International Student Identity Card

The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is a Discount card targeting full-time students, and offers discounts for travel, insurance, and various goods. The issuer, ISIC Association, also issues International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) for non-students, and International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) for teachers and professors. The membership fee varies by countries. In the United Kingdom it costs £12.00 a year.

The card is recognized internationally. An ISIC card can only be issued to genuine bona fide students. ISIC cardholders can use the card to identify themselves as a student around the world. The ISIC card is managed and administered by the ISIC Association. The objective of the ISIC Association is to help improve intercultural understanding and increase education opportunities. The ISIC card is issued in 133 countries.

The ISIC Association is one of eight sector associations of the WYSE Travel Confederation. It manages and administers the International Student Identity Card (ISIC). The ISIC Association is a non-profit membership organisation legally registered in Denmark. The members are the organisations that hold the exclusive rights to distribute, promote and develop the ISIC card within their territory or country. These organisations are referred to as ‘ISIC Exclusive Representatives’. Exclusive Representatives include student travel organisations, national student unions and dedicated ISIC card development organisations.

The ISIC card is administered and managed at a global level by the ISIC Global Office B.V.. The ISIC Global Office B.V. is a company seated in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The ISIC Global Office B.V. is wholly owned by the ISIC Association.

Following World War II and the Cold War, the Western world was focused on mutual cooperation and understanding in order to prevent a resurgence of fascism. This atmosphere gave impetus for student organisations to form, with the aim of working together for peace and cooperation throughout the world. One such student organisation, the International Student Conference (ISC) held their 3rd ISC at the Studenterforeningen’s Hus in Copenhagen. It was attended by National Unions of Students and Coordinating Secretariat of National Unions of Students (COSEC), Denmark, amongst others. The attending student organisations made the decision to establish a single international identity document valid for the perceived need of travel concessions. This is the first documented mention of the International Student Identity Card (ISIC). Representatives of the ISC were also representatives of the International Student Travel Conference (ISTC). At the 4th International Student Travel Conference (ISTC), and following the decision made at the 3rd International Student Conference (ISC), the Norwegian and Netherlands Union of Students, in co-operation with COSEC, presented a document based on a Survey of the Council of Europe. The document concluded that the formation of an international student card would be of benefit to students while travelling. The Norwegian and Netherlands Union of Students, in co-operation with COSEC accepted responsibility to form a Travel Aids Commission and “take the necessary steps to ensure that an International Student Identity Card be made available as soon as possible in as large a part of the world as possible”. Thus, the International Student Identity Card was founded with the aim to provide students worldwide with access to student facilities, wherever they travelled. It was agreed that the real value of the card would prove that the holder was a “bona fide” student. The first ISIC cards were produced by the Travel Aids Commission managed by the ISTC. 56,000 cards were issued amongst 31 countries in the first year.