The system is similar to that employed by some other European countries, but Iceland makes unusually extensive and public use of its ID numbers, with businesses, educational and medical institutions eschewing internal identification numbers in favour of the national system, and its use being mandated in banking transactions. In most cases, instead of a business issuing a customer or account number, the ID number is used. Even the flag-carrier airline
Icelandair uses the national ID numbering system for
frequent flier numbers. Furthermore, online banking services in Iceland offer a lookup service to check names against numbers. Because of their public nature, ID numbers are not used for
authentication. The completeness of the National Register has eliminated the need for the country to conduct a regular
census: population statistics can be obtained by simply querying the database. The introduction of
electronic IDs (eIDs) has reinforced the extensive use of the ID number in everyday life. Institutions and companies alike use the eID, tied to an ID number, to login and authenticate users, by use of a mobile app. For example, the process of logging into the healthcare portal is the same as logging into a subscription TV account, as they are tied to the same ID number. The Icelandic ID number is displayed on all official identity documents:
Icelandic identity cards,
Icelandic passports and
Icelandic driving licences, as well as most official documents, bills and registrations. One issue is that having an ID number is usually a prerequisite to accessing most government services, banking services and even some businesses transactions. This can be a hindrance to newly settled residents, as it takes some time to apply and be issued a new ID number.
System identification number A System Identification Number (Icelandic:
Kerfiskennitala) can be issued to individuals from the
EEA/
EFTA who do not intend to establish permanent residence in Iceland, but need an ID no. for tax or other purposes. ==See also==