The Swiss identity card in its current form dates back to July 1994.

After World War II, European travel was starting to be more prevalent and the Swiss confederation also wanted to make it easier for Swiss citizens to identify themselves within everyday business operations like picking up parcels or registered mail from the post office.

Both the 1955 and 1977 series of Swiss identity cards were in a booklet format with the outer page on the 1955 ID card having the coat of arms of Switzerland, and then text in what were then the only three national languages of Switzerland: German, French, and Italian.

[5] As of 3 March 2023 a new model with the latest security technology is issued,[6][7] however the card does not yet have a biometric chip.

[9] As an alternative to presenting a passport, Swiss citizens are entitled to use a valid national identity card to exercise their right of free movement in EFTA[2] and the EU.