Cédula de identidad

[citation needed] The term cedula (Latin) means, in general, an order or authorization; in earlier times such a document on the authority of a king, or a royal decree, which for Spain and Spanish America was a decree issued directly by the monarch.

[citation needed] In Costa Rica, in recent years, a cédula de identidad, has been a credit card-sized plastic card.

In the near future in Costa Rica, the cédulas de identidad will also be used in the digital signature process.

[citation needed] The cédula is required for nearly all bureaucratic procedures such as voting and receiving healthcare at a state-funded hospital or clinic.

It's a credit card-sized eID card required for everything; from opening a bank account to paying taxes to receiving Social Insurance.