The Resident Identity Card is China's mandatory national ID for citizens aged 16 and over, with the second generation carrying an embedded contactless IC chip. It encodes an 18-digit citizen number and is required for banking, SIM registration, travel, hotels, and most government services, anchoring China's real-name registration regime.

China's National Network Identity Authentication service issues an online cyber ID (a network number and network credential) that maps to a citizen's real identity held by the MPS. Platforms verify users via a non-identifying token instead of collecting real names and ID numbers. Building on the CTID platform piloted in 2018, the formal public service launched in July 2025 and is voluntary.