和信国际,pthlegal

Law of the People's Republic of China

on Resident Identity Cards

(Adopted at the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress on June 28, 2003 and promulgated by Order No.4 of the President of the People's Republic of China on June 28, 2003)

Contents

Chapter I General Provisions

Chapter II Application and Issuance

Chapter III Use and Examination

Chapter IV Legal Responsibility

Chapter V Supplementary Provisions

Chapter I

Article 1 This Law is enacted for the purposes of proving the identities of the citizens residing within the territory of the People's Republic of China, safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, facilitating their social activities and maintaining public order.

Article 2 Any Chinese citizen who has reached the age of 16 and who resides within the territory of the People's Republic of China shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Law, apply for the resident identity card; and any Chinese citizen under the age of 16 may, in accordance with the provisions of this Law, apply for resident identity card.

Article 3 The items to be registered in a resident identity card consist of the name, sex, nationality, date of birth, address of permanent residence, citizen's identity number, the bearer's photograph, term of validity of the card and the issuing authority.

The citizen's identity number is the sole and inalterable permanent identity code of a citizen, which is designed by the public security organ according to the national standard for citizens' identity numbers.

Article 4 Standard Chinese characters and numerals and symbols conforming to national standards shall be used in filling out a resident identity card.

With respect to the items in the resident identity card to be registered in Chinese, the authority of autonomy in a national autonomous area may, in light of the actual conditions of the area, decide to use at the same time the written language of the nationality enjoying regional autonomy or the written language that is commonly used locally.

Article 5 The terms of validity of resident identity cards for citizens at or over the age of 16 shall be 10 years, 20 years, or permanent. To citizens between the age of 16 and 25, shall be issued with resident identity cards valid for 10 years; to those between the age of 26 and 45, shall be issued with resident identity cards valid for 20 years; and to those at or over the age of 46, shall be issued with resident identity cards valid permanently.

Where a citizen under the age of 16 voluntarily applies for the resident identity card, a card valid for five years shall be issued to him.

Article 6 The resident identity card shall be designed by the department for public security under the State Council. And the resident identity cards shall be uniformly made and issued by public security organs.

The resident identity cards shall be readable both visually and by computer, and the contents read visually and by computer shall be limited to the items prescribed in the first paragraph of Article 3 of this Law.

Public security organs and people's police shall keep confidential citizen's personal information gained through making, issuing, examining or seizing resident identity cards.