Your Emirates ID has a secret! 20 things you didn't know were stored on your chip
The Emirates ID boasts 9 advanced security features, making it highly resistant to fraud
Dubai: Did you know the little chip on your Emirates ID contains 20 different pieces of information?
With the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) launching the new generation of Emirates IDs in 2021, the card not only includes information that you can see printed on it – like your personal and professional data, signature and photograph, but it also includes ‘non-visible data’, which is protected through an enhanced protection system and can be read through the ICP’s ‘e-link’ system.
The chip embedded in the Emirates ID, which you can see at the back of the card, also has a higher data capacity, enabling it to contain a lot more information related to the cardholder.
As per the ICP, the electronic chip includes the following data about the ID card holder:
- Identity number
- Date of issue
- Date of expiry
- Full name (Arabic and English)
- Passport data
- Sex
- Nationality
- Date of birth
- Mother’s first name (Arabic and English)
- Occupation
- Marital status
- Family number
- Town number (for UAE nationals)
- Sponsor type
- Sponsor number
- Sponsor name
- Nature or type of residence
- Residence number
- Personal photo
- Two fingerprints
ICP also provides card readers to service providers, which enables them to develop programmes to read personal data from the electronic chip that facilitates and speeds up service delivery and enhances the quality of data.
How the data is secured
The second generation of Emirates IDs have nine security features, which makes forgery or fraudulent use of the card next to impossible.
According to ICP, the current security features excel the standards used in many cards, including bank cards.