ISO/IEC

ISO/IEC JTC1

ISO/IEC JTC 1 is Joint Technical Committee 1 of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission . It deals with all matters of information technology....

 7810 Identification cards — Physical characteristics is an international standard

International standard

International standards are standards developed by international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use, worldwide...

 that defines the physical characteristics for identification cards.

Card sizes

The standard defines four card sizes: ID-1, ID-2, ID-3 and ID-000.

Format	Dimensions	Usage
ID-1	85.60 × 53.98 mm	Most banking cards and ID cards
ID-2	105 × 74 mm	German ID cards issued prior to November 2010
ID-3	125 × 88 mm	Passports and visas
ID-000	25 × 15 mm	SIM cards

ID-1

The ID-1 format specifies a size of 85.60 × 53.98 mm (3.370 × 2.125 in). It is commonly used for banking cards (ATM

Automated teller machine

An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...

 cards, credit card

Credit card

A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...

s, debit card

Debit card

A debit card is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution...

s, etc.). Today it is also used for driving licences in many countries. This format is also used as a personal identity card in some countries, in retail loyalty cards, and it is one fairly common format for business card

Business card

Business cards are cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name, company affiliation and contact information such as street addresses, telephone...

s. The United States passport card

Passport card

The passport card is an alternative to a passport produced in the United States to meet the documentary requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The U.S. Passport Card is a wallet-size travel document, issued to U.S...

 also uses the ID-1 format.

• ISO/IEC 7813 defines additional characteristics of ID-1 plastic banking cards, for example a thickness of 0.76 mm and corners rounded with a radius of 3.18 mm.
• ISO/IEC 7811 defines traditional techniques for recording data on ID-1 identification cards, namely embossed characters and several different magnetic recording formats.
• ISO/IEC 7816 defines ID-1 identification cards with an embedded chip (smartcard) and contact surfaces for power, clock, reset and serial-data signals.

ID-2

The ID-2 format specifies a size of 105 × 74 mm (4.134 × 2.913 in). This size is the A7

ISO 216

ISO 216 specifies international standard paper sizes used in most countries in the world today. It defines the "A" and "B" series of paper sizes, including A4, the most commonly available size...

 format. The ID-2 format is used, for example, for visas

Visa (document)

A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...

. It was also used by the German identity card

German identity card

The German Identity Card is issued to German citizens by the local registration offices ....

 issued until October 2010. Since November 2010, German ID cards are issued in the ID-1 format.

ID-3

ID-3 specifies a size of 125 by 88 mm (4.9 by 3.5 in). This size is the B7

ISO 216

ISO 216 specifies international standard paper sizes used in most countries in the world today. It defines the "A" and "B" series of paper sizes, including A4, the most commonly available size...

 format. This format is used worldwide for passport

Passport

A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....

s.

ID-000

ID-000 specifies a size of 25 mm × 15 mm, with one corner slightly (3mm) bevelled. The ID-000 size was first defined by ENV 1375-1, Identification card systems — Intersector integrated circuit(s) card additional formats — Part 1: ID-000 card size and physical characteristics.

This format is used for SIM cards.

ID-000 size card as part of ID-1 size card

An "informative" (ie non-mandatory) annex describes how an ID-000 sized card may be included in an ID-1 size card for processing (e.g. in an ID-1 reader), but with "relief areas around the perimeter of the ID-000 size card to allow it to be removed from the ID-1 size card without punching tools". An ID-1 size card containing an ID-000 size card is denoted as ID-1/000.

Card characteristics

The standard specifies requirements for such physical characteristics as:

• Bending stiffness
• Flammability
• Toxicity
• Resistance to chemicals
• Card dimensional stability and warpage with temperature and humidity
• Resistance to deterioration from exposure to light and heat
• Durability