National Assembly passes new ID Law: Do more than 80 million IDs have to be remade?

On the morning of November 27, with a majority in favor, the National Assembly officially passed the Law on Identification. The law will take effect from July 1, 2024.

People in need are issued and exchanged for an ID card.

Notably, a content that has received much attention is that up to now, according to information from the Ministry of Public Security, more than 80 million citizen identification cards have been issued nationwide. With this citizen identification card, after the new law comes into effect, will people have to re-issue their identification cards?

A representative of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee, the agency that reviews the law, stated that the law passed by the National Assembly has transitional provisions.

Accordingly, citizen identification cards issued before the effective date of this law are valid until the expiration date printed on the card.

People when needed will be issued an ID card.

Valid ID cards are valid until December 31, 2024.

Legal documents that have been issued using information from identity cards and citizen identification cards shall retain their validity; state agencies shall not require citizens to change or adjust information on identity cards and citizen identification cards in issued documents.

Previously, in the explanation and acceptance report presented by Chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee Le Tan Toi, a number of contents were also clearly stated.

In particular, there is a proposal to study the case of citizen identification cards that expire after the National Assembly passes the law, allowing them to continue to be used until the end of 2024.

This avoids causing inconvenience to people who have to change many times when they need to change from citizen identification card to ID card when this law comes into effect.

According to Mr. Toi, accepting the opinions of the delegates, the National Assembly Standing Committee has directed to revise and supplement the transitional regulations for citizen identification cards and identity cards.

Specifically, citizen identification cards and identity cards that expire from January 15, 2024 to before June 30, 2024 will continue to be valid until June 30, 2024. Along with that, this additional regulation will take effect from January 15, 2024.

High security, anti-counterfeiting guarantee

According to Mr. Toi, there are opinions suggesting additional reports on the security issue of chip-based ID cards because they are susceptible to intrusion and monitoring.

Regarding this content, Mr. Le Tan Toi stated that current ID cards are manufactured using advanced technology, have high security capabilities, and ensure against card counterfeiting.

The electronic chip on the ID card has authentication technology through fingerprint or facial matching to accurately authenticate the cardholder.

Accordingly, when a person uses a device to read information stored in an electronic chip, he or she must have the cardholder's consent through fingerprint or facial authentication to gain access to the reading application and retrieve data. Without this operation, no one can access to retrieve information in the ID card.

In addition, to exploit information in electronic chips, specialized equipment must be used and these devices must be provided with security codes by the Ministry of Public Security for authentication, ensuring security and information confidentiality.

In cases where other state agencies provide specialized equipment to read information in identification cards, these devices must be inspected by specialized agencies of the Ministry of Public Security and provided with security codes.