MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Does your country have ID for its citizens?

tempest@de · 11-26-2020, 07:30 AM

Having just learned that in the US there is no ID for its citizens, something I did not expect, I assumed every country had some form of ID, It lead me to think if there are more countries that don’t have ID. It also left me with practical questions.

Since mobileread has members from all over the world could you please share how it is in your country.

All Portuguese citizens have ID, we are required by law to carry it and it has to be renewed (every 5 or 10 years). Now if we have a smartphone with the government app idGov it can serve as your ID and you do not need to have the real card with you, provided that the person / institution where you are required to show it has the app installed and can read the QR code form your phone to check in real time your information.

The ID is needed to do a lot of things, here are some that come to mind:
- For the pensioners to receive their pension in cash, or to retrieve money at the bank;
- To retrieve a package in the post office,
- to open a bank account,
- to subscribe to a service (electricity, water, internet, etc),
- to buy a car, boat or any other vehicle that has a registration tag;
- to buy property,
- If you need to go to a public service to deal with some issue, for example to apply for a permit for something;
- to vote;
- to enroll in school or university.

If a country does not have ID how does a person prove that he/she is who they say they are and are not using the information from someone else?

If there is no way to check what stops someone to subscribe to a service and give the company the information from someone else to pay for it? Or someone canceling a service that belongs to another person?

How about at the bank, how do the cashier’s check that the person retrieving money is the owner of the account?

11-26-2020, 07:30 AM	#1
tempest@de Fanatic Posts: 526 Karma: 4503161 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Portugal Device: Kobo Glo, kindle	Does your country have ID for its citizens? Having just learned that in the US there is no ID for its citizens, something I did not expect, I assumed every country had some form of ID, It lead me to think if there are more countries that don’t have ID. It also left me with practical questions. Since mobileread has members from all over the world could you please share how it is in your country. All Portuguese citizens have ID, we are required by law to carry it and it has to be renewed (every 5 or 10 years). Now if we have a smartphone with the government app idGov it can serve as your ID and you do not need to have the real card with you, provided that the person / institution where you are required to show it has the app installed and can read the QR code form your phone to check in real time your information. The ID is needed to do a lot of things, here are some that come to mind: - For the pensioners to receive their pension in cash, or to retrieve money at the bank; - To retrieve a package in the post office, - to open a bank account, - to subscribe to a service (electricity, water, internet, etc), - to buy a car, boat or any other vehicle that has a registration tag; - to buy property, - If you need to go to a public service to deal with some issue, for example to apply for a permit for something; - to vote; - to enroll in school or university. If a country does not have ID how does a person prove that he/she is who they say they are and are not using the information from someone else? If there is no way to check what stops someone to subscribe to a service and give the company the information from someone else to pay for it? Or someone canceling a service that belongs to another person? How about at the bank, how do the cashier’s check that the person retrieving money is the owner of the account?