(QCOSTARICA) The “cedula” is the major identification card for all Costa Rican nationals. Every Costa Rican, born in the country or naturalized, is issued a cedula.
The new cedula, that will be distributed starting in September, includes new security features to prevent duplication, such as microtext only visible with a magnifying glass, a holographic image and an image of the TSE building only visible under ultraviolet light.
On the back the information will include the name of both parents (and their nationality) and a reduced bar code containing encrypted information of the card holder.
The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE), the government body that issues the cedulas and runs the elections in the country, said the current cedulas will remain valid until their expiry date, meaning citizens don’t have to change them over until due. This also means that for a while we will see both issues of the cards in use.
The TSE says that while the printing of each card is US$1.96, the overall production cost is US$5.50; the equipment and materials purchased from the French firm, Oberthur Technologies.
