Fault on new Dutch ID cards

Dutch identity cards issued between January 4 and March 17 this year may be defective, the Dutch National Service for Identity Affairs announced. The cards have a login function that can be activated through DigiD, but activating this function can cause the card's chip to malfunction.

According to the service, the malfunctioning chip means that document scanners can't read the card properly. Such document scanners are sometimes used at banks and hospitals. The service temporarily disabled the login function. 

How many cards are affected, is not clear. The malfunction does not affect passports.

"It therefore only concerns the Dutch ID cards MODEL 012 with a date of issue between 4 January 2021 and 17 March 2021," the National Service for Identity Affairs said. People with such a card will receive a letter with information about the malfunction and how to proceed.