Consular Identification Card [CID Card] Law and Legal Definition
Consular identification card or CID Card means a card that some governments issue to their citizens living in a foreign country. For instance, Mexican government issues a CID Card to their citizens who live in the U.S. CID Cards facilitates consular notification to protect certain legal rights of cardholders, regardless of their residency status in a foreign country. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has observed that CID cards are undependable as proof of identity and could pose criminal and terrorist threats. Reason being that, a foreign national living in the U.S. fraudulently obtains a CID card under a false identity for the purpose of obtaining a driver’s license in some states. The Department of Homeland Security has also observed that the foreign consular ID cards do not establish or indicate lawful U.S. immigration status. Therefore, CID Card should not be viewed as valid for that purpose, nor do they establish a foreign national’s right to be or remain in the U.S.
