# Do you have government issued I.D.? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644 "2012-03-13T13:27:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/61 "2012-03-14T14:37:21Z")
South African. I have a passport, an ID book and a driving license. The ID book is a passport-style booklet, but smaller, issued to every citizen when they turn 16. I carry the driving license; the ID book only comes out for things like voting, opening bank accounts, or starting a new job. Curiously, the law here apparently allows a police officer to request you to show identification, but doesn’t provide any penalty for failing to do so. I also have a birth certificate and, believe it or not, a [Population Registration](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_Registration_Act,_1950) classification certificate - though that is just a historical artefact now, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/62 "2012-03-14T15:21:16Z")
Passport (Indian); Driver’s licence (Indian); Driver’s licence (UK); Voter identity card (Indian). ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/63 "2012-03-14T18:09:48Z")
Yea, I’m kind of curious what the OP was trying to find out. Did he/she think that a lot of people would not have ANY government ID? I’m sure those people are out there, but they make up a pretty small percent. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/64 "2012-03-15T18:29:08Z")
Norwegian driver’s license and United States passport. ETA: And yet, the ID that I find myself using most often is the photo on the back of my bank card… ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/65 "2012-03-15T19:50:29Z")
I have both a passport and a driver’s license. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/66 "2012-03-16T17:33:57Z")
I hadn’t considered stuff like driving licence at all since we don’t tend to use them as I.D all that much. I was thinking much more of the I.D that allows you into government and national facilities, such as military bases or fire and emergency control centres. If the net is going to be cast as far as passports and driving licences then seems to me that most folk will have something or other. Anyway, I still am I.D issued on my own criteria for my workplace ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/67 "2012-03-17T18:36:10Z")
Outside the US currently, I have: American passport Australian passport NSW Drivers licence If your US social security card counts, I have one of those. If your Australian Medicare card counts, I have one of those, too. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644/68 "2012-03-18T02:40:11Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Why would you not? Unless you’re one of those separatist nuts or a tax dodger, I can’t see the reasoning. It’s not always a choice. Keep in mind that many IDs have an expiration date. So if you’re poor, or old, or sick, or disabled, or homeless renewing an ID that’s time limited isn’t always a possibility or a priority. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-government-issued-i-d/615644.md?page=3)