At what age must a Thai citizen hold an ID card?

From age 7, under the Identity Card Act as amended in 2011, mandatory through age 70.

The Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), Ministry of Interior, through district registration offices.

🇹🇭 Thailand · National ID card

Thai National ID Card

Thai National Identity Card (smart card)

The Thai national ID card is a mandatory smart card with an embedded IC chip, built on the 13-digit personal identification number and issued by DOPA. Required from age 7, it is the universal credential for voting, banking, land transfers, and SIM contracts, and DOPA also operates a facial-verification service used by relying parties.

What it does

Identity verification / KYCBiometric authentication

Country:🇹🇭 Thailand

Type:National ID card

Status:Live

Launched:2005

Issuer:Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), Ministry of Interior

Who can get it:All Thai nationals (mandatory from age 7 to 70)

Format

CardNumber

Identity attributes

13-digit PIDThai nameDate of birthReligionAddressPhotoIssue and expiry dates

Authentication methods

Visual inspectionIC chip readPID-based lookupDOPA facial verification

Common use cases

VotingBanking / account openingLand transfer and registrationSIM / phone contracts

Standards

IC smart cardNational 13-digit numbering schemeDOPA biometric facial-verification database

Coverage

Effectively universal among eligible Thai nationals

Interoperability

Domestic

Privacy and trust

Governed by the Identity Card Act and Thailand's PDPA, with DOPA stating the laser code on the back is a non-personal distribution-tracking code.

Identity verification providers

Independent identity verification vendors that support documents like this for KYC and onboarding. Exact document coverage varies by provider and region, so confirm support before relying on it.

Onfido Jumio Veriff Sumsub Persona AU10TIX IDnow Regula

Official source

https://bora.dopa.go.th/

Thai National ID Card: frequently asked questions

At what age must a Thai citizen hold an ID card?: From age 7, under the Identity Card Act as amended in 2011, mandatory through age 70.
Who issues the card?: The Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), Ministry of Interior, through district registration offices.

Educational reference, not official guidance. Confirm current details with the issuing authority. See Thailand data protection law · all Thailand schemes · identity verification vendors