National ID Card Fees, by Country
National ID Card Fees at a Glance
- Most expensive: Germany (€46, about $53).
- Free: France and Singapore, for a standard first card.
- No national ID card: UK, US, Australia and Canada.
Cheapest and most expensive are ranked after converting to US dollars at approximate November 2026 exchange rates; the table shows each country's own currency at face value. See methodology.
Last updated 3 November 2026.
A national identity card is a separate document from a passport in every country that issues one — usually cheaper, valid only for domestic and (within the EU) regional travel, and compulsory to carry in some countries but optional in others. Not every country has one: this table only includes countries with a genuine, government-issued national ID card scheme.
This table lists each country's own government fee schedule, in that country's own currency, face value with no FX conversion applied. Where a country's fee is a national baseline plus a variable municipal or local add-on, the figure shown is the typical total, explained in the methodology section below.
| Source | ||
|---|---|---|
🇸🇪 SwedenEstimateNationellt id-kort, issued by the Police (Polisen). | 400 kr | [5] |
🇩🇪 GermanyEstimatePersonalausweis, standard fee for applicants 24 and over (€27.60 under 24), 10-year validity. | €46 | [1] |
🇮🇹 ItalyEstimateCIE (Carta d'Identità Elettronica): €16.79 fixed state fee plus a variable municipal charge — total typically €22-28 depending on the comune. | ≈€22 | [4] |
| €12 | [3] | |
🇸🇬 SingaporeEstimateNRIC is issued free to citizens at age 15; a S$60 fee applies to replace a damaged card or one with changed particulars, and S$100-300 to replace a lost card. | Free (first issuance) | [6] |
🇫🇷 FranceCarte nationale d'identité — free for a first application or routine renewal; a fee applies only when replacing a lost or stolen card. | Free | [2] |
What's included: the standard government fee to obtain a national identity card as a citizen — first issuance or routine renewal, whichever is the headline fee the issuing authority itself publishes. Where a country charges a fixed national fee plus a variable local add-on (Italy), the figure shown is the typical total, not just the national component.
What's excluded: expedited/rush processing surcharges, fees specific to replacing a lost, stolen or damaged card (except where that's genuinely the only fee a country charges, as with Singapore), fees for cards issued to foreign residents rather than citizens, and any private photo-booth or courier costs.
Why the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Canada aren't here: none currently issues a general-purpose national ID card. The US and Canada have no federal ID card at all — only state/provincial driver's licences and ID cards, priced separately. Australia's government identity system (myID, under the Digital ID Act 2024) is a digital verification service, not a physical card. The UK abolished its national ID card scheme in 2011; a new mandatory digital identity scheme has been announced for 2029 but isn't live and has no fee to cite yet.
Belgium and Portugal were researched and left out. Belgium's eID fee is set as a federal base charge plus a municipal surcharge that varies significantly by commune and by processing speed, and this round of research couldn't confidently reduce it to one representative standard figure. Portugal's Cartão de Cidadão fee appears in several conflicting figures across secondary sources (roughly €15-17) with no single current tariff confirmed directly against an official schedule this session — both may be added once a cleaner source is found.
Currency note: figures are each country's own currency, face value, with no FX conversion — treat a 'cheapest/most expensive' ranking as directional, not exact, once exchange rates are applied. The one exception is the FAQ below naming the genuine most expensive country once converted to a common currency, flagged explicitly as that one-time exception.
What is the most expensive ID card in the world?
Germany, at €46 (about $53) — the most expensive of the countries in this table once converted to a common currency for a fair comparison. Face value alone is misleading here: Sweden's 400 kr looks like the biggest number on the page, but the krona is a much lower-value currency, converting to only around $40 — cheaper than Germany once converted, even though 400 is a bigger raw number than 46. Every other figure on this page stays at face value, in each country's own currency, with no conversion — this ranking is the one exception, done specifically to answer this question honestly.
Which countries charge nothing for a national ID card?
France and Singapore. France's carte nationale d'identité is free for a first application or routine renewal (confirmed directly against the French government's own service-public.gouv.fr page) — a fee applies only when replacing a lost or stolen card. Singapore's NRIC is issued free to citizens at age 15; a fee applies only to replace a damaged card (S$60) or a lost one (S$100 first time, S$300 after).
Why isn't the United Kingdom, United States, Australia or Canada in this table?
Because none of the four currently issues a general-purpose national ID card. The US and Canada have no federal ID card system at all — identity documents are issued at the state or provincial level instead (driver's licences, state ID cards), priced separately and not comparable to a single national fee. Australia uses a digital identity system (myID) rather than a physical card. The UK abolished its national ID card scheme in 2011 and, while a mandatory digital identity scheme has been announced for 2029, it isn't live yet and has no fee to cite.
Does this include the fee to replace a lost or damaged card?
No, except for Singapore, where that's genuinely the only fee that exists (first issuance is free, so there's no other figure to show). Everywhere else on this table, the figure is the standard first-issuance or routine-renewal fee; replacing a lost, stolen or damaged card typically costs more and isn't priced here.
Passport Fees by Country
The other core identity document most countries issue — and, unlike an ID card, the one every country in this table also has.
Birth Certificate Fees by Country
The document most ID card and passport applications start from.
Driving Licence Fees by Country
Another government-issued identity document, priced separately from a national ID card.
- 1Personalausweisgebührenverordnung (PAuswGebV) §1
Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Statutory fee: €46 for applicants 24 and over, €27.60 under 24. The official page returned a server error on direct fetch this session; figure confirmed via consistent citation in a Deutscher Bundestag research briefing and municipal government notices. Checked 3 November 2026.
- 2Carte nationale d'identité
service-public.gouv.fr (French Government)
"Dans tous les cas, la carte d'identité est gratuite" — fetched and read directly. Checked 3 November 2026.
- 3Tasas: DNI
Ministerio del Interior (Gobierno de España)
Official fee page lists "Expedición del DNI 12,00 €". Direct automated access was blocked this session (403); figure confirmed via the official page's own text appearing in search indexing and multiple consistent secondary sources. Checked 3 November 2026.
- 4Carta d'Identità Elettronica (CIE) — fee structure
Ministero dell'Interno
State fee of €16.79 (set by ministerial decree) plus a variable municipal add-on; typical total €22-28. The official portal didn't surface a fee table on direct fetch this session; figures confirmed via multiple consistent secondary citations of the underlying decree. Checked 3 November 2026.
- 5Ansökningsavgiften för nationellt id-kort återgår till 400 kronor
Regeringskansliet (Government of Sweden)
Official government press release confirming the 400 SEK fee; a 2026 news report confirms the same amount still applies. The live Polisen fee page 404'd on direct fetch this session. Checked 3 November 2026.
- 6Identity Card Replacement and Fees
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore
First issuance to citizens at 15 is free; damaged-card replacement S$60; lost-card replacement S$100 (first), S$300 (subsequent). Fee text didn't render on direct fetch this session; figures confirmed via ICA's own prior public statements and consistent secondary citation. Checked 3 November 2026.