By Tim Ferguson, 21 November 2008 16:17
NEWS
UK citizens will be able to use their ID cards to travel to Europe, raising the possibility that they could eventually replace passports, according to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).
Speaking today at the Home Office, IPS officials said that in theory, the biometric ID cards could also be used for identification purposes when travelling beyond the EU if the UK can reach agreements with other countries.
Silicon.com's A to Z of ID Cards
Click on the links below to find out everything you ever needed to know about the government's ID card plans...
A is for Act
B is for Biometrics
C is for Compulsory
D is for Data privacy worries
E is for EDS
F is for Forgery
G is for Government IT
H is for Home Office
I is for Identity and Passport Service
J is for Jury
K is for Hong Kong
L is for London School of Economics
M is for Money
N is for National Identity Register
O is for Other cards
P is for Passports
Q is for Quarter
R is for Refuseniks
S is for Self-destruct
T is for Terrorist
U is for Utility bill
V is for Verification
W is for When
X is for Xenophobia
Y is for Young people
Z is for London Zoo
With the cost of a new passport currently standing at £72, the £30 ID card might become a preferred option for people only wanting to travel within the EU.
The possibility emerged during a press briefing covering the secondary legislation for the National Identity Scheme announced today.
The legislation is in addition to the framework set out by the ID Cards Act 2006 and includes proposals around the procedures for issuing ID cards, including who will be eligible and how the data on the National Identity Register - the database housing ID information - will be maintained.
The Home Office has put forward the legislation for public consultation until 13 February next year, after which it will be put before Parliament.
The National Identity Scheme kicks off on 25 November when non-EEA foreign nationals will start to be issued with ID cards.
However, IPS officials added this month's rollout is part of the UK Borders Act rather than the Identity Card Act 2006, although the cards may be designated as part of the National ID Register in the future.
The secondary legislation includes a proposal to designate criminal record's certificate information as part of the National ID register for airside workers at London City and Manchester airports.
As a result, those applying for a criminal record's certificate as part of security procedures would need to register for and be issued with an ID card.
From autumn 2009 airside workers at the two airports will be issued with ID cards on a voluntary basis as part of early trials of the technology.
To view the ID card secondary legislation in full, click here.
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. Guy Herbert
The headline shows you have swallowed some spin, I'm afraid. This is an absolutely trivial consequence of EU Law, not a clever innovation of the Home Office. You are legally entitled not just to travel, but to live in any EEA country on the basis of a national passport or ID card of any other EEA country.
In practice only the UK has completely a neurotic border force patrolling who comes in and goes out from other member states, so as long as you have *some* form of documentation showing you to be an EEA citizen in case some official asks, then this is hardly a big deal anyway on the continent.
Nor should it be.
2. Mike Street
More FUD. ID cards are completely irrelevant to this.
They could do this now - all they have to do is sign up to Shengen and then we won't need passports or ID cards inside the Shengen area (most of the EU) at all.
3. Karen Challinor
"With the cost of a new passport currently standing at £72, the £30 ID card might become a preferred option for people only wanting to travel within the EU"
- until 2010 when the price is supposed to increase
"The National Identity Scheme kicks off on 25 November when non-EEA foreign nationals will start to be issued with ID cards"
- 25/11 another date for your diary, the day democracy died
"However, IPS officials added this month's rollout is part of the UK Borders Act rather than the Identity Card Act 2006, although the cards may be designated as part of the National ID Register in the future"
- in other words "we aren't handing out ID cards as such, because people will make a fuss, but when enough have been issued we'll move the goalposts and call them ID cards"
"From autumn 2009 airside workers at the two airports will be issued with ID cards on a voluntary basis as part of early trials of the technology"
- voluntary as in you can volunteer to get a job somewhere else if you don't have one
when is the absolute last date for a general election again and why can't the electorate demand one when they want ?
4. GALLEYSLAVE
When travelling for one's annual hols one will still need a standard £70 plus passport.
So I can't see where the savings are.
Think I'll head for the hills!
5. Karen Challinor
here's a question
when the next government dismantles the ID card/NIR scheme will they be refunding all those people who were forced to buy in to the scheme by the present government or is the present government gambling that rather than give the money back the next government will leave things as they are ?
with their history of ignoring the electorates wishes, fiscal mismanagement that allowed the current recession and the current budget that will give us a good christmas but plunge us into debt for the next 20 years they can't seriously be thinking they are going to win the election can they ?