4.12 What does your personal identity number tell?

Below is an example of the content of the personal identity number:

The personal identity number is 131052-308T

The personal identity number consists of 11 characters, the first part indicating the date (13), month (10) and year (52) of birth.

Next comes a sign that is (+) for those born in the 19^th century, (-) for persons born in the 20^th century and (A) for those born in the 21^st century.

Then there is a three-digit running individual number (308) for distinguishing persons with the same date of birth. The individual number is odd for men and even for women.

The last check character (T) can be either a number or a letter. It is derived by dividing the nine-digit figure formed by the date of birth and the individual number by 31. The check character is determined on the basis of the resulting remainder. In this case T=25.

When the personal identity number is written into some data processing system, it is always verified first. If the number is erroneous, the remainder always gives an error notification. Then there must be an error in the date of birth, the running number or the check character. This verification ensures that different systems have correct information about people.

Table 1: Check character of the personal identity number