Some countries require all people to have an identity document available at all times. Most countries accept passports as a form of identification. Some countries do not accept driver's licenses for identification, often because in those countries they do not expire as documents and can be old or easily forged. In the absence of a formal identity document, a driver's license may be accepted in many countries for identity verification. When the identity document incorporates a person's photograph, it may be called photo ID. Some countries issue formal identity documents, as national identification cards that may be compulsory or non-compulsory, while others may require identity verification using regional identification or informal documents. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card ( IC, ID card, citizen card), or passport card. ( March 2015)Īn identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page. Please consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding subheadings. When this tag was added, its readable prose size was 17,000 words. This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably.