Overview
ISO/IEC 24789-1:2024 - "Identification cards - Card service life - Part 1: Application profiles and requirements" defines a methodology to create a test plan that simulates a card’s service life. The standard sets out how to describe an application profile and how to translate that profile into test parameters that represent real-world use. It focuses on two primary service-life parameters: the expected card service life (years) and the average number of uses per day. Originally developed for ID‑1 format cards (ISO/IEC 7810), the methodology can be applied, in whole or in part, to other card types and form factors.
Key topics and requirements
- Application profile definition: how to determine and document the set of parameters that define conditions of use for a specific card application.
- Service-life parameters: formalization of the two core inputs - expected life in years and uses per day - which drive test planning.
- Test-plan methodology: selection of stress exposure methods (environmental and mechanical) and associated evaluation methods to simulate aging and usage.
- Test sequences and simplification: updated approach shortens test sequences (now a maximum of three methods per sequence) and bases parameter calculations solely on uses/day and expected lifetime.
- Card functional elements: guidance on how personalization, IC modules (contact, PICC, VICC), magnetic stripes and other card elements affect test selection.
- Evaluation linkage: used together with ISO/IEC 24789-2 and ISO/IEC 10373-1 to describe evaluation methods and pass/fail criteria.
Practical applications
- Design validation: simulate service life to validate card construction, materials, printing and embedded components against expected usage.
- Quality assurance & manufacturing: define acceptance tests for production lots to ensure lifecycle requirements are met.
- Procurement and specifications: prepare objective, application-specific lifecycle requirements for tenders and supplier contracts.
- Field failure analysis: reproduce suspected wear or environmental causes to identify mitigation measures.
- Certification and compliance testing: provide repeatable, documented test plans for third‑party testing labs.
Who should use this standard
- Card manufacturers and materials suppliers
- System integrators and solution architects for physical ID and payment systems
- Test laboratories and QA teams developing lifecycle test plans
- Procurement officers and technical specifiers for ID programs (government, corporate, transport)
- Security and product engineers validating embedded components (ICMs, magnetic stripes)
Related standards
Keywords: ISO/IEC 24789-1:2024, card service life, identification cards, test plan, application profile, expected service life, uses per day, ID‑1 cards, card testing, lifecycle simulation.
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