Checking a German biometric ID card: 4 checkpoints

check German biometric ID card 4 checkpoints

The biometric identity card in Germany was introduced on 1 November 2010.

This new type of identity card, called “Personalausweis”, is equipped with an electronic chip that contains biometric data, such as fingerprints and the holder’s photograph.

The aim of this card is to strengthen security and facilitate identification in electronic transactions, while reducing the risk of forgery.

So, how do you check a German biometric ID card and make sure that the document presented is genuine? Find out in this article!


Professionnels, vous avez besoin d’intégrer une validation de justificatifs d’identité à l’un de vos process métier dont l’ensemble des cartes d’identité européennes et des passeports mondiaux ? Découvrez notre API avec application web permettant de valider l’authenticité d’un document d’identité en moins de 10s !

Petites structures et particuliers, vous avez simplement besoin de vérifier un ou des justificatifs d’identité via une application web ? Découvrez notre suite web identité !


Check 1: General appearance of the German biometric ID card

The first step in verifying a German biometric identity card when you can access the original document is the overall appearance of the document: it must not show any trace of cutting, peeling, modification/rectification of any kind.

Pay particular attention to the level and around the photo.

The new European biometric identity card is in ID-1 format, the size of a bank card.

Check 2: Verify the information on the German biometric ID card

The second step in verifying a German biometric identity card online is to check the consistency of the information on the document.

Document number

The document number can be found in two different places: on the upper part of the front, and in the first line of the MRZ strip.

Both must be identical:

Document number on the front German biometric identity card trustdochub.com

document number back German biometric identity card trustdochub.com

Date of birth

Here again, the cardholder’s date of birth can be found in two distinct places: in the middle of the front of the card, and at the beginning of the second MRZ line in YYMMDD format:

Date of birth on the front German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Date of birth back German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Last name and first name(s)

The same goes for the first and last names, which can be found on the front of the card and in the third line of the MRZ stripe:

Name front German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Name back German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Card expiry date

Finally, the last element present in duplicate on the card: the expiration date, which can be found on the front as well as in the second line MRZ in YYMMDD format:

date expiration recto carte didentite biometrique allemande trustdochub.com

Date Expiry Back German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Check 3: Check the MRZ strip of a German biometric ID card

The lower part of the new German biometric ID card is made up of three lines that contain the information on the card, with validation keys that prevent misreadings or forgeries.

Creation of the MRZ strip of the German biometric identity card

First line

Line 1 Strip MRZ German Biometric Identity Card trustdochub.com

  1. Document Type: 2 characters, code indicating the type of document, represented by the letters “ID”.
  2. Issuing country : 1 characters, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the issuing country, for Germany it is “D”.
  3. Card number : 9 characters, unique card number.
  4. Control key: 1 character, control key for the card’s unique number.
  5. End of line : 15 characters, chevrons ” < ” to complete the line.

Second row

Line 2 Strip MRZ German Biometric Identity Card trustdochub.com

  1. Date of birth : 6 characters, year, month and day of birth in YYMMDD format.
  2. Control key: 1 character, control key for date of birth.
  3. Separation : 1 rafter ” <”
  4. Expiry date: 6 digits, card expiry date in YYMMDD format.
  5. Control key: 1 character, expiry date control key.
  6. Country code : 1 character, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the holder’s nationality (in this case D).
  7. Separation: 2 rafters <
  8. Date of issue : 4 characters, date of issue of the card in AAMM format (August 2021).
  9. Control key : 1 character, character concatenation control key line 1 6-15, line 2 1-7, line 2 9-15.

Third row

Line 3 Strip MRZ German Biometric Identity Card trustdochub.com

  1. Holder’s name and first names : the holder’s first and last names, starting with the last name followed by the first name. The surname and the first name are separated by two characters <. In the case of a compound surname, a compound given name, or multiple given names, they are separated by the character <. Spaces and apostrophes are replaced by the character < and the name is truncated to 30 characters if necessary, and any accents on the letters are removed. The line is then completed by the character <.

The security keys of the MRZ line of the German biometric ID card

A German biometric ID card has 4 control keys (or security keys) that allow you to validate the information that precedes them.

They help avoid transcription errors or changes, whether intentional or not.

How does the algorithm work?

The algorithm used to create and validate the control keys is common to all identity documents: the characters have a weight, which is multiplied by a factor according to their position in the chain (7, 3 and 1).

The numbers have their own value (“0” is 0, “1” is 1 etc up to “9” which is 9), the chevron “<” also has a value of 0 while the weight of the letters starts at 10 for the letter “A”, 11 for the letter “B” up to 35 for the letter “Z”.

Example

Let’s take the specimen’s date of birth control key above as an example.

The string to be validated is “830812”.

To calculate the control key, we will proceed as follows:

– “8” has a weight of 8 and is placed in the first position, so it must be multiplied by 7: 8 * 7 = 56

– “3” has a weight of 3 and is placed in second position, so we must multiply it by 3: 3 * 3 = 9, which we add to the previous 56, i.e. 9 + 56 = 65.

– 0 has a weight of 0 and is located in the third position, so we must multiply it by 1: 0 * 1 = 0, which we add to the previous 65, i.e. 0 + 65 = 65.

– 8 * 7 = 56 and 56 + 65 = 121

– 1 * 3 = 3 and 3 + 121 = 124

– 2 * 1 = 2 and 2 + 124 = 126

We therefore obtain a total of 126, from which we will extract the modulo 10 (the remainder of the Euclidean division by 10), which amounts to keeping only the last digit, i.e. “6”.

Our control key is therefore valid because it is indeed 6 that appears on the document!

Check 4: Check the security features of a German biometric ID card

An identity document has various elements to validate its authenticity.

This is the last step to verify a German biometric ID card online, as it is the longest.

Recto

Holographic device

Various new generation holographic devices are used to protect, among other things, the photograph of the cardholder.

These change color depending on the orientation:

Holographic Device 1 German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Holographic Device 2 German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Holographic Device 3 German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Holographic Device 4 German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Holographic Device 5 German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Laser engraving

Laser engraving of characters that are in relief.

This device can be found on the front, at the top left of the map:

laser engraving 1 German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Laser Engraving 2 German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

“Ghost” photo

A secondary “ghost” photo is visible on the right of the main photo:

Ghost photo German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Optically variable ink

The color is changing depending on the orientation of the card.

This device can be found on the front, at the top middle of the map:

optically variable ink German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Ultraviolet control

Some elements are visible only under ultraviolet light, but this requires specialized equipment (so not suitable for checking a German biometric identity card online):

UV 1 Sided German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

UV 2 Single-sided German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Back

Optically variable brand

Elements are visible when changing the orientation of the map:

optically variable brand 1 back German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

optically variable brand 2 back German biometric ID card trustdochub.com

Ultraviolet control

Some elements are only visible under ultraviolet light, but this requires specialized equipment:

UV 1 Sided German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

UV 2 Reverse German Biometric ID Card trustdochub.com

Conclusion

You now have all the keys to verify a German biometric ID card online and make sure it’s authentic!

No need for specialized equipment: a little vigilance, time and you will be able to avoid most of the fraud that can be encountered on a daily basis!

Finally, if you need to verify the authenticity of documents as part of a rental application, we offer a dedicated service at the following address:

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top