Your question may already be answered in our Frequently Asked Questions section so please take a look.
If you did not find the answer you are looking for in the FAQs, feel free to use the contact form. Please note your email will be forwarded automatically to the appropriate national ISIC office who will respond to your query as soon as possible. A copy of your message will be sent to the email address you provide.
Most popular questions
Online
Currently it is possible to purchase your ISIC / IYTC / ITIC online from www.isic.ch/get-your-card
ISIC
The ISIC is only available to full time students, so you must be able to prove you are currently studying full time at school, college or university.
When applying please provide one of the following documents:
- A copy of your university or student identity card, clearly dated and indicating you are a full time student
- A signed and dated letter on official university or school stationery stating you are studying there full time. We prefer an original copy, although photocopies and faxes may be accepted.
You will also need:
- Proof or your date of birth (for example: passport, birth certificate, Official Identity Card issued in your country of residence)
- A recent passport sized photograph of yourself
IYTC
The International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) is for youth and young adults aged up to and including 30 years old who are not fulltime students.
To get an IYTC you must be able to prove your age with one of the following documents:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Official Identity Card issued in your country of residence
You will also need a recent passport sized photograph of yourself.
ITIC
The International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) is for full time teachers or professors.
To prove your full time teaching status, you will need a letter on official school or university stationery. This must state that you are employed at a recognised school, college or university for at least 18 hours per week, for a minimum of 1 academic year.
You will also need a recent passport sized photo of yourself.
Yes, your card should be activated. You can check your card status to see if you need to activate your card on the right hand side of this page. Simply enter your card number in the ‘Check your card’ box and click ‘Check card status’.
If you card is not currently activated you can visit our card Activation Page to activate your card online. Please note, if you hold an ISIC, IYTC or ITIC card that also functions as a payment card (credit, debit or prepaid card), for security reasons, please always cover your payment card number and CVV code when uploading images of the front and back of your card. You can use a small piece of paper to cover the related information before scanning or taking photos of your card. Alternatively, you can edit the scan or photo of your card digitally to cover the information.
Card activations take a maximum of 2 working days to check and process. You will receive an email notification as soon as your activation is completed. Once your card is activated you can easily access all the online discounts and benefits available to you with your card.
Yes, your card should be activated. You can check your card status to see if you need to activate your card on the right hand side of this page. Simply enter your card number in the ‘Check your card’ box and click ‘Check card status’.
If you card is not currently activated you can visit our card Activation Page to activate your card online. Please note, if you hold an ISIC, IYTC or ITIC card that also functions as a payment card (credit, debit or prepaid card), for security reasons, please always cover your payment card number and CVV code when uploading images of the front and back of your card. You can use a small piece of paper to cover the related information before scanning or taking photos of your card. Alternatively, you can edit the scan or photo of your card digitally to cover the information.
Card activations take a maximum of 2 working days to check and process. You will receive an email notification as soon as your activation is completed. Once your card is activated you can easily access all the online discounts and benefits available to you with your card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Most popular questions
Online
Currently it is possible to purchase your ISIC / IYTC / ITIC online from www.isic.ch/get-your-card
ISIC
The ISIC is only available to full time students, so you must be able to prove you are currently studying full time at school, college or university.
When applying please provide one of the following documents:
- A copy of your university or student identity card, clearly dated and indicating you are a full time student
- A signed and dated letter on official university or school stationery stating you are studying there full time. We prefer an original copy, although photocopies and faxes may be accepted.
You will also need:
- Proof or your date of birth (for example: passport, birth certificate, Official Identity Card issued in your country of residence)
- A recent passport sized photograph of yourself
IYTC
The International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) is for youth and young adults aged up to and including 30 years old who are not fulltime students.
To get an IYTC you must be able to prove your age with one of the following documents:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Official Identity Card issued in your country of residence
You will also need a recent passport sized photograph of yourself.
ITIC
The International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) is for full time teachers or professors.
To prove your full time teaching status, you will need a letter on official school or university stationery. This must state that you are employed at a recognised school, college or university for at least 18 hours per week, for a minimum of 1 academic year.
You will also need a recent passport sized photo of yourself.
Yes, your card should be activated. You can check your card status to see if you need to activate your card on the right hand side of this page. Simply enter your card number in the ‘Check your card’ box and click ‘Check card status’.
If you card is not currently activated you can visit our card Activation Page to activate your card online. Please note, if you hold an ISIC, IYTC or ITIC card that also functions as a payment card (credit, debit or prepaid card), for security reasons, please always cover your payment card number and CVV code when uploading images of the front and back of your card. You can use a small piece of paper to cover the related information before scanning or taking photos of your card. Alternatively, you can edit the scan or photo of your card digitally to cover the information.
Card activations take a maximum of 2 working days to check and process. You will receive an email notification as soon as your activation is completed. Once your card is activated you can easily access all the online discounts and benefits available to you with your card.
Yes, your card should be activated. You can check your card status to see if you need to activate your card on the right hand side of this page. Simply enter your card number in the ‘Check your card’ box and click ‘Check card status’.
If you card is not currently activated you can visit our card Activation Page to activate your card online. Please note, if you hold an ISIC, IYTC or ITIC card that also functions as a payment card (credit, debit or prepaid card), for security reasons, please always cover your payment card number and CVV code when uploading images of the front and back of your card. You can use a small piece of paper to cover the related information before scanning or taking photos of your card. Alternatively, you can edit the scan or photo of your card digitally to cover the information.
Card activations take a maximum of 2 working days to check and process. You will receive an email notification as soon as your activation is completed. Once your card is activated you can easily access all the online discounts and benefits available to you with your card.
About the card
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is the only internationally recognised proof of full-time student status issued in close to 130 countries. The card allows you to prove your student status worldwide, as well as gain access to over 150,000 discounts and benefits. It is endorsed by organisations such as UNESCO, the European Council on Culture and the Andean Community of Nations. The card is recognised by universities, academic institutions, student organisations, national governments and ministries of education around the world.
The ISIC is available to full time students at school, college or university, aged 12 years and above. There is no upper age limit.
If you are currently on a break from study but will shortly be enrolling in a study institution, please check with us on the process for getting an ISIC card.
The ISIC card is proof of student status and can be used to identify yourself in different places in multiple counties worldwide. However, some countries may require a different form of personal identification so please check with the local regulations in advance if you are travelling there. Please note, the ISIC card is not accepted as a form of identity in the U.S., where only government issued forms of identity are accepted in all parts of the country.
If you are not a student, but are 30 years old or younger at the time you apply for the card, the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) is the right card for you.
If you’re a full time teacher or professor, you can apply for the International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC).
The IYTC and ITIC both offer similar benefits, services and discounts to the ISIC card.
The International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) is available to individuals aged 31 years old or younger, who are not fulltime students. The IYTC card carries many of the same benefits and discounts as the ISIC card. The IYTC card is a valuable tool particularly if you are travelling abroad.
The IYTC card is valid for one year from the date of issue. You need to apply for the IYTC card before your 30th birthday in order to be eligible for the card.
The International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) is available to fulltime teachers or professors. The ITIC card gives you access to many of the same benefits and discounts as the ISIC card.
Each ITIC card is valid for up to 16 months, starting on 1 September or 1 December, depending on the academic cycle of the country of purchase.
The cost of the card varies depending on the country of issue, but costs between 4 – 25 USD. To be as fair as possible, the costs of the card is regulated by the purchasing power within each country where the card is issued (as calculated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)). The cost of the card in Switzerland is 20 CHF.
The ISIC Association is the non-profit organisation that is responsible for the ISIC, IYTC and ITIC cards worldwide. For more information about the ISIC Association please visit the ISIC Association website www.isicassociation.org.
ISIC global App
There can be several reasons why you may not be able sign up:
- The ISIC central office has not received your card details yet and therefore your card has not been activated yet in our global database for online use.
- Your ISIC serial number has been incorrectly entered.
- Your name on the card has been incorrectly entered.
Here’s what you can do:
- Check you have inserted the right card credentials
i.e. name and card number - If you are still incurring problems, please contact
mobiletickets@isic.org - Check out the sign-in interactive demo for a
step-by-step guide to the sign-in process.
There can be several reasons why you did not receive an activation email:
- There was a typo in the email address when you registered on the app.
- The automated activation email message was caught by your spam filter.
- Your email provider might have blocked the automated email message.
Here’s what you can do:
- Check your spam or junk mail folder for an email
from isicaccounts@isic.org - Add isicaccounts@isic.org to your email contacts or approved senders list.
- If you are still having problems, please contact
mobiletickets@isic.org
There can be several reasons why you can’t log in to the ISIC global App
- You have inserted incorrect log-in details.
- There is a problem with your account.
- You are using an ISIC profile that is not accepted.
Here’s what you can do:
- Ensure you have created an ISIC global app profile.
All previous ISIC profiles will not work* - If you are still having problems, please contact
mobiletickets@isic.org
*Local ISIC country sites may have requested you create an ISIC
profile in the past, the ISIC global App profile is different than
the local profile.
The pin & fingerprint to access your virtual ID is not one you set yourself. It is automatically synced with the pin & fingerprint registered to unlock your phone. Accordingly, if you use this one, you should encounter no issues trying to access your virtual ID.
In case you chose the password to protect your Virtual ID, this password is the same one as your self-set password to log-in to your ISIC account.
In case you still can’t access your virtual ID, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: mobiletickets@isic.org
When we don’t have a photo on file, you can upload a photo to your virtual ID via the App. Go via the menu to your profile screen and upload an image for use on your virtual ID. Please ensure you upload a passport style, headshot photo.
It is possible to change your photo in the ISIC global app. You can request to have your photo removed at mobiletickets@isic.org by providing your card number and reason for photo removal. After we have removed your photo you can upload a new photo to your virtual card.
Your photo can be removed by the ISIC global office if your profile image doesn’t include your likeness or is not headshot photo.
The update ID function is only visible for logged-in users, with a virtual ID that expires in 30 days.
Once you’ve renewed your card at your local ISIC issuer, simply use this function in our app to update your account to your new ISIC cardnumber. This way your existing account will continue, and you don’t have to sign-up again!
How to find the update ID button:
1. Click the three stripes in the top left corner
2. Click Profile
3. Here the Update ID will be visible under your profile picture.
After clicking the Update ID function, you’ll be able to fill in your new cardnumber, and done! Your virtual ID is updated to your new cardnumber.
In case you are still encountering issues, or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: mobiletickets@isic.org
The language the app selects is based on your phone settings. It looks at the priority list, and selects the highest option that our app is available in. For example if your app shows in Japanese, this simply means that the Japanese language is higher on the language-priority list then English.
This can be solved by following these steps:
Apple:
1. Go to your Phone Settings Menu and find Language and Region
2. In the Language and Region screen, press Edit top right
3. In the Preferred Language Order, please check if the English Language is placed above the Japanese Language. If not, please drag English on top of Japanese
4. Press Done and Restart the ISIC app.
Android:
1. Go to your Phone Settings Menu and find Language and input
2. In the Language and input screen, press languages
3. In the preferred language order, please check if English is displayed higher on the list than Japanese. If not, please drag English on top of Japanese.
4. Done! Now restart the app, and you’re ready to go.
In case you are still encountering issues, or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: mobiletickets@isic.org
Currently the following devices are supported:
• Android smartphones
Android OS 4.4 and higher
• iPhones
IOS 9.0 and higher
For those users that do not have the above mobile devices please visit the mobile website https://m.isic.org
Get the card
Online
We are setting up the card issuing system in Switzerland and very soon students can purchase a virtual ISIC / IYTC / ITIC online from this website.
This academic year (2021/22) we are most probably not going to issue any plastic cards. However, if we decide to issue cards also in plastic, then we are going to spread the word.
Yes, it is possible to renew, but as we are not going to issue any plastic cards this year then the renewed card will be a virtual card that can be ordered soon through this website.
Generally, ISIC cards are non-refundable and non-transferable so you will need to purchase a new card.
What do I need to get the ISIC/IYTC/ITIC card?
ISIC
The ISIC is only available to full time students, so you must be able to prove you are currently studying full time at school, college or university.
When applying please provide one of the following documents:
- A copy of your university or student identity card, clearly dated and indicating you are a full time student
- A signed and dated letter on official university or school stationery stating you are studying there full time. We prefer an original copy, although photocopies and faxes may be accepted.
You will also need:
- Proof or your date of birth (for example: passport, birth certificate, Official Identity Card issued in your country of residence)
- A recent passport sized photograph of yourself
IYTC
The International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) is for youth and young adults aged up to and including 30 years old who are not fulltime students.
To get an IYTC you must be able to prove your age with one of the following documents:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Official Identity Card issued in your country of residence
You will also need a recent passport sized photograph of yourself.
ITIC
The International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) is for full time teachers or professors.
To prove your full time teaching status, you will need a letter on official school or university stationery. This must state that you are employed at a recognised school, college or university for at least 18 hours per week, for a minimum of 1 academic year.
You will also need a recent passport sized photo of yourself.
The definition of a full time student depends on which country you are in.
Generally, full time means at least 15 hours of study a week, for a minimum of 12 weeks per year.
The ISIC card is available to full time students at school, college or university, aged 12 years and above. There is no upper age limit.
ISIC and ITIC cards are generally issued in line with the annual study cycle of the country where you purchased your card.
The ITYC is valid for 12 months from the date you purchase it.
Benefits and discounts
Please use our discount search engine to search for benefits and discounts worldwide. You can also download the free ISIC App for Android and iOS devices online to search for benefits and discounts when you’re on the move.
Your card provides you with a wide range of discounts and special offers including travel, entertainment, education and software benefits. Discounts and benefits vary around the world so to make significant savings at home and when travelling abroad make sure your ISIC card goes everywhere with you!
Adjust the search settings by clicking ‘Refine results’ to get discount information per category, card type and discount type. Please note some benefits and discounts may have restrictions, or can only be redeemed online. To search for online only discounts please select ‘online’ from the discount type list.
As we work towards worldwide ISIC virtual ID acceptance, please be mindful that some discount providers may have specific policies in place and will accept or deny the ISIC virtual ID at their own discretion. We will do our best to inform you within the benefit description if this is the case, however, please do let us know if you are experiencing problems with virtual ID acceptance at benefits@isic.ch so, we can discuss a solution with the discount provider and update our information if necessary.
ISIC and MasterCard work together to deliver the ISIC MasterCard programme in multiple countries worldwide. ISIC MasterCard card’s combine the identity and discount aspects of the ISIC, and the payment functionality of a prepaid, debit or credit MasterCard – all in one single, easy to use card. To find out more visit the ISIC MasterCard programme page.
Cannot get benefits?
Yes, your card should be activated. You can check your card status to see if you need to activate your card on the right hand side of this page. Simply enter your card number in the ‘Check your card’ box and click ‘Check card status’.
If you card is not currently activated you can visit our card Activation Page to activate your card online. Please note, if you hold an ISIC, IYTC or ITIC card that also functions as a payment card (credit, debit or prepaid card), for security reasons, please always cover your payment card number and CVV code when uploading images of the front and back of your card. You can use a small piece of paper to cover the related information before scanning or taking photos of your card. Alternatively, you can edit the scan or photo of your card digitally to cover the information.
Card activations take a maximum of 2 working days to check and process. You will receive an email notification as soon as your activation is completed. Once your card is activated you can easily access all the online discounts and benefits available to you with your card.
If you are having difficulty accessing online benefits, your card might not be active in the database. To activate your card online please visit our Card Activation Page. Please note, card activations can take 1-2 working days to check and process – you will receive an email notification as soon as your activation is completed.
If your card is active, but you are still having difficulties accessing online benefits please contact us. Please include a clear scan or photo of the front and back of your card so that we can fully investigate.
We take refusal of a promoted discount or benefit very seriously. In order to fully investigate, please contact us and explain what happened and where with as many details as possible. We will the fully investigate the matter.
Business Requests
Offering student discounts and benefits means you can begin to build a relationship with these important customers. ISIC benefits – and therefore your products and services – are promoted through different channels to students, targeting millions of students around the world through the ISIC websites, national ISIC organisations, social media, roadshows, discount guides and more.
Build your brand image
Partnering with ISIC says a number of positive things about your company and product: You take students seriously and care about their personal development. You are associated with respected organisations, national and regional governments which have endorsed ISIC, including UNESCO.
No financial investment required
Partners pay nothing to ISIC to become affiliated, so there is no financial risk involved. All you need to do is offer an attractive and relevant discount or benefit to all cardholders.
One solution, many markets
ISIC partners reach multiple markets around the world in an efficient, cost-effective and coherent way. ISIC offices support you in determining what would be an attractive benefit for cardholders and help come up with the marketing solutions.
Guaranteed to target students
We can guarantee that the benefit(s) you offer ISIC cardholders are accessed only by students. All cardholders are officially verified as students. All ISIC cards have a unique serial number stored in our database, which means the ISIC Association can provide partners with an online card verification solution to ensure only valid cardholders are fairly accessing the benefit or discount.
Contact us if you are interested in offering an attractive ISIC student discount or benefit.
Thousands of universities worldwide partner with ISIC to upgrade their standard university ID for students, to an internationally recognised ISIC card offering cardholders over 42,000 discounts and benefits. Cards can be tailored to suit each campus’ facilities and requirements. Contact us if you are interested in offering the ISIC card as a university card.