Bilhete de Identidade - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Bilhete de Identidade officially the Bilhete de Identidade de Cidadão Nacional (National Citizen Identity Card), commonly abbreviated as BI, is the national identity card of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. BI's are valid for 5 years from date of issue, increasing to ten years after the holder turns 30 years old, and can be renewed within 6 months from its expiration date.

The Bilhete de Identidade is currently being phased out in favor of the more technologically-advanced Cartão de Cidadão
Citizen Card (Portugal)
right|250px|thumb|Front of Cartão de CidadãoThe Citizen Card is the new national identity card issued by the Portuguese government to its citizens...

(Citizen Card).

Uses

As of January 1, 2001 it became mandatory for all Portuguese citizens over the age of 10 to carry a valid Bilhete de Identidade. Though not required, Portuguese citizens under the age of ten can be issued the BI.

As the Bilhete de Identidade meets European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

identity card standards it can be used as a travel document within the EU and some other European countries such as Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, replacing a passport.

Appearance

The card is a 10.5 x 7.5 cm laminated card embossed with the seal of the Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Information Contained

The front contains:

The Portuguese Coat of Arms
Photo of the bearer
Fingerprint from the right index finger
Signature

The reverse side contains:

Unique ID card number
Bearer's name
Date of birth
Parents' names
Birthplace
Place of residence
Marital status
Height
Issuing office
Date of expiration

Languages

The textual portions of the Bilhete de Identidade are written in Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

, as well as English and French to meet ICAO standards for international travel documents.

Application

All citizens of Portugal are entitled to a Bilhete de Identidade. In Portugal, applications for a Bilhete de Identidade need to be made in person to a Loja do Cidadão (English: Civil Assistance Center.) Overseas applications need to be made in person at a consular authority (i.e. embassy, consulate-general, or consulate.)

In order to apply for a Bilhete de Identidade, an individual needs to provide proof of Portuguese citizenship. For example:

If citizen by birth: a valid (issued with the past 6 months) birth certificate is required.
If citizen through descent: birth certificate from country of birth, valid birth certificates of both parents (one of whom must have been born in Portugal.)

* See Portuguese nationality law
Portuguese nationality law
Portuguese nationality law is the legal set of rules that regulate access to Portuguese citizenship, which is acquired mainly through descent from a Portuguese parent, naturalisation in Portugal or marriage to a Portuguese citizen....

for other examples

Consular authorities may require other pieces of identification (i.e. expired passports, valid passports for other countries of citizenship) as required by local law. A 3.5 x 3.5 cm color photograph is also required.

Future

Currently, the Bilhete de Identidade is being phased out in favor of the Cartão de Cidadão
Citizen Card (Portugal)
right|250px|thumb|Front of Cartão de CidadãoThe Citizen Card is the new national identity card issued by the Portuguese government to its citizens...

or Citizen Card. In 2006, the government of José Sócrates

José Sócrates

José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, GCIH , commonly known by José Sócrates , is a Portuguese politician who was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011....