HL Deb 13 March 1992 vol 536 c83WA
Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which countries of the European Community have national identity cards; in which is (a) the possession and (b) the carrying of the cards mandatory; and for which countries do the cards serve as travel documents.

Earl Ferrers

Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain all have national identity cards.

  1. (a) Possession of a national identity card is mandatory in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg and Spain.
  2. (b) It is mandatory to carry an identity card in Belgium and Greece.

The identity cards which are issued by European Community states to their nationals are accepted as travel documents within the EC and, in certain cases, by other countries.