Currently used ID cards, as reported by “Fakt”, do not meet the minimum standards for protection against counterfeiting, which results from the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. According to the Act on Public Documents, the current template can only be issued until July 12, 2026.
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After this date, you will need to enter a new document. The Ministry of Labor emphasizes that there is no other option than to issue a new regulation to meet the legal requirements.
A new look and greater availability of ID cards for retirees and pensioners
The project envisages that the new ID card will be a plastic card with dimensions similar to a bank card – 85.60 mm by 53.98 mm.
The document will be made of PVC, laminated on one side and equipped with additional security features to protect against forgery. On the back there will be the marking “LER” written in Braille, which is intended to make it easier for blind people to use the ID card.
The change will apply to all retirees and pensioners receiving benefits from ZUS, i.e. approximately 8.1 million people.
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Every year approximately 270 thousand new beneficiaries receive an ID card for the first time. The new document will still confirm the status of a pensioner and enable the use of reliefs and entitlements.
Higher costs for ZUS
The introduction of a new ID card template means an increase in costs for the Social Insurance Institution. The cost of obtaining one ID card, according to “Fakt”, will increase from just over PLN 1 to over PLN 2.24 per piece, which gives a difference of about PLN 1.2 on each document.. For 10 thousand new ID cards, this means nearly 12 thousand. PLN additional expenses.
Nationally, in the first year of application of the new regulations, ZUS will issue over PLN 332,000. PLN, and in the next year over 450 thousand. zloty.
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According to estimates of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, within 10 years the total increase in costs will reach almost PLN 4.6 million. It is expected that in 2035 the annual expenditure for this purpose will exceed PLN 487,000. zloty.
New safety standards
The Ministry emphasizes that failure to change the regulations would make it impossible to continue issuing ID cards after July 2026. The ministry indicates that the new document template is intended to adapt to applicable security standards and reduce the risk of abuse. The project notes that the implementation costs will also include IT changes in ZUS, but they will not affect the state or local government budgets.
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The new ID cards are to be not only safer, but also more durable and more difficult to forge. The price of this change is several million zlotys over a decade.
