How do I get a UNIcard?

After enrolling and paying the initial tuition fees, students are automatically sent a UNIcard by post to their home address.

After completion of the hiring process, staff members are automatically sent a UNIcard by post to their home address or to the c/o address registered in the IdM system by the local HR office.

External parties must request a UNIcard from the local administration office and collect it from there.

If you lose your UNIcard, please refer to the information for students under “Students / UNIcard loss/replacement”or for staff under “Staff / UNIcard loss/replacement”.

How do I change the personal details on the UNIcard? What should I do if I change my surname, for instance?

To change the personal details on the card:

Students, please refer to the information under Students / Change of personal details

Staff, please refer to the information under Staff / Change of personal details

How is the validity date determined for staff UNIcards?

The validity date printed on the ID card is not calculated at the UNIcard terminals, but in the university’s central IdM (identity management) system and sent to the UNIcard system. The validity date for permanent staff members is a maximum of 365 days. However, it may be considerably shorter, as the date for each person is not calculated and transmitted daily, but at specific intervals. If the period of employment is shorter than 365 days, the valid end date is printed on the card.

I have found someone else’s card. What should I do with it?

Please send the card to:

Universität Basel
Support – ServiceDesk IT-Services
Klingelbergstrasse 70
4051 Basel

Tel.: +41 61 207 14 11

or hand it in at the ServiceDesk.

What happens to any remaining balance if I leave my position or deregister as a student?

Please refer to the information for:

Staff under Staff

Students under Students / Doctoral students

Reimbursement of the remaining balance is subject to the UNIcard usage policy.

My card doesn’t work. Who can help?

Contact the ServiceDesk in person with your UNIcard.

Please refer to the information for:

Staff under Staff / UNIcard loss/replacement

Students under Students / UNIcard loss/replacement

How do I activate/update the UNIcard?

Please refer to the information for:

Staff under Activating/Updating

Students under Activating/Updating

I still have an old staff ID card. Do I need to return it or destroy it?

The old ID card will no longer be valid after the new UNIcard is introduced at the start of 2019.

You can continue to use the old card as a payment card in the staff restaurant of University Hospital Basel.

I haven’t received a UNIcard. Why not?

If you are a new or returning University of Basel student or staff member, a photo is necessary.
It must meet the photo criteria and be sent to the local HR officer in digital form. The details of the relevant person can be found via the following link: Local HR officers

The UNIcard is sent out directly by post. If a new staff member will be moving to Switzerland from abroad, the UNIcard will be issued by the local HR office at a later point. If you have any other questions, please contact the IT ServiceDesk. Please note that the recruitment process takes time, as it involves various departments.

I enrolled in December for the coming spring semester and paid the tuition fee. I would like to have the details for the spring semester printed on the UNIcard in December or January. Is that possible?

No. The UNIcard terminals print the information valid at the current date. In December and January, we are still in the fall semester, so the details for that semester are shown on the card, but with an overlapping validity end date of 60 days into the new semester. This overlap is applied for spring and fall semester. 

As proof that you are enrolled for the spring semester, the Student Administration Office sends everyone a certificate after the tuition fee has been paid.

I’m studying at Freiburg im Breisgau and attending a lecture at the University of Basel as a EUCOR student. Can I also obtain a UNIcard?

No. EUCOR students have not received a student ID card in the past, and this is not likely to change in the future.

To access learning resources, for example, they receive a University of Basel email address.

I have updated my UNIcard at the UNIcard terminal. “Card blocked” has been printed on the thermal strip. What can I do?

Check the following:

• Has a temporary employment contract been renewed? (Staff)
• Has the tuition fee been paid? (Students)

If you can answer “yes” to the above questions and the UNIcard continues to be blocked, please contact the ITS ServiceDesk.