Example of new ID cards published

The country's new identity cards, which will be issued from September 25, will not contain "any chips or cameras or listening devices," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has told the cabinet.

The announcement that new IDs are on the way has mobilized conspiracy theorists, who see the new cards as a fresh attempt by the authorities to control them through technology.

After Citizen Protection Minister Yiannis Oikonomou briefed the cabinet on the new cards, the ministry published a guide for citizens on the new IDs.

The guide says that under EU Regulation 2019/1157, member states need to issue new identity cards with upgraded security features. ID cards, such as the present Greek one that were first issued in 1961, that do not have a machine-readable zone (which are also contained on passports) will cease to be valid on August 3, 2026.

The new cards will...