More than 6000 citizens living in the Turkish city of Bolu have been issued with smart cards as part of a new ID scheme initiated by the Interior Ministry.

The new digital ID cards will provide citizens with faster access to health and social security services, and are part of the government’s Information Society Strategy Action Plan.

The cards carry the owner’s photograph, full name, gender, date of birth and Turkish Republic number. The back of the card shows the names of the cardholder’s parents, any previous surname, birthplace, blood type, religion and marital status.

Enrolment to the scheme involves citizens verifying their identity before having their fingerprints taken via an optical reader.

Those using the cards to access services will be required to provide a six digit code to access information stored on the chip. Information on the card is stored in a program designed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK).

The new cards should eventually be distributed throughout the rest of the country from 2010.