Many countries around the world have national ID cards. In some countries, it’s a legal requirement to have them, while in others, the system is voluntary. A national ID card is used to verify a person’s identity for official purposes like voting, banking, travel, and accessing government systems like healthcare. While these cards serve an important purpose, many countries also use them as a canvas for incredible design.
At Remitly, we love to explore how different countries approach systems like ID cards. In this article, we’re going to show off some of the most stunning national ID cards from around the globe, highlighting how they meet the need for security while also providing a beautiful look.
Let’s explore some of these gorgeous but functional documents from around the world.
What makes a national ID card design “stunning”?
To be truly stunning, a national ID card needs to strike the perfect balance between security and beauty. Of course, the main function of these cards is identification. However, the best examples from around the world show how design can transform even an ordinary document into a small work of art.
Using security features as art
Modern ID cards blend technology with artistry. Security elements like holograms, UV inks, and microprinting not only help make forgery difficult but can also create some incredible documents. For example, a holographic national emblem that shimmers in the light turns a security feature into a captivating design element.
National symbolism
The most beautiful ID cards celebrate the symbols that define a country. Often, designers will weave in national landmarks, indigenous plants and animals, or portraits of historical figures to create a miniature showcase of national pride.
Material technology
Innovation in materials has made national identity cards even more beautiful. Polycarbonate layers allow for transparent windows, and laser-engraving details enhance both the beauty and the durability of these cards.
The best ID card designs can tell a nation’s story in just a few square inches. This is where technology, heritage, and artistic skill all meet in one everyday object.
A gallery of stunning national ID cards
If you have to use something frequently, why not make it beautiful? That seems to be the philosophy behind many nations’ ID cards. Each of the following countries approaches identity card design differently, but their choices add up to some really beautiful ID cards.
1. Norway: minimalist & modern
The Nordic countries are known for their minimalist and modern design aesthetic, and you can see a great example of that on Norway’s national ID card. At first glance, the card can look very plain, but it takes a lot of thought to make something this well-designed.
The card’s color palette includes shades of grey, white, and red, inspired by the Norwegian flag, and uses three languages—Norwegian, Sami, and English— to reflect Norway’s commitment to its heritage and indigenous populations. A holographic stamp on the photo makes it more difficult for forgers to replicate, and the card also features a readable chip marked by a red camera symbol.
So far, so minimalist. But when you put this card under ultraviolet light, it glows with a colorful outline of the rugged coastline of Norway. Both a security feature and a beautiful design choice, the card captures the innovative and modern spirit of the country it represents.
2. Ontario, Canada: a provincial masterpiece
In Canada, each province operates its own system for identification. National identity cards aren’t required in Canada, but an identity card can help access government services, including health care, especially for people who don’t have a driver’s license.
In Ontario, both the photo ID card and the driver’s license have been elevated into something really special.
The Ontario photo card’s design is based on the white trillium, Ontario’s official flower. This is shown in elegant, layered patterns across the card. The same flower appears on the Ontario driver’s license, with both a large white version in the background and a smaller purple version in the foreground.
The photo card features a color palette of soft purples, while the driver’s license is a tasteful blue and green color, making it visually similar to other Canadian driving licenses. Holograms and micro printing are built directly into the design rather than being added on top, which makes the card a pleasure to look at as well as difficult to forge.
Under UV light, the photo card shows a stylized trillium that glows bright purple. This reflects a common theme in Canadian design. Canadian banknotes are made of plastic polymers with transparent windows and holographic symbols that can be projected with a laser pen, while Canadian passports offer a rich UV painting on every page.
Ontario’s photo card is proof that a government document can be both secure and beautiful.
3. Switzerland: precision and security
In Europe, especially in the borderless Schengen zone, national ID cards can often be used to travel to other countries instead of a passport. That means ID features are especially important.
Switzerland deals with this demand with the precision and attention to detail you might expect from a country that’s legendary for its production of luxury watches. Every inch is carefully planned and executed, creating an elegant but highly secure design.
The card features intricate “guilloché” patterns. These fine interwoven lines create an intricate and repetitive pattern. They look beautiful, but they aren’t just decoration. They’re also intended to make the card very difficult to copy or counterfeit, which is why they are also used on Swiss banknotes.
The red flag of Switzerland adds a pop of color to the subtle blues, greys, and whites of the ID card, and the gorgeous mountains the country is famous for appear in the background, highlighting the connection many Swiss people feel with the natural environment.
The card is made of durable polycarbonate, laser-engraved with multiple layers of information so that nothing can be altered without damaging the card. That makes this document highly secure as well as lovely to look at.
Quality, precision, and trust. The Swiss national ID card represents these cultural values with its thoughtful design. And under UV light, it becomes even more incredible. Those intersecting lines take on a variety of different colors, making the whole card glow with an intricate pattern, almost like a fingerprint.
4. The Philippines: rich with national heritage
The Philippine National ID (PhilID) is as vibrant and colorful as the country itself. Its thoughtful design reflects the identity of the Philippines as a nation of many islands, languages, and traditions, brought together under a single flag.
This flag takes center stage on the ID card. The colorful red, yellow, and blue occupy the background with microprinting to make forgery more difficult. Around the edges of the card, patterns inspired by local textiles also increase security and add to the beauty of this document.
The card also uses a ghost image, a smaller version of the main photo, to make it harder to change the photo itself. Color-shifting prints and guilloché design featuring small and hidden text make this card a nightmare for counterfeiters, but a joy for anyone who appreciates good design.
5. Italy: where beauty comes first
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Italy’s status as a land of cutting-edge fashion, beautiful art and architecture, and world-leading design is well established—and the makers of Italy’s national ID card clearly took this to heart.
The card features intricate microprinting and a hologram over the photo to make forgery more difficult. There’s also a ghost image of the crest of the Italian Republic, and a map of the country, all set against a background of a blown-up detail of the national crest again.
The green, white, and red of the Italian flag run in a tasteful bar across the bottom of the card. Under UV light, the national crest glows blue and green, making this stunning ID card even more beautiful—and more secure.
The future of ID cards: digital & dynamic
All over the world, countries are moving into a new era of identification. Digital ID cards are becoming the next major step, with many countries introducing secure, smartphone-based versions of their national identity cards.
These digital IDs allow people to prove their identity instantly to access government services, sign documents, or travel. Advanced encryption, biometric verification, and offline access options are designed to make sure that digital ID cards stay as trustworthy as their physical versions.
Hopefully, governments around the world will continue efforts to make these digital IDs as beautiful as the ID card designs showcased in this article. As the cards on this list show, security and good design can enhance each other.
The world’s most beautiful ID cards
From Canada to the Philippines, national ID cards are more than just documents. They’re pocket-sized expressions of the country’s culture, innovation, pride, and natural beauty, carried around by citizens every day.
Often, we don’t think much about the government documents we need. But the effort that has gone into the design of these cards demonstrates pride and innovation, and celebrates what makes these countries unique.
FAQs
Why do some countries put so much effort into ID card design?
Some countries consider ID cards a symbol of national identity. A beautiful design helps express cultural pride and showcase heritage. At the same time, intricate designs can also improve security against forgery.
Which national ID card is considered the most beautiful?
Beauty is subjective. However, countries like Norway, Switzerland, and Canada have been praised by design experts for their creative balance of aesthetics and security.
Who designs national ID cards?
Every country has its own process for designing national documents. In many countries, leading designers or artists are hired to make the most beautiful ID card possible.
What security features do national ID cards include?
National ID cards can include a range of security features to make them harder to forge. Some designs include UV images, embedded chips, intricate patterns, layers of engraving under polycarbonate or holographic stamps.