Consular identification card

"According to the Department of State, issuance of CID cards falls within the general scope of permissible consular functions.

"[2] The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 defined the allowable activities for consulate offices such as registering its citizens within foreign countries.

In November 2004, the U.S. Congress restored funding for the Treasury Department to implement regulations that allow financial institutions to accept CID cards for banking (H.R.

[5] A 2004 report prepared for the United States Congress by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) acknowledges controversy over the use of CID cards.

"[5] The Argentinian Consulate in Los Angeles advertises the benefits of their CID cards in the United States for Argentine citizens as a means to avoid deportation, board aircraft, and obtain access to banking, credit, libraries, municipal programs and funerals.