Proportionality
The level of proof must correspond to the risk of the purpose.
Civil identity · representation · minimisation
Identity document
An identity document is a verifiable representation of civil and identity attributes — not a universal identifier that must be exposed in every interaction.
In summary
The essentials
The person exists before the document. A document may facilitate proof of identity and attributes, but loss, expiry or compromise of the credential does not erase the person, citizenship, residence, property or recorded civil facts.
How it works
Identity, document and evidence are different layers
01Root IdentityProvides legal continuity without functioning as a universal public number.
02DocumentPresents selected attributes and issuance metadata in a verifiable manner.
03AuthenticationDemonstrates control of a means or credential according to the risk of the operation.
04SourceIn a relevant dispute, official records and evidence from competent sources prevail.
Principles
What makes a document trustworthy
Sector-specific design
Services may use distinct identifiers to reduce correlation.
Recovery
Loss of a key or device must have a secure alternative path.
Accessibility
No essential right may depend on a single authentication method.
Contestability
A credential is not absolute proof when there are substantiated grounds for challenge.
Privacy
The presentation should disclose only the data that are genuinely necessary.
Representation and source
Losing the document is not losing identity
Legal continuity must survive the loss, expiry, theft or replacement of the technical artefact. The system preserves the same person and the relevant historical chain.
In practice
What this means for you
When proving age, residence or another attribute, the preferred design is to demonstrate the necessary information without exposing the entire identity. If a credential is lost or compromised, the correct process is revocation/replacement and recovery — not creation of a new civil person.
Limits
Protections and limits
It does not turn a document number into a universal public Root Identity.
It does not make biometrics mandatory for every verification.
It does not authorise treating a visual copy as absolute proof when official status is disputed.
Constitutional basis
Read it in the full text
Consult the related provisions in the Proposed Constitution.
Keep exploring