Swiss identity card
Encyclopedia
The present Swiss identity card dates to July 1994. It is in the form of a plastic photocard.
The Swiss identity card was blue and first introduced in 1955 when the European travel was starting to be more prevalent and after World War II
. The Swiss confederation also wanted to make it easier for Swiss citizens to identity themselves within everyday business operations like picking up parcels or registered mail from the post offices at the time.
The Swiss identity card was then modified in 1977 and it changed its colour to a more green browning colour.
Both the 1955 and 1977 series of Swiss identity cards were in a booklet format with the outer page on the 1955 ID card with the coat of arms of Switzerland
, and then the wording in the three official languages of Switzerland: German
, French
and Italian
.
When the 1977 version of the Swiss identity card was issued, the first period also had the documents printed in German, French and Italian. Later on, the Romansh language became an official Swiss Language with the referendum of the Swiss voters on March 6, 1996 and later on in the new 1999 Swiss Constitution.
The Swiss identity card was blue and first introduced in 1955 when the European travel was starting to be more prevalent and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Swiss confederation also wanted to make it easier for Swiss citizens to identity themselves within everyday business operations like picking up parcels or registered mail from the post offices at the time.
The Swiss identity card was then modified in 1977 and it changed its colour to a more green browning colour.
Both the 1955 and 1977 series of Swiss identity cards were in a booklet format with the outer page on the 1955 ID card with the coat of arms of Switzerland
Coat of arms of Switzerland
The coat of arms of Switzerland shows the same white Greek cross as the flag of Switzerland, but on a red shield. The appearance of the coat of arms or shield varies greatly, but the federal resolution of 12 December 1889 on the coat of arms decrees that the four arms have equal lengths, in a ratio...
, and then the wording in the three official languages of Switzerland: German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
When the 1977 version of the Swiss identity card was issued, the first period also had the documents printed in German, French and Italian. Later on, the Romansh language became an official Swiss Language with the referendum of the Swiss voters on March 6, 1996 and later on in the new 1999 Swiss Constitution.