Zimbabwe National ID Number Explained

A Zimbabwe national ID number is made up of four main parts:

• Registration code: the opening two digits.
• Sequence number: the middle numeric section.
• Check letter: the letter calculated from the preceding digits.
• District code: the final two digits, including 00 for a foreign national record.

The check letter is calculated using a mod-23 rule:

1. combine the registration code and sequence number into one value
2. calculate the remainder after dividing by 23
3. map that remainder to a letter

This helps catch many typing mistakes before a record moves further in a process.

The district code at the end of the number maps to a district entry. Here are a few examples:

District code 00 is commonly used for a foreign national record.

From the structure of a valid Zimbabwe ID number, you can read:

• Format validity: whether the layout looks correct.
• Check-letter consistency: whether the letter matches the calculation.
• District code meaning: the district linked to the final two digits.
• Status clue: whether the code suggests a foreign national record such as 00.