What is the full form of ID?
ID: Identity Document
ID stands for Identity Document. It refers to a card or piece of paper that provides complete details about the identity of a person or ID card holder. It is used to identify a person. The ID that contains the photograph of the ID cardholder is known as a photo ID.
A typical identity card contains the following information about a person:
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Father’s Name
- Permanent Address
- Photograph
IDs are issued by government organizations that have the authority to make different IDs such as Aadhaar Card, Passport, Driving Licence, etc.
The IDs may vary from country to country. In some countries formal identity documents are issued as national IDs. In some countries, a person can use the driving licence as an ID if he does not have a formal identity card. In some countries, a passport is used as an ID. The tourists that visit a foreign country must carry their passport as an ID proof or sometimes they are also required to show a national identity card issued by their home country.
Identity documents in India:
The following documents that are issued by authorized govt. bodies in India can be used as a national identity document:
- Aadhaar Card: This card assigns a 12-digit Aadhaar number to every citizen of the country. It is a biometric document that is generated after collecting the biometric data of a person that include retina scan, fingerprints, etc. It is issued to the applicant after it is approved by the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India). It also contains basic details about the person such as name, QR code, address, father’s name, etc. These details are stored in the database of a government. Aadhaar Card comes with lifetime validity. It is required to avail or apply for a wide range of govt. facilities such as govt. subsidies like LPG subsidy, Jan Dhan Yojana, easy payment of provident fund, digital life certificate to get pension easily and on time, to apply for a passport, and more.
- PAN Card (Permanent Account Number): This ID contains a unique 10 digit alpha numeric number. Income Tax Department of India is authorized to issue the PAN Card. A person whose income is taxable requires a PAN card. PAN is also issued to business enterprises and companies. It is needed for various purposes such as while opening a bank account, making payments related to insurance, buying or selling a vehicle, to file income tax returns, to pay direct taxes, sale or purchase of immovable property of value 5 lakh or more, and more.
- Voter’s ID: It is also known as EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card). It is used by the Election Commission of India to a person who has completed 18 years of age. It gives the right to vote as without this ID a citizen cannot cast his or her vote and thus cannot take part in deciding a government.
- Passport: It is a mandatory document if you want to travel abroad or foreign countries. Passport is issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, govt. of India. It enables a person to visit foreign countries. This document strongly identifies the citizenship and nationality of a person.