Albanian identity card

Albania issued identity cards to citizens until 1991, the year the political system changed. For 18 years, in the absence of such a document, people were obliged to provide birth certificates with photos, which was considered inconvenient. In 2007, with assistance from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a central population database was created. After that, Albanian authorities called an international tender for the production of identity cards. The tender was won by the French company Sagem Sécurité (Morpho, Safran Group). Albania commenced issuing identity cards on 12 January 2009. ==Appearance==

The Albanian ID card is a plastic credit card size card. The front contains the bearer's photo and the following fields, written in Albanian and English: • Nationality: Shqiptare/Albanian • Document number • Full name, including surname and all given names • Photograph (both printed and processed to watermark) • Date of birth • Place of birth • Sex • Personal number • Authority • Date of issue • Date of expiry (normally 10 years after the date of issue) • Signature On the photo a micro-holographic reflecting stamp is placed. The back contains the machine readable zone. The microchip, visible on the back contains biometric data such as fingerprints of the holder, the image, signature, etc. The data can be extracted from the chip with wireless RFID technology. The ID card serves as a travel document for international travel between a limited number of countries. ==Issuing procedure==

An Albanian identity card is requested at the local municipality (after paying the required fee; presently 1,500 lek or about €10 at the post office) where a digital picture of the bearer's face and fingerprints are taken. The card can be picked up in person after about 15 days, when the bearer identifies themselves with their fingerprints. ==Countries==

An Albanian ID Card is accepted as a travel document by the following countries: • • • • • ==Electronic services==

Trust services were initially offered through the card, including authentication and signing. Citizens were able to use the card to sign in to the e-government portal, e-Albania, provided they were equipped with a card reader. The card could also be used to digitally sign documents, which would have full legal effect equal to that of an actual signature. These services were shut down after the responsibility for issuing identity cards was transferred to IdentiTek. ==See also==