> Patrick Elliott<sel### [at] npgcablecom>  wrote:
>> Possible he lost it? Lot of places take photocopies of the stuff you
>> provide, to have it on record that you actually gave a card, not just
>> filled in some numbers.
>
>    It's interesting how different this is between countries.
>
>    In Spain (I have lived there) every single citizens has the same type of
> official identity card. AFAIK it's mandatory to have one and I think it's
> at least in principle even mandatory to have it with you at all times at
> least if you are away from your home town. (If the police demands to see
> your identity card and you don't have it, it might cause some repercussions.)
>
>    In Finland it's much more relaxed. There's no one single official identity
> card. There is an identity card, but it's not mandatory. There are many other
> forms of identity documents that are equally valid, including a driver's
> license and a passport. (In other words, even if the only form of official
> identification you own is a driver's license, it's enough. You don't need
> anything else.)
>
>    I lived many years without any unexpired official identification document.
> (AFAIK this would be unthinkable in Spain.) Had to then get one for practical
> reasons (you can't open bank accounts, get credit cards, etc. without such
> an ID).
>

In Canada, we also have Social Security cards. They only have your name 
and 3 x 3 digits.

Officialy, it's the only card you need and the only legal card. You need 
to write that number on your tax reports, and it should be the only 
place it's used.

In practice, almost nobody have the right to ask you that card, and it's 
not considered acceptable to prove your identity. If fact, a prospective 
employer don't realy have the right to ask for it, but it's tolerated as 
an established practice.
Other than that, nobody have any right to ask you to show it.

As we have provincialy managed universal health care, and that those 
cards now have a photo, it's the de facto universal identity card.
You can also use your driver license, that also have your photo.
Those are also the only ID that can legaly be asked and used as proof of 
your age.



Alain

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