ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 18013-1
First edition
2005-08-15


Information technology — Personal
identification — ISO-compliant driving
licence —
Part 1:
Physical characteristics and basic data
set
Technologies de l'information — Identification des personnes — Permis
de conduire conforme à l'ISO —
Partie 1: Caractéristiques physiques et jeu de données de base




Reference number
ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2005

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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
Contents
Foreword.iv
0 Introduction.v
1 Scope .1
2 Conformance. .2
3 Normative references. .2
4      Terms and de.finitions.2
5 Human-readable data elements on IDL .6
Annex A (normative) Card Design .9
Annex B (normative) Coding System and Pictograph Descriptions.27
Annex C (normative) Document Security Elements.31
Annex D (informative) Procedures for securing the issuance and use of IDLs.41
Annex E (informative) Card durability .43
Annex F (informative) Distinguishing Signs of Countries .44
Annex G (normative) IDL Booklet .48
Bibliography .73

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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 18013-1 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 17, Cards and personal identification.
ISO/IEC 18013 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology — Personal
identification — ISO-compliant driving licence:
— Part 1: Physical characteristics and basic data set
The following part is under preparation:
— Part 2: Machine readable technologies

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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
0 Introduction
ISO/IEC 18013 prescribes requirements for an ISO compliant driving licence (IDL). The intent of ISO/IEC 18013 is to

allow the issuance of one document to serve the purpose of both an international driving permit (IDP) and a domestic driving
permit (DDP). Issuing authorities issuing domestic driving licences (DDLs) that do not conform to ISO/IEC 18013 can
benefit from using parts of ISO/IEC 18013 for their own domestic purpose. These issuing authorities should continue to issue a
second document that follows the requirements of the IDP for international use.

0.1 Definition, Function & Requirements of International Driving Permit
The United Nation Conventions on Road Traffic of 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna are the responsibility of the Secretary
General at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. The maintenance of the Conventions has been assigned to UN/ECE-
Transport Division, Geneva, Switzerland. The ultimate goal of the Conventions is road safety. The Conventions make
provisions for both an International Driving Permit (IDP) and a Domestic Driving Permit (DDP).
The IDP serves as a means of mutual recognition in that it is issued by the holder’s home country licensing authority requesting
another country who has ratified the Conventions to allow the holder the permission to operate a motor vehicle of authorized
categories under specific conditions/restrictions. The IDP is essentially a translation of the DDP except in a common worldwide-
recognized standardized format for global recognition and acceptance as specified in the Conventions. The IDP also makes
provision for a state to disqualify the holder of an IDP from driving in that country by recording such in the designated area.

0.2 Harmonisation and Interoperability
The above general definition of a driving licence implies a human-readable document with the following properties.
• The document contains sufficient information for the identification of the licence holder.
• The document is difficult to counterfeit.
• The document is secure to prevent alteration.
In today’s worldwide freedom of movement, modern driving licence systems impose additional requirements for facilitation with
the advent and need for machine-assisted storage, retrieval, reading and verification technologies that UN Conventions have
not addressed.
To achieve maximum global harmonisation and interoperability, standards are required to provide common platforms for visual
human-readable evidence as well as for machine-assisted storage, retrieval, reading and verification by the use of ISO data
storage technologies incorporated into the driving licence document.

0.3 Current Limitations of International Driving Permit
The problems and concerns with the current IDP that have been reported include the following.
• Easily copied, altered, or simulated and difficult for law enforcement authorities to detect fraudulent licences from
genuine documents.
• Many non-government IDP issuing authorities do not query their respective government motor vehicle agencies to
establish if the DDP presented is still valid and still current.
• There is no register/directory of national motor vehicle agency addresses for the inquiry and exchange of information
among the agencies to verify the validity of a presented IDP.
• Does not incorporate the ISO machine-assisted data storage technologies.
• Suspension or cancellation of domestic driving licence (DDL) or domestic driving permit (DDP) should result in an
automatic suspension or cancellation of the IDP; however, the current system does not facilitate that.
• The IDP holder may circumvent disqualifications entered on their original IDP by obtaining a new IDP.
• Validity of the IDP is currently limited to a maximum of 1 to 3 years, depending on the UN Convention followed.

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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
0.4 Replacement of International Driving Permit (IDP) with ISO compliant Driving Licence (IDL)

At one time, the conventions contained specifications in regard to a mandatory “model” data element set (particulars) and a
mandatory design layout of defined dimensions for both DDP and IDP. Subsequently, in 1990, the Convention’s mandatory
requirement for the defined design layout of the DDP was rescinded as some countries made preparations for issuing the DDP
in the form of an ISO ID-1 size card.
ISO/IEC 18013 similarly provides for the migration of the current mandatory design layout of defined dimensions for the IDP
paper document to an ISO ID-1 size card. This allows the use of ISO machine-readable technologies at the option of motor
vehicle authorities. Additionally, it provides the potential integration of the two documents (DDP&IDP) into a single document.
Compliance with International Standards is voluntary. No International Standards are mandated and use is at the sole discretion
of the motor vehicle authority.


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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD                 ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)


Information technology — Personal identification — ISO-compliant
driving licence —
Part 1:
Physical characteristics and basic data set
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 18013 establishes guidelines for the design format and data content of an ISO compliant
driving licence (IDL) in regard to both visual human-readable features and ISO machine-readable technologies. It
creates a common basis for international use and mutual recognition of the IDL without impeding individual
national/community/regional motor vehicle authorities in taking care of their specific needs.
The design approach of the IDL ISO ID-1 size card and accompanying booklet with sleeve insert pocket is intended
to replace the international driving permit (IDP) paper document (see annex G).
The basis of document design premises includes
• a minimum common mandatory data element set;
• a common layout for ease of recognition;
• minimum security requirements.
At the discretion of national/community/regional motor vehicle authorities, it
• allows for inclusion of supplementary optional data elements to meet the needs of specific
national/community/regional requirements apart from the minimum common mandatory data element set;
• allows for the incorporation of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC17 machine-readable technologies including magnetic
stripe, integrated circuit with contacts, contactless integrated circuit and optical memory technology, and
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC31 1-dimensional / 2-dimensional bar codes, at the option of national/community/regional
authorities;
• allows for the incorporation of current and future technologies (including biometrics, cryptography, data
compression) at the option of national/community/regional authorities;
• allows for additional document physical security elements at the option of national/community/regional
authorities, and facilitates international procurements.
A major benefit of these design premises is that a single card may serve a dual purpose of both a
national/community/regional licence as well as an internationally recognized licence. Therefore, one card, in some
cases, can replace the need for two documents. Alternatively, those countries that choose to maintain their
individual domestic design can issue a second card with or without ISO machine-readable technologies to replace
the current IDP paper document.
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
This new IDL design yields a document that
• is more secure from counterfeiting and alteration than the previous IDP document;
• allows authorities to verify the authenticity of the document;
• integrates the personal data into a secure ID-1 size medium;
• allows a more reliable identification of the licence holder;
• allows for machine-readable technologies;
• facilitates information exchange and mutual recognition among motor vehicle authorities;
• allows the domestic driving licence (DDL) that meets this Standard to serve simultaneously as an ISO
compliant driving licence (IDL).
2 Conformance
A driving licence is in conformance with this part of ISO/IEC 18013 if it meets all mandatory requirements specified
directly or by reference herein.
3 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references,
only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 7810:2003, Identification cards — Physical characteristics
4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
4.1
alphabetic character
A
hexadecimal ranges 41 – 5A (Latin capital letters), 61 – 7A (Latin small letters), C0 – D6, D8 – F6 and F8 – FF of
ISO/IEC 8859-1
4.2
country distinguishing sign
abbreviation for issuing country identified to the UN Secretary General in accordance with the UN Conventions
(1949 and 1968) for vehicles in international traffic (see annex F), on the driving licence (human-readable)
4.3
card
document with nominal dimensions in conformance with ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1
4.4
data element
item of data that may appear on the driving licence in either human or machine-readable form
NOTE A distinction is made between static data elements and dynamic data elements.
4.4.1
static data element
data element associated with the issuing authority, and which is the same for all DLs issued on behalf of or by
that issuing authority
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
4.4.2
dynamic data element
data element associated with the licence holder and thus varies from one DL to the next for a particular licensing
authority, thus specifically excluding the issuing authority data element
4.5
document recognition
educational knowledge and ability to recognize the validity of the driving licence of both national and international
jurisdictions including data elements, formatting, visual biometrics (e.g. portrait, signature), electronic readable
features and document security features
4.6
driving licence
DL
document issued to a driving licence holder by an issuing authority granting the individual the privilege to operate a
motor vehicle within its jurisdiction
NOTE 1 The document may facilitate driving licence transactions and provide input data for such transactions. This issued
document incorporates several elements and qualifications regarding the licence holder: positive identification of the individual;
evidence of knowledge of laws and practices; practical driving proficiency in specific motor vehicle class categories; and, the
individual's health restrictions (e.g. corrective eye lenses).
NOTE 2 Driving licences are classified into four types of documents, namely domestic driving licence, domestic driving
permit, ISO compliant driving licence and international driving permit.
4.6.1
domestic driving licence
DDL
document conveying driving privilege for operating motor vehicles within country/community of issuance, and
which may or may not be issued in conformance with ISO/IEC 18013
4.6.2
domestic driving permit
DDP
driving licence issued in conformance with the UN Convention Geneva 1949, annex 9 or the UN Convention
Vienna 1968, annex 6
NOTE This is the UN terminology for a domestic driving licence.
4.6.3
ISO compliant driving licence
IDL
driving licence card issued in conformance with ISO/IEC 18013, which may be used for both domestic and
international use
4.6.4
international driving permit
IDP
driving licence issued in conformance with the UN Convention Geneva 1949, annex 10 or the UN Convention
Vienna 1968, annex 7
4.7
first line inspection
cursory examination without tools or aids that involves easily identifiable visual or tactile features for rapid
inspection at point of usage
4.8
human-readable data / information
data or information that is printed or engraved that is visually present on a driving licence and designed to be
interpreted by a human
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
4.9
image
representation of the visual likeness of a subject
EXAMPLE Portrait, finger print, or signature.
NOTE Images may be collected and stored digitally or otherwise, and rendered for visual inspection using a variety of
systems.
4.10
issuing authority
licensing authority, or issuing country if separate licensing authorities have not been authorised
4.11
issuing country
country according to annex F which issued the DL or within which the licensing authority is located
4.12
jurisdiction
territory (country, state, province) within which the licensing authority has the mandate and responsibility to apply
motor vehicle laws/directives
4.13
licence holder
individual to whom a DL is issued i.e. the legitimate holder of the driving privileges reflected on a DL
4.14
licensing authority
authorised agent organisation that issues a DL
EXAMPLE National, federal, state, provincial, regional, territorial or local Ministry of Transport, Department of Motor
Vehicles, or Police Agency.
4.15
machine-readable data / information
data or information that is encoded into a machine-readable medium, such as a magnetic stripe, bar code, optical
memory, or integrated circuit
4.16
mandatory element
element that is required
4.17
mutual recognition
privilege of citizens from two jurisdictions to drive an eligible vehicle under specified conditions/restrictions in each
other's jurisdictions without the requirement of undergoing additional practical and/or written testing
NOTE Mutual recognition is administered by way of agreements between the governments of the jurisdictions.
4.18
non-portrait side of card
opposite face from the portrait side
4.19
numeric character
N
hexadecimal range 30 – 39 (digits 0 to 9) of ISO/IEC 8859-1

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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
4.20
optional element
element that may be used, but that is not mandatory
4.21
pictograph
graphical representation associated with a specific value or instance of a predefined classification or restriction,
such as a vehicle category or medical condition
NOTE See annex B.
4.22
portrait
two dimensional representation of the face of a person in a full-face frontal pose
NOTE See annex A.
4.23
portrait side of card
face of the card carrying visual information containing the reproduction of the portrait of the licence holder
4.24
second line inspection
examination by trained inspectors with simple equipment (magnifying glass, UV light, machine-reading equipment,
etc.)
4.25
security element
distinct physical element or property of a document that contributes to at least one security feature
NOTE Depending on the method of verification, one element may provide one or more security features that may apply to
the same or to different categories.
4.26
security feature
feature of a document that is linked to a specific method of verification and thus helps insure the document’s
integrity and/or authenticity as a properly issued document that has not been tampered with
NOTE Security features may be distinguished in different kinds of categories such as:
- overt or covert,
- for human or machine-verification,
- for first line, second line, or third line inspection.
Physical security elements applied during production of a document may contribute more than one feature and
therefore also cover more than one category of each kind.
4.27
special character
S
hexadecimal ranges 20 – 2F ( ! “ # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + , - . /), 3A (:), 3C – 40 (< = > ? @), 5B – 60 ([ \ ] ^ _ `),
7B – 7E ({ | } ~), A1 – AC (¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¨ © ª « ¬), AE – A5 (® ¯ ° ± ² ³ ´ µ), and A7 – BF (· ¸ ¹ º » ¼ ½ ¾ ¿) of
ISO/IEC 8859-1
NOTE The semicolon “;”, multiplication sign "×" and division sign "÷" are defined as delimiters and the pilcrow sign "¶" is
defined as the end-of-file character in the machine-readable data / information.
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
4.28
supranational
extending beyond or transcending established borders or spheres of influence held by separate nations
NOTE The concept can apply equally to government entities (such as the European Union) and non-government entities
(such as the International Civil Aviation Organization).
4.29
text
human-readable A, N or S
4.30
third line inspection
inspection by forensic specialists conducting detailed examination allows for more in-depth evaluation and may
require special equipment to provide true certification
5 Human-readable data elements on IDL
5.1 Data element tables
The tables in 5.2 and 5.3 specify the mandatory and optional elements that appear on the IDL.
Column 1 (Item #): serves as a reference indicator for citation elsewhere in this Standard.
Column 2 (Data field reference code on IDL): reference code shall be visibly included as text on the IDL to
identify the data element for purposes of interpreting the data and other international interchange requirements.
The reference code may be depicted on the IDL with punctuation or without punctuation (as shown in Table 1 and
Table 2).
EXAMPLE "1." or "1" may be used to reference the data element "Family name" and likewise "4c." or "4c" may be used to
reference the data element "Issuing authority". Informative examples with punctuation and without punctuation are provided in
A.10.
Column 3 (Card zone placement): indicates the location on the IDL where the data element shall be placed.
Location of the zones are specified in annex A of this Standard.
Column 4 (Data element name): common name or phrase that is used to refer to the accompanying data element
definition.
Column 5 (Definition): description of the data element, including any exceptions.
Column 6 (Field maximum length/type): valid field length (i.e., the number of characters) for each data element.
The nature of the field length is defined by F=fixed length and V=variable length.
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
5.2 Mandatory data elements for international interchange
All the data elements appearing in Table 1, but for item f, the issuing authority, are dynamic data elements.
Table 1 — Mandatory data elements for international interchange
Item # Data field Card zone Data element Description/ Definition Field
reference placement name maximum
code on IDL length/
type
a 1 Zone II Family name Last name, surname, or primary identifier, V36AS
of the licen ce holde r

b 2 Zone II Given nam es First name(s), other name(s), or secondary V36AS
identifier, of the lice nce holder

c 3 Zone II Date of Birth Day, month, year on which the licence F8N
holder was born (if unknown, approximate
Date of Birth)
d 4a Zone II Date of Issue Date licence document was issued (same F8N
format as Date of Birth)
e 4b Zone II Date of Expiry Date licence document expires (same F8N
format as Date of Birth)
f 4c Zone II Issuing Authority Abbreviations may be used (see 4.10) V65ANS
g 5 Zone II Licence Number The number assigned or calculated by the V25AN
issuing authority
h 6 Zone III Portrait A reproduction of the licence holder’s (Image)
portrait

i 7 Zone II Signature A reproduction of the licence holder’s (Image)
signature, or usual mark, or thumb or finger

print
j 9 Zone II Categories of Vehicle types the licence holder is V3AN
Vehicles authorised to operate
(may be (or Picto-
repeated in graphs)
Zone IV)
k 10 Zone II or IV Date of issue per The date of issue for a specific class of F8N
category vehicle if it is before the date of issue of the
licence document (same format as Date of
Birth)
l 11 Zone II or IV Date of expiry per The date of expiry of the specific category if F8N
category it expires before or after the date of expiry
of the licence document (same format as
Date of Birth)
m 12 Zone II or IV Restrictions Restrictions or conditions which apply to the (Picto-
licence holder when operating a vehicle graphs)

(shown as pictographs defined in the
restriction codes)
n 12 Zone II or IV Conditions/ Any medical, administrative or legal (Picto-
Information limitations applying to the licence holder graphs)
and not covered under the standard

restriction codes

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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
5.3 Optional data elements for international interchange
All the data elements appearing in Table 2 are dynamic data elements.
Table 2 — Optional data elements for international interchange
Item # Data field Card zone Data element Description/ Definition Field
reference placement name maximum
a
code on IDL length/
type
o 3 Zone II Place of Birth Country and municipality or state/province V33A
where the licence holder was born

p
4d Zone II Administrative An audit control number assigned by the V25ANS
Number licensing authority

q
8 Zone II Permanent Place The place where the licence holder resides V108ANS
of Residence and/or may be contacted (street/house
number, municipality etc.)
r 15 Zone II Gender Licence holder’s gender: M for male, F for F1A
female
s 16 Zone II Height (cm.) Licence holder’s height in centimetres F3N
t 16 Zone II Height (ft./in.) Licence holder’s height in feet 1), inches 2) F3N
for example. 509= 5ft 9in
u 17 Zone II Weight (kg.) Licence holder’s weight in kilograms F3N
v 17 Zone II Weight (lb.) Licence holder’s weight in pounds F3N
w 18 Zone II Eye Colour Licence holder’s eye colour: blue, brown, V12A
black, hazel, green, grey, pink, dichromatic
x 19 Zone II Hair Colour Licence holder’s hair colour: brown, black, V12A
blonde, grey, red/auburn, sandy, white,
bald
NOTE Data field reference codes 13 & 14 are not used as they are designated for domestic use in the EC Directives and in

the amendments to the Vienna Convention (proposed Rev.3 of WP.1, dated 5 Jan 2004).
a
The use of the reference code on the IDL is optional for the data elements in this table. However, if a reference code is
used, it shall be the reference code listed in this table.
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ISO/IEC 18013-1:2005(E)
Annex A
(normative)

Card Design
A.1 Introduction
This annex contains the requirements with regard to the human-readable content and layout of the data elements
on the IDL.
The main ideology for defining the design of the IDL is the minimum acceptable set of requirements to guarantee
global interoperability. Sufficient freedom is afforded to the issuing authorities of driving licences to meet their
national (domestic) needs (existing standards, data contents, security elements, etc).
...