Dutch IND Introduces Portrait-Oriented ID Card for Asylum Seekers

The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) has announced the introduction of a new identity document for asylum seekers in the second half of 2025. Revealed at Identity Week in Amsterdam, the new ID card aligns with updated ICAO standards for vertically oriented identity cards. This layout allows for a significantly larger portrait image, improving manual identity verification by frontline officials.

The card, developed by IDEMIA Smart Identity, features advanced security technologies including a KINEGRAM with metallised elements, a perforated Tilted Laser Number that links the front and reverse of the card, and complex relief structures. It also includes a secondary colour portrait protected by LASINK™ Helios — combining colour image technology with diffractive optical features to verify the main portrait and strengthen document integrity.