legislation with relevant international guidelines and standards, i.e. the adoption of the New ID Card Act, the Croatian Government and the Interior Ministry embarked on the first stage of implementing the project to introduce national e-ID cards.
By mid-June 2013, AKD launched the production of re-designed national ID cards meeting international standards such as ICAO 9303p3v1:2008 and ISO/IEC 7810:2003. As compared to the previous ID card – which was also ID-1 size – the new, third-generation national ID card contains additional benefits such as the inscribed PIN and the area intended to accommodate a contact chip to be integrated at the time of transition to the next project level – the introduction of e-ID cards – as well as increased anti-counterfeiting safeguards: the new ID card contains more than fourteen different security features required by legislation.
In Croatia, ID cards are issued by the Interior Ministry and produced by Commercial Services Agency Ltd. (AKD).