About us

The ISIC Association is the non-profit organisation behind the International Student Identity Card (ISIC). Created by students, the ISIC is now issued to students in 113 countries worldwide.

The ISIC card is endorsed by UNESCO, supported by the EU Council for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport and many governments, Ministries of Education and Sport, Student Associations, and Educational Institutions around the world.

The Card

● The ISIC card is the only internationally recognized document serving as proof of student status, granting access to thousands of discounts worldwide and a global community of students.

● In addition to the ISIC, there are two more cards:

• International Teacher Identity Card - ITIC

• International Youth Travel Card - IYTC

● The ITIC was created especially for education professionals and is the only international proof of the teacher status.

● The IYTC is the International Youth Travel Card for youths under 30 years old.

● Like the ISIC, both cards are associated with discounts and benefits to their holders, in Portugal and in the world.

History

The ISIC has a history of 70 years.

● The decision to create the ISIC card was an initiative of the Norwegian and Dutch Union of Students, supported by the Coordinating Secretariat of National Unions of Students (COSEC) of Denmark, at the 3rd International Student Conference where the decision was made to “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.”

● Originally the ISIC card was a student identity card that gave fulltime students world access to special discounted airfares. In order to get discounted airfares students bought an ISIC card allowing cardholders to explore the world and discover new countries and cultures. This supported the ISIC card’s pioneering mission statement: “Increasing international understanding through the promotion of travel and exchange opportunities among students, young people and the academic community.”

The evolution of the image of cards throughout the 70s, 90s, 2000s, and 2008

cartoesisic 100

● ISIC continues to be the only internationally recognised proof of student status. However, the growth of discounted airfares online has changed the ISIC card focus. The availability of cheap online flights has led to the decrease in ISIC card sales in the new millennium for simply travel related purposes.

● Today, the portfolio of benefits and discounts accessible with the ISIC card goes far beyond travel alone. The ISIC card is now also an everyday use student lifestyle card. Cardholders still enjoy discounts and services on travel opportunities.

● On top of that, students gain preferential access to over 150,000 products, services or experiences in every stage and area of student life, both at home and abroad.

Mission

● ISIC Portugal is a full-fledged member of the ISIC Association, and together, our mission is "Making Student life better." We aim to play a key role in supporting the lives of students, contributing to making their time as students easier, more accessible, and enjoyable, while facilitating the international recognition of student status.

● Our goal is to make the ISIC card essential for students worldwide, increasing access to educational opportunities, promoting intercultural understanding and educational exchange, and strengthening bonds between students of all nationalities and the global academic community.