science

National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland

National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland rather than just read about it. In short: National identity cards are identity documents issued to citizens of European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) member states, with the exception of Denmark and Ireland (the latter, however, issues a passport card). A new common identity card model harmonized the various formats in use from 2 August 2021 and older ID cards are currently being phased out according to Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1208.

Key takeaways

National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

National identity cards are identity documents issued to citizens of European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) member states, with the exception of Denmark and Ireland (the latter, however, issues a passport card). A new common identity card model harmonized the various formats in use from 2 August 2021 and older ID cards are currently being phased out according to Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1208. As of 2021, there are approximately two hundred million national identity cards in use in the EU/EEA. They are compulsory in fifteen countries, voluntary in eleven countries and in five countries they are semi-compulsory (possession of some ID is required). Citizens holding a national identity card, which states citizenship of an EEA member state or Switzerland, can use it as an identity document within their home country, and as a travel document to exercise the right of free movement in the EEA and Switzerland. However, identity cards that do not state citizenship of an EEA member state or Switzerland, including residence permits or residence cards issued to non-citizens, are not valid as travel documents within the EEA and Switzerland.

Use

Travel document

As an alternative to presenting a passport, EEA and Swiss citizens are entitled to use a valid national identity card as a stand-alone travel document to exercise their right of free movement in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. National identity card ownership in most EU countries and Switzerland is much more widespread than passport ownership. When travelling within the Nordic Passport Union, no identity documentation is legally required by Nordic citizens. When travelling within the Common Travel Area (UK and Ireland), other valid identity documentation (such as a driving licence) is often sufficient for Irish and British citizens. As of 2024, Denmark is the only state that does not issue identity cards that are valid as travel documents in the EEA member states and Switzerland. Strictly speaking, it is not necessary for an EEA or Swiss citizen to possess a valid national identity card or passport to enter the EEA and Switzerland. In theory, if an EEA or Swiss citizen can prove their nationality by any other means (e.g. by presenting an expired national identity card or passport, or a citizenship certificate), they must be permitted to enter the EEA and Switzerland. An EEA or Swiss citizen who is unable to demonstrate their nationality satisfactorily must, nonetheless, be given 'every reasonable opportunity' to obtain the necessary documents or to have them delivered within a reasonable period of time. Additionally, EEA and Swiss citizens can enter the following countries and territories outside the EEA and Switzerland on the basis of their national identity cards alone, without the need to present a passport to the border authorities:

Turkey allows citizens of Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Switzerland using a national identity card for short-term visits. Similarly, Egypt allows citizens of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal to enter using a national identity card for short-term visits. Anguilla, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Guernsey and Jersey allow citizens of France to enter using a national ID card, as well as Mauritius (only French citizens residing in Réunion) and Canada (only residing in Saint Pierre and Miquelon) The Gambia allows citizens of Belgium to enter using a national ID card. Greenland allows citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden to use any identification document containing a photo. Morocco allows EU citizens to enter with a national ID card on certain guided day trips by ferry from Spain to Tangier, offered by ferry operator Balearia and various Spanish tour operators. The United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies allow EU, EEA and Swiss citizens to use national identity cards for entry if they have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, which applies generally to EU/EFTA citizens residing in the UK before Brexit. Under the Brexit withdrawal agreement, the United Kingdom has an option to cease accepting identity cards that do not comply with ICAO biometric specifications after 31 December 2025, but has not currently done so. According to their local laws, Swedish and Finnish citizens cannot leave their country directly for a non-EU/EFTA country with only their ID cards.

Additional checks for some citizens At the external border crossing points of the Schengen Area, if a traveller presents a travel document without a machine readable zone and the border guard has 'doubt about his/her identity', the traveller may be requested to undergo a more in-depth 'second line' check. This problem should be resolved, because this kind of document is forbidden for all European Union citizens from 3 August 2026 onwards. With effect from 7 April 2017, it is mandatory for border guards in the Schengen Area to check on a systematic basis the travel documents of all EEA and Swiss citizens crossing external borders against relevant databases. Until 7 April 2017, border guards in the Schengen Area were only obliged to perform a 'rapid' and 'straightforward' visual check for signs of falsification and tampering, and were not obliged to use technical devices – such as document scanners, UV light and magnifiers – when EEA and Swiss citizens presented their passports or national identity cards at external border checkpoints. They were not legally obliged to check the passports/national identity cards of EEA and Swiss citizens against a database of lost/stolen/invalidated travel documents (and, if they did so, they could only perform a 'rapid' and 'straightforward' database check, and could only check to see if the traveller was on a database containing persons of interest on a strictly 'non-systematic' basis where such a threat was 'genuine', 'present' and 'sufficiently serious'). According to statistics published by Frontex, in 2015 the top 6 EU member states whose national identity cards were falsified and detected at external border crossing points of the Schengen Area were Italy, Spain, Belgium, Greece, France and Romania. These countries remained the top 6 in 2016.

Identification document

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland

In research: National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Authentication methods, European Economic Area, International travel documents, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland in simple terms?

Why does National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on National identity cards in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.