Verify a German identity card : 4 checkpoints

The German identity card was introduced on November 1, 2010.

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

The purpose of this card is to enhance security and facilitate identification in electronic transactions while reducing the risk of forgery.

So, how to verify a German identity card and ensure that the presented document is authentic? The answer is in this article!

The first step to verify a German identity card when you have access to the original document is to check its overall appearance: there must be no signs of cutting, peeling, modification, or rectification.

Pay special attention to the area around the photograph.

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

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

The document number can be found in two different places: on the upper front part and in the first line of the MRZ (Machine Readable Zone).

Both must be identical:

The date of birth of the holder can also be found in two different places: in the middle of the front side of the card, and at the beginning of the second MRZ line in the format YYMMDD:

Similarly for surnames and first names, which can be found on the front side of the card and in the third line of the MRZ:

Finally, the last element that appears twice on the card: the expiry date, which can be found on the front and also in the second MRZ line in the format YYMMDD:

The lower part of the new German identity card consists of three lines containing the information on the card, with check digits that prevent reading errors or falsifications.

1. Document Type: 2 characters, code indicating the document type, represented by the letters “ID”.
2. Issuing Country: 3 characters, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the issuing country.
3. Card Number: 9 characters, unique card number.
4. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit of the unique card number.
5. End of line: 15 characters, chevrons “<” used to fill the line.

1. Date of Birth: 6 characters, year, month, and day of birth in the format YYMMDD.
2. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit of the date of birth.
3. Separator: 1 chevron “<”
4. Expiry Date: 6 digits, card expiry date in the format YYMMDD.
5. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit of the expiry date.
6. Country Code: 3 characters, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the holder’s nationality.
7. Separator: 2 chevrons “<”
8. Date of Issue: 4 characters, card issue date in the format YYMM (e.g., August 2021).
9. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit of the concatenation of characters from line 1 (positions 6-15), line 2 (positions 1-7), and line 2 (positions 9-15).

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

A German identity card contains 4 check digits (or security keys) that validate the information preceding them.

They help prevent transcription errors or modifications, whether intentional or not.

The algorithm used to create and validate the check digits is common to all identity documents: characters have weights multiplied by factors depending on their position in the string (7, 3, and 1).

Digits have their face value (“0” equals 0, “1” equals 1, …, “9” equals 9), the chevron “<” has a value of 0, and the weight of letters starts at 10 for “A”, 11 for “B”, up to 35 for “Z”.

Let’s take as an example the check digit for the date of birth from the specimen above.

The string to validate is: “830812”.

To calculate the check digit, we proceed as follows:

– “8” has a weight of 8 and is in the first position, so multiply by 7: 8 * 7 = 56

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

– “0” has a weight of 0 and is in the third position, so multiply by 1: 0 * 1 = 0, add to previous 65: 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 obtain a total of 126, from which we take modulo 10 (the remainder of division by 10), which is the last digit, i.e. “6”.

Our check digit is therefore valid because the document shows a “6”!

An identity document includes various features that allow its authenticity to be validated.

This is the final step to verify a German identity card online, as it is the longest one.

Various next-generation holographic devices are used to protect, among other things, the cardholder’s photograph.

These change color depending on the orientation:

Laser engraving of characters which are raised.

This device is found on the front, at the top left of the card:

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

The color changes depending on the orientation of the card.

This device is found on the front, at the top middle of the card:

Some elements are visible only under ultraviolet rays, but this requires specialized equipment (thus not suitable for verifying a German identity card online):

Some elements are visible by changing the orientation of the card:

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

You now have all the keys to verify a German identity card online and make sure it is authentic!

No specialized equipment is needed: just a bit of vigilance and time, and you can avoid most frauds that may occur daily!

You can also use our service which will perform the checks in a few seconds via our web application: results are available directly in the app and as a PDF report!