What to Put on the Back of an ID Card

What to Put on the Back of an ID Card

Front-of-card design gets most of the attention when businesses order ID cards from the logo to the photo or the job title. But the back of an ID card often does the real work. Done well, the back turns a simple photo badge into a functional tool for security, verification, and card recovery. Done badly (or left blank), it's a wasted opportunity on a piece of card you've already paid to print.

Why the back of the card matters

An ID card typically has two jobs: to identify the holder, and to prove that identification is genuine and current. The front handles identification with a photo, a name or an organisation. The back is where you build in verification, recovery, and function. A well-designed back panel means a lost card is more likely to be returned, a security guard can check it's valid briefly, and a card reader knows exactly what to do with it.

The elements most used, in rough order of how frequently organisations include them.

Return address

This is the simplest, cheapest, and most overlooked addition. A short line such as:

"If found, please return to [Organisation Name], [Address], or call [Phone Number]."

This costs nothing to add during design and significantly increases the odds a lost card is returned rather than binned or, worse, misused. For access cards, this is particularly important as an unreturned card with building access is a security gap.

Terms of use

Most staff ID cards and access cards are technically the property of the issuing organisation, not the employee. Printing this explicitly protects you. Common wording includes:

• "This card remains the property of [Organisation] and must be returned on request."
• "Non-transferable. Must not be shared, altered, or reproduced."
• "Report loss or theft immediately to [contact]."

This matters more than it might seem: if a card is ever used to gain unauthorised access after an employee leaves, a documented ownership and return policy printed on the card itself supports your position.

Reference number

A unique reference number separate from the cardholder's name makes it possible to look up, verify, or reissue a card without relying on visual recognition alone. This is standard practice on staff ID cards, student ID cards, and membership cards, and it becomes essential once you're issuing cards in any volume.

Barcode, QR Code or magnetic stripe

If the card needs to do something like clock staff in and out, control door access, verify a membership, or link to a digital record, then the back is almost always where the functional element lives. Options include:

• Barcodes: low-cost, widely compatible with existing scanners
• QR codes: can link to a verification page, staff portal, or digital ID record, and are easy to update without re-encoding the card
• Magnetic stripes: still common for access control and time-and-attendance systems
• Smart chip encoding (MIFARE, HID, DESFire): for higher-security access control, though the encoding itself is invisible; only supporting text or a reference number is printed

If you're specifying a printer or blank card stock for in-house printing, it's worth checking our access ID cards and our range of MIFARE and HID card stock, which determines what encoding options are available.

Expiry date

For any credential that isn't meant to last forever such as visitor passes, event badges, temporary contractor cards or student cards renewed annually then an expiry date printed on the back (or sometimes the front) allows security staff and colleagues to spot an outdated card instantly, without needing to check a system. This is one of the most effective low-tech security measures available.

Signature strip

A signature panel is a long-standing feature on membership and access cards. While not as commonly relied upon as it once was, it still provides a fast, no-technology way to visually confirm that the person presenting the card is the person who was issued it, particularly for payment-linked cards like loyalty or gift cards.

Emergency contact

For lone workers, healthcare staff, or higher-risk roles, an emergency contact field can be a genuinely valuable addition. This is worth handling carefully:

• Only include personal or medical information with the explicit, informed consent of the cardholder
• Keep it optional wherever possible as not every employee will want this on a card that colleagues or the public can see
• Avoid printing sensitive health information (such as specific conditions) in plain text where it isn't strictly necessary; a phone number for a nominated contact is usually sufficient

Organisation Branding and Contact Details

Repeating your organisation's name, logo, website, or a general enquiries number on the back reinforces legitimacy. This is especially useful for cards that are shown to the public like visitor badges, healthcare ID, or event passes, where someone unfamiliar with your organisation needs a quick way to confirm the card, and the person carrying it, are genuine.

Security features

For higher-security environments such as access control, healthcare or financial services the back of the card is often where additional anti-counterfeiting features are added:

• Holographic overlays or laminates
• UV-reactive printing, visible only under UV light
• Micro-text, too small to reproduce on a standard printer
• Guilloché patterns (the fine, intricate line work used on banknotes and passports)

These features cost more, but for cards used as access credentials or ID of record, they meaningfully raise the bar against duplication.

Data Protection Notice

Because UK organisations are subject to GDPR, some choose to include a short data protection line on cards that carry personal data beyond a name and photo, particularly where a reference number, barcode, or emergency contact is encoded or printed. A brief statement referencing your privacy policy, or a link/QR code to it, is a straightforward way to stay transparent about what's collected and why. This isn't a legal requirement printed on every card, but it's good practice where cards carry more than basic identification.

What different ID cards need on the back

Not every card needs everything on this list. What belongs on the back depends entirely on what the card is for:

Does an ID card back need to follow a specific size or layout?

Most ID cards use the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 format, the standard credit-card CR80 size (85.6mm x 54mm), for both front and back. Sticking to this standard ensures compatibility with card holders, lanyard clips, and printers.

Can I leave the back of an ID card blank?

Yes, there's no requirement to print anything on the back. However, doing so means missing out on card recovery, verification, and often the functional element (barcode or encoding) that many organisations rely on.

What information shouldn't go on the back of an ID card?

Avoid printing sensitive personal data such as home address, date of birth, or medical details on the back unless it's strictly necessary and the cardholder has consented. A card is easily lost or seen by others, so treat it the same way you would any other publicly visible document.

Getting the back of a card right

The most reliable approach is to work backwards from purpose: decide what the card needs to do. Whether that’s identify, grant access, track attendance or verify membership and let that determine what goes on the back, rather than filling the space by default.

If you're designing cards for your organisation, our online card builder lets you configure both sides, choose your encoding options, and approve a full proof before anything is printed with no minimum order and UK dispatch in 2–3 working days. Get in touch today.