High court rules against charges for Identification Card

THE HAGUE – The municipalities, which issue the compulsory card every resident must show for their identification, were charging a fee for the card without the proper legal authority for these costs. All those renewing their card were provided one free of charge. The national government has agreed to shoulder the costs to the municipalities but also rushed emergency legislation to the Second Chamber, effectively ending the charge-free ID card era of about two weeks. The government also agreed to reimburse the municipalities any costs incurred from people who demanded a refund for moneys paid since the ID card requirement became the law. The emergency legislation is retroactive, making refund claims redundant. The ID card law took effect on January 1, 2005. It does not require the Dutch to carry it always with them, but must produce it when asked to do so when a specific reason is given. The law rules out random inspections the way they were conducted during the WWII Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.