On August 2, the new European DNI will come into force in Spain. It is a new identity card that will be common in the 27 member countries of the European Union.
This week it was issued to the actress Luisa Martín in a ceremony that took place in a police station in the town of Móstoles, in the Community of Madrid. The event was attended by the Government delegate in the Community of Madrid , Mercedes González, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Director General of the Police, Francisco Pardo. The creation of the new European DNI complies with EU Regulation 2019/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 20, 2019, which includes a series of new security measures.
New European DNI: what is it?
The identity document that will come into force on August 2 includes the name ‘National Identity Card’ since European regulations require the name to be included in two of the official languages of the EU. Despite leaving the United Kingdom , English continues to be official in the European Union through Ireland. One of the main novelties is that on the back it will incorporate a code to identify the country, ‘ES’ in the case of Spain ‘, surrounded by 12 yellow stars.
The size of the document will be the same as that of the current DNI, and will incorporate a microchip that will store the signature, photo and fingerprints of the holder , as long as it is older than six years.
A new document that is part of the DNIE Digital Identity Program of the National Police . The main objective is to launch an application that allows citizens to carry their identity on their mobile phone so that they can use the electronic form with it.
Entry into force
The European DNI will enter into force in Spain on August 2, although this does not mean that it is mandatory to have it on this date. According to the European Union, current identity documents will be valid until their expiration date . Therefore, in the next renewal all citizens will acquire the new DNI of the European Union, with a deadline of August 3, 2031.
When it comes to validity, it depends on what each country decides. Still, they will have to last a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 . The DNI of citizens over 70 years of age who meet a series of requirements will be permanently valid.
