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(1) The Treaty on the European Union (TEU) resolved to facilitate the free movement of persons while ensuring the safety and security of the peoples of Europe, by establishing an area of freedom, security and justice, in accordance with the provisions of the TEU and of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

(2) Citizenship of the Union confers on every citizen of the Union the right of free movement, subject to certain limitations and conditions. Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council gives effect to that right. Article 45 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter) also provides for freedom of movement and residence. Freedom of movement entails the right to exit and enter Member States with a valid identity card or passport.

(3) Pursuant to Directive 2004/38/EC, Member States are to issue and renew identity cards or passports to their nationals in accordance with national laws. Furthermore, that Directive provides that Member States may require Union citizens and their family members to register with the relevant authorities. Member States are required to issue registration certificates to Union citizens under the conditions set out therein. Pursuant to that Directive, Member States are also required to issue residence cards to family members who are not nationals of a Member State and, on application, to issue documents certifying permanent residence and to issue permanent residence cards.

(4) Directive 2004/38/EC provides that Member States may adopt the necessary measures to refuse, terminate or withdraw any right conferred by that Directive in the case of abuse of rights or fraud. Document forgery or false presentation of a material fact concerning the conditions attached to the right of residence have been identified as typical cases of fraud under that Directive.

(5) Considerable differences exist between the security levels of national identity cards issued by Member States and residence permits for Union nationals residing in another Member State and their family members. Those differences increase the risk of falsification and document fraud and also give rise to practical difficulties for citizens when they wish to exercise their right of free movement. Statistics from the European Document Fraud Risk Analysis Network show that incidents of fraudulent identity cards have increased over time.

(6) In its Communication of 14 September 2016 entitled ‘Enhancing security in a world of mobility: improved information exchange in the fight against terrorism and stronger external borders’, the Commission stressed that secure travel and identity documents are crucial whenever it is necessary to establish without doubt a person's identity, and announced that it would be presenting an action plan to tackle travel document fraud. According to that Communication, an improved approach relies on robust systems to prevent abuses and threats to internal security arising from failings in document security, in particular related to terrorism and cross-border crime.

(7) According to the Commission's Action Plan of 8 December 2016 to strengthen the European response to travel document fraud (the 2016 Action Plan), at least three quarters of fraudulent documents detected at the external borders, but also in the area without controls at internal borders, purport to have been issued by Member States and the Schengen associated countries. Less secure national identity cards issued by Member States are the most frequently detected false documents used for intra-Schengen travel.

(8) In order to deter identity fraud, Member States should ensure that the falsification and counterfeiting of identification documents and the use of such falsified or counterfeit documents are adequately penalised by their national law.

(9) The 2016 Action Plan addressed the risk from fraudulent identity cards and residence documents. The Commission, in the 2016 Action Plan, and in its 2017 EU Citizenship Report, committed itself to analysing policy options to improve the security of identity cards and residence documents.

(10) According to the 2016 Action Plan, issuing authentic and secure identity cards requires a reliable identity registration process and secure ‘breeder’ documents to support the application process. The Commission, the Member States and the relevant Union agencies should continue to work together to make breeder documents less vulnerable to fraud, given the increased use of false breeder documents.

(11) This Regulation does not require Member States to introduce identity cards or residence documents where they are not provided for under national law, nor does it affect the competence of the Member States to issue, under national law, other residence documents which fall outside the scope of Union law, for example residence cards issued to all residents on the territory regardless of their nationality.

(12) This Regulation does not prevent Member States from accepting, in a non-discriminatory manner, documents other than travel documents, for identification purposes, such as driving licences.

(13) Identification documents issued to citizens whose rights of free movement have been restricted in accordance with Union or national law, and which expressly indicate that they cannot be used as travel documents, should not be considered as falling within the scope of this Regulation.

(28) The introduction of minimum security and format standards for identity cards should allow Member States to rely on the authenticity of those documents when Union citizens exercise their right of free movement. The introduction of reinforced security standards should provide sufficient guarantees to public authorities and private entities to enable them to rely on the authenticity of identity cards when used by Union citizens for identification purposes.

(29) A distinguishing sign in the form of the two-letter country code of the Member State issuing the document, printed in negative in a blue rectangle and encircled by 12 yellow stars, facilitates the visual inspection of the document, in particular when the holder is exercising the right of free movement.

(30) While the option to provide for additional national features is maintained, Member States should ensure that those features do not diminish the efficiency of the common security features or negatively affect the cross-border compatibility of the identity cards, such as the capability that the identity cards can be read by machines used by Member States other than those which issue the identity cards.

(31) The introduction of security standards in identity cards and in residence cards of family members who are not nationals of a Member State should not result in a disproportionate increase in fees for Union citizens or third-country nationals. Member States should take this principle into consideration when issuing calls for tender.

(32) Member States should take all necessary steps to ensure that biometric data correctly identify the person to whom an identity card is issued. To this end, Member States could consider collecting biometric identifiers, particularly the facial image, by means of live enrolment by the national authorities issuing identity cards.

(33) Member States should exchange with each other such information as is necessary to access, authenticate and verify the information contained on the secure storage medium. The formats used for the secure storage medium should be interoperable, including in respect of automated border crossing points.

(34) Directive 2004/38/EC addresses the situation where Union citizens, or family members of Union citizens who are not nationals of a Member State, who do not have the necessary travel documents are to be given every reasonable opportunity to prove by other means that they are covered by the right of free movement. Such means can include identification documents used on a provisional basis and residence cards issued to such family members.

(35) This Regulation respects the obligations set out in the Charter and in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Therefore, Member States are encouraged to work with the Commission to integrate additional features that render identity cards more accessible and user-friendly to people with disabilities, such as visually impaired persons. Member States are to explore the use of solutions, such as mobile registration devices, for the issuance of identity cards to persons incapable of visiting the authorities responsible for issuing identity cards.

(36) Residence documents issued to citizens of the Union should include specific information to ensure that they are identified as such in all Member States. This should facilitate the recognition of the Union citizen's use of the right of free movement and of the rights inherent to this use, but harmonisation should not go beyond what is appropriate to address the weaknesses of current documents. Member States are free to select the format in which these documents are issued and could issue them in a format complying with the specifications of ICAO Document 9303.

(37) As regards residence documents issued to family members who are not nationals of a Member State, it is appropriate to make use of the same format and security features as those provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2017/1954 of the European Parliament and of the Council . In addition to proving the right of residence, those documents also exempt their holders who are otherwise subject to a visa obligation from the requirement to obtain a visa when accompanying or joining the Union citizen within the Union territory.