In accordance with new EU standards for identity cards, all IDs issued in the Netherlands as of this week will feature a number of new elements, including the fingerprints of the cardholder and a QR code that provides direct access to the cardholder’s citizen service number (BSN).

New features on the Dutch ID card

New European Regulation aims to strengthen the security of identity cards across the bloc and introduces minimum standards for IDs of all EU nationals. In order to comply with this new regulation, the Dutch government has introduced a number of new features for the Dutch identity card.

As of now, all new ID cards will feature a small EU flag with the letters NL on the front, as well as a small QR code on the back that displays the cardholder’s BSN number. This means the BSN number will no longer be included in the machine-readable chip, but will still be legible in large numbers on the back of the card. In addition to this, two fingerprints of the cardholder will also be included via a “highly secure storage medium", as they are already with the Dutch passport.

Security of identity cards in the Netherlands

While any new ID cards will look a little different, the updated EU standards don’t render all the existing identity cards invalid. Instead, once you go to renew your card, Dutch citizens will receive a new card with all the new features.

Rhodia Maas, Managing Director of the National Service for Identity Data (RvIG), explains that the existing Dutch identity card was “highly regarded internationally,” but that they “seized the opportunity to introduce a number of innovations in this new model.”