City of Philadelphia

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PHL City ID

Providing secure and affordable photo IDs to Philadelphia residents age 13 and older.

About

The PHL City ID provides a secure and affordable photo identification card for anyone living in Philadelphia, age 13 and older.

The card helps create a more welcoming Philadelphia that embraces everyone who lives here. It is especially beneficial for those who have a hard time obtaining other forms of identification because of cost or other barriers.

The PHL City ID displays the cardholder’s name, address, date of birth, and self-identified gender. It assigns a unique identification number to each Philadelphian and displays an issue and expiration date on the card.

Each cardholder may include emergency contact information or medical conditions for safety purposes, space permitting.

Information about PHL City ID is available in multiple languages.

Connect

Address
City Hall
Room 167
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 311
Schedule an appointment

Looking for more information?

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Card benefits

Residents can use the PHL City ID:

  • As identification within Philadelphia.
  • To sign in to schools and City buildings.
  • To access recreation centers.
  • To interact with a law enforcement official.
  • For other situations where they need identification.

The card does not authorize anyone to drive, travel, or enter federal buildings.

Cardholders have the option to get a new library card or link an existing one to their PHL City ID so that it functions as a library card.

Cardholders have access to benefits, discounts, and memberships through City partnerships with:

  • Cultural institutions.
  • Entertainment venues.
  • Healthcare providers.
  • Local businesses.
  • Local sports teams.
  • Museums.

To learn more, view the list of current benefit partners.

Gathering the documents you need

To get a PHL City ID, you must prove your identity and residency in Philadelphia. You can use a variety of documents to do this.

The PHL City ID uses a four-point system for the application. Different documents are worth different numbers of points. You must have documents that add up to four points to receive a PHL City ID.

Proving your identity

Your proof of identity documents must include one with a photo and one with a date of birth. They might include your:

  • U.S. or foreign passport.
  • U.S. or foreign birth certificate.
  • Social Security card.
  • Veterans’ identification card.
  • SEPTA Key senior ID card.
  • U.S. or foreign driver’s license.
  • High school or college student ID card.
  • Inmate identification card.
  • Consular Identification Card (CID).

Proving your residency

You’ll also need to prove that you live in Philadelphia. You might provide your:

  • Utility bill.
  • Bank statement.
  • Current lease.
  • Vehicle registration.
  • Pay stub.
  • Letter from hospital, health clinic, shelter, or social service agency.

Choosing your documents

All documents must be original and current. We cannot accept copies. Some expired forms of ID may be accepted at a lower point value.

For a full list of accepted documents, see the document guide.

You can also use our document calculator to check that you have enough points.

Process

1
Appointment

The PHL City ID team can meet with you by appointment at City Hall, Room 167. The team can process your ID application on:

  • Monday to Friday 8:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Schedule an appointment today

Meetings with no appointment required

  • PHL City ID also accepts walk-in visitors without appointments in City Hall, Room 167. Walk-ins are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached for the day.
  • PHL City ID will be hosting pop-up mobile sites with our partners that include some evening and weekend hours.
2
Prescreening and application

When you arrive, you will complete a PHL City ID application. A staff member will prescreen your documents to be sure you have enough documents to prove your identity and residency.

Calculate your document point value

3
Authentication, verification, and payment

After prescreening, your proof of identity documents will be checked using a database to confirm they are not expired, fake, or copies. We will use another database to verify your address. None of your identifying information will be stored or shared at any point in this process.

We will then process your application, collect your payment, and generate your PHL City ID.

4
Cost

PHL City ID costs $5 for someone 13–17 years old, $10 for someone 18–64 years old, and is free for everyone 65 and older.

You can pay using cash, and money orders.

  • Exact change is required when paying in cash.
  • Make money orders payable to “City of Philadelphia” and list “PHL City ID” in the memo section.
  • Credit card payments coming soon.
5
Signature and photo
After collecting your payment, you will sign the signature pad and we will take your picture.
6
Receive your ID

You should receive your PHL City ID within 30 minutes of beginning prescreening. At this point, all the information you provided to the PHL City ID team will be deleted from the system except for some basic information needed to confirm that you have a valid PHL City ID.

Eligibility

To qualify for a PHL City ID, you must:

  • Live in Philadelphia.
  • Be age 13 or older.
  • Be able to prove your identity and address.

All qualified City of Philadelphia employees will receive a PHL City ID upon employment.


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