The Romanian electronic ID card (CEI)
Where are the series, the number and the CAN on the new Romanian ID card?
Pick what the form asks for, or tap a field on the card, front or back. See where it is on the new card, what to enter in the form, and what to do when the form will not take the number.
What does the form ask for?
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SerieSeries: there is no field with this name
There is no “Serie” field on the front. MAI’s “Despre” page calls the field “Numărul actului de identitate” (the document number), while its security page speaks of “seria și numărul CEI” (the series and number of the CEI). On the specimen, the string at Nr. document has nine characters (SP1236343) and repeats over the photo and in the MRZ.
In the form
If the form has a “Serie” box and a “Număr” box, do not invent a split and do not cut characters: no MAI page consulted says how Nr. document is divided. Look for the operator’s instruction (bank, notary, institution) or ask for its CEI version.
Worth knowing
MAI calls the vertical number on the back the “seria de producție” (production series). The word “series” does not make it your document’s series: it is a manufacturing number, so do not put it in “Serie”.
MAI’s own words
Numărul actului de identitateSeria și numărul CEI, poziționate peste fotografia titularuluiA schematic drawing with fictitious data, not a real document. The fields are those of the model MAI publishes; the layout is simplified.
Series and number: what is actually printed#
On the new ID card, the field on the front is labelled Nr. document. On the specimen MAI publishes, the value has nine characters: two letters followed by seven digits (SP1236343). The same string appears as a tactile inscription, vertical, over the photo, and on the back, in the first line of the MRZ, followed by a check digit.
MAI’s page on security features writes “seria și numărul CEI” (the series and number of the CEI), while its “Despre” page writes “numărul actului de identitate” (the identity document’s number). On the specimen, it is the same string: the one in the Nr. document field. What no page consulted says is how the string splits into a “series” and a “number”. That is why this page gives you no splitting rule.
One more number has “series” in its name: the production series, vertical, on the back. It is the card’s manufacturing number, not your document’s.
By 2 November 2026, MAI reports 2,872,826 electronic ID cards issued.
The form will not take the number: what to do#
Some forms, built for the old document, put two boxes, “Serie” and “Număr”, or cap the length. On the CEI the field is one, Nr. document. If the form rejects your string, you need not look for the fault in yourself.
Do not: invent a series, cut characters to make it fit, add zeros, put the CAN in the “document number” box, or use the production series from the back.
Do: look for the operator’s instruction for the CEI (on the bank’s or institution’s site, or at the counter). If you find none, write to them what is printed on the card and that the form will not take it. The operator decides what it accepts; this page does not know each one’s rules.
Nr. document, CAN and PIN: three different things#
Nr. document identifies the document: it is on the front, printed. The CAN has six digits, sits on the front, bottom right, and opens the chip to a reader or a phone. The PINs are not printed: you choose them when you collect the card, four digits for authentication and six for signing.
| Number | Where it is | What it is for | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nr. document | On the front | Identifies the document | Printed; the same string over the photo and in the MRZ |
| CAN | On the front, bottom right | Opens the chip to a reader | Six digits, printed |
| PIN (two) | Nowhere | Authentication and signing | Four and six digits, chosen by you |
The “CNP / PIN” label on the front gives the CNP its English name, “PIN”. It has nothing to do with the PIN codes.
The CNP on the card#
On the front, under the given names, is the CNP: thirteen digits, the same in the chip and in the MRZ. If a form asks for the CNP, you copy it from the CNP field, with no splitting. What the digits say, from sex and birth date to county and check digit, is explained in the page on the CNP, digit by digit.
The address is not on the card#
The home address is not printed on the CEI. MAI gives its reasons: data protection, the address changing more often than the other data, the card’s role as a travel document, and a separation of functions, the card says who you are, while where you live sits only in the chip.
For proof of address, MAI points to three routes: the RO CEI Reader app on your phone, the IDPlugManager program with a card reader, or the electronic attestation certificate of the home or residence address, online and free.
Every field in one table#
Every field, where it is on the card, and what to enter in the form.
| Field | Where it is | In the form |
|---|---|---|
| Nr. document | On the front. On the front, left of the expiry date, labelled “Nr. document”. On MAI’s specimen it has nine characters: two letters followed by seven digits (SP1236343). | Copy it exactly as printed, letters and digits. When the form has a single box for the number, write the whole string. |
| CAN | On the front. Six digits, on the front, bottom right, under the expiry date. You enter it when you read the card with a reader or with your phone (NFC). | A form that asks for the “card number” may mean the Nr. document or the CAN. Read the label and the instruction; for an app that reads the chip, it is the CAN. |
| CNP | On the front. On the front, under the given names, thirteen digits. The label on the card is “CNP / PIN”: “PIN” is the English name of the CNP, the Personal Identification Number. | For “CNP”, write the thirteen digits printed here. They carry the birth date, the sex and the county; the last digit checks the others. |
| Nume, prenume | On the front. On the front, at the top of the data column: the surname first, then the given names. On MAI’s specimen, two given names sit on separate lines. | Write the surname and given names exactly as on the card, with diacritics if the form accepts them. |
| Data nașterii | On the front. On the front, right, on the row with sex and nationality, as day, month and year. It also shows in the CNP and in the MRZ. | Enter the date in the format the form asks for. In the MRZ the order differs (year, month, day): do not copy it from there. |
| Data expirării | On the front. On the front, right, above the CAN. On MAI’s specimen it is printed with spaces between day, month and year. | For “valid until”, “expiry date” or “validity”, enter this date in the format the form asks for. |
| Data emiterii | On the back. On the back, next to the chip, above the issuing authority. | For “date issued”, “issued on” or “valid from”, the nearest date on the CEI is this one. If the form asks for something other than the issue date, confirm with the operator. |
| Autoritatea emitentă | On the back. On the back, under the date of issue. On MAI’s specimen it reads D.G.E.P., the General Directorate for Population Records. | For “issued by” or “issuer”, write what is printed here. |
| Serie de producție | On the back. On the back, right, printed vertically. On MAI’s specimen it has eight digits. | Do not put it in “serie” or “document number”: it is a manufacturing number, not your document’s. |
| MRZ | On the back. Three lines of letters, digits and the “<” sign, low on the back. They are made for optical readers and carry the document number, CNP, dates and name. | Do not copy an MRZ line into a form. If you need a value, take it from its own field on the front. |
| Cip | On the back. The gold square on the back, left. It stores the card’s data, including the home address. | It is not a field to fill in. Official apps and readers read it, with the CAN or the MRZ. |
| Domiciliu | Not printed on the card. The home address is not printed on the CEI. It is stored in the chip. | Write your current address; do not look for it on the card. When an institution asks for proof, MAI points to three routes: the RO CEI Reader phone app, the IDPlugManager program with a card reader, or the electronic address-attestation certificate, online and free. |
| PIN | Not printed on the card. The PINs are not printed on the card. You choose them when you collect the CEI: a four-digit code for authentication and a six-digit one for signing. | No form can ask you to copy them from the card: they are not printed. You enter them only in an app that authenticates you or signs a document. |
Sources#
- MAI, General Directorate for Population Records: “Despre”, the visible content of the CEI (front, back) and the model images (in Romanian). carteadeidentitate.gov.ro
- MAI: “Coduri”, the CAN and the two PIN codes (in Romanian). carteadeidentitate.gov.ro
- MAI: “Elemente de securitate”, the tactile personalisation (series and number of the CEI, production series) (in Romanian). carteadeidentitate.gov.ro
- MAI: “Utile”, questions 6 and 7 (why the address is not on the card, how to prove it) (in Romanian). carteadeidentitate.gov.ro
- MAI: the start page, the number of CEIs issued (2,872,826, updated 2 November 2026) (in Romanian). carteadeidentitate.gov.ro
The MAI pages were read on 6 November 2026. The explanation of the check digit follows the ICAO 9303 algorithm and was checked on MAI’s specimen: the calculation gives the same digits (7, 7, 0, 8). The card on this page is the page’s own drawing, with fictitious data. The values on your card may look different from the specimen; what is printed on it counts. The page checks no real document and asks for no photo, no CNP and no code. It does not replace the instructions of a form’s operator. Next check: May 2027, or on any change to the MAI pages.