It is compulsory for all Sri Lankan citizens who are fifteen years of age and older to have their NICs.

The original intention was to issue a book form identity card very much like the driving license of the 1970s because of the need to accommodate the 2"x2" size photos which were the norm at the time.

T. B. Ekanayake, the first Commissioner of Registration of Persons, contacted Dr. D. B. Nihalsingha, the Director of the Government Film Unit, and handed over the responsibility for the design of an easy to carry the card.

[2] It is compulsory for a bearer to hold the card at all times (apart from the NIC, a driving license, Sri Lankan passport or temporary identification document can be used) and show the cards to police officers conducting regular screening while on patrol, checkpoints for instance.

Failure to produce the card may result in denied access to these premises or denial of goods and services.

In some cases the final letter can be 'X' which usually indicates the holder is not eligible to vote; possibly because they were not permanent residents of Sri Lanka when applying for an NIC.

At the top center of the card the word "Sri Lanka" is printed in the Sinhala and Tamil languages.

The purple number on the right of the Sri Lankan emblem represents the Province from which the application was made.

The numbering convention is as follows: The Department of Post has been issuing an identity card known as Postal IDs since the 1940s with a validity of five years for prof of identification related to financial transactions carried out via the postal service such as money orders.