{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
”’Palestinian identity card”’ (Arabic: {{lang|ar|بطاقة الهوية الفلسطينية}}) is the mandatory personal identification document used in the Palestinian territories. It is defined in Article (2) of the Palestinian Civil Status Law of 1999 as a “legal document for identifying its holder issued by the Civil Status Directorate” of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. Every Palestinian who reaches the age of sixteen is legally required to obtain one.
”’Palestinian identity card”’ (Arabic: {{lang|ar|بطاقة الهوية الفلسطينية}}) is the mandatory personal identification document used in the Palestinian territories. It is defined in Article (2) of the Palestinian Civil Status Law of 1999 as a “legal document for identifying its holder issued by the Civil Status Directorate” of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. Every Palestinian who reaches the age of sixteen is legally required to obtain one.
[[File:Palestine Identity document 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Plastic cover of the Palestinian identity card]]
[[File:Palestine Identity document 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Plastic cover of the Palestinian identity card]]
Compulsory identity document issued in the State of Palestine
Compulsory identity document issued in the State of Palestine
The Palestinian identity card (Arabic: بطاقة الهوية الفلسطينية) is the mandatory personal identification document used in the Palestinian territories. It is defined in Article (2) of the Palestinian Civil Status Law of 1999 as a “legal document for identifying its holder issued by the Civil Status Directorate” of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. Every Palestinian who reaches the age of sixteen is legally required to obtain one.
History
Until the Oslo Accords, Palestinian identity cards were issued by the Israeli Military Government following the 1967 war, and later by the Israeli Civil Administration. The plastic cover of the ID carried the emblem of the Israeli army. Card colors differed by region:
- **West Bank residents** – orange cover
- **East Jerusalem residents** – blue cover
- **Gaza Strip residents** – red cover
After the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, responsibility for issuing ID cards to residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was transferred to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, subject to Israeli approval. Under the agreements, Israel transferred authority over the population registry and address data to the Palestinian side.
In 1996, Israel reinstated the requirement of prior approval for changing a resident’s registered address from Gaza to the West Bank. In 2000, Israel announced it would not recognize any registry changes made without its approval. Israel also determines the ID numbers used by the Palestinian population registry. Palestinians holding Gaza IDs but residing in the West Bank are considered by Israel to be “illegally present.”
In the early 2000s, the Palestinian Authority unified the color of the ID card cover to green for both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Contents
Palestinian identity cards are issued in a **laminated booklet format**, kept inside a plastic cover alongside a **folded supplement sheet** (“ID annex”). The following information appears on the card, written in both Arabic and Hebrew:
- ID number
- Given name
- Father’s name
- Grandfather’s name
- Family name
- Mother’s name
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Gender
- Religion (removed in 2014)
- Place of issue
- Date of issue
- Stamp of the Civil Status Directorate
The supplementary ID annex, stored in the second pocket of the plastic cover, contains:
- Family name
- Given name
- Address
- Marital status
- Name of spouse
- Spouse’s ID number
- Previous family name
- Previous given name
- Names and ID numbers of children under 16 and their birth dates
- Sections for elections, change of address, and corrections
Legislation
The 1999 Civil Status Law sets the legal basis for the Palestinian ID card. Key provisions include:
- Every Palestinian aged sixteen or above must obtain an identity card.
- The Civil Status Directorate of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior is the sole authority permitted to issue identity cards.
- Anyone who obtains Palestinian nationality must apply for an ID card within 90 days, and anyone who loses nationality must surrender their ID within the same period.
- No person may hold more than one identity card. Anyone who fails to obtain an ID after turning sixteen is subject to a fine of no less than fifteen Jordanian dinars or its equivalent in local currency.
Under Law No. 3 of 2008, which amended the 1999 Civil Status Law, two additional provisions regarding identity cards were introduced:
- A wife may not change her family name to that of her husband.
- The husband’s full four-part name must be added to the ID annex.
References
External links
- [Requirements for obtaining a Palestinian identity card – Palestinian National Information Center]
