Service cards

Swedish Police Authority regulations and general advice on service cards

The proposed regulations contain rules that supplement the Ordinance (1958:272) on service cards (the Service Card Ordinance). A service card is an identity document that may be issued to persons who are employed by or who hold an assignment for a state or municipal body and who, in order to perform their official duties, need to be able to regularly prove their identity or position. The proposed regulations contain provisions on requirements for service cards, on the process of applying for service cards, on the handing out, return and destruction of service cards and on service card registers. The proposal largely corresponds to what already applies, but the regulations have been updated. Under the proposal, service cards, with certain exceptions, must meet the requirements for service cards in, or be equivalent to, Swedish standard SS 614314:2015 Identification cards - certified ID cards of type ID-1. The current regulations, which have been in force since 1988, also refer to this standard. Service cards are used when public employees, including police officers, confirm their authority to individuals. It is therefore important that the appearance of the cards is changed as little as possible over time. For this reason, it is proposed that the regulations refer to the same standard that applies today.