About Us - ISIC Portugal

The ISIC Association is the non-profit organization behind ISIC, the International Student Identity Card. Created by students, the ISIC is now issued to students in 113 countries around the world.

ISIC is endorsed by UNESCO, supported by the Council of the European Union for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport and various governments, ministries of education and sport, student associations and educational institutions around the world.

The ISIC Card is the only document recognized internationally as proof of student status, which guarantees access to thousands of discounts around the world and to a global community of students.

In addition to the ISIC, there are 2 other 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 teacher status.
The IYTC is the International Youth Travel Card, a card for young people under the age of 31.
Like the ISIC, both cards are associated with discounts and advantages for their holders, both in Portugal and around the world.

ISIC already has 70 years of history.

The ISIC card was created by students for students in 1953. On the initiative of the Norwegian and Dutch Students’ Union, supported by COSEC – the Coordinating Secretariat of National Students’ Unions – in Denmark, at the 3rd International Students’ Conference, the decision was taken to “take the necessary steps to ensure that an international student card is made available as soon as possible in as many countries as possible.”
Originally, the ISIC card was an ID card that guaranteed full-time students around the world access to special airfares. To access these fares, students purchased the ISIC card, which allowed them to explore the world and discover new countries and cultures, which supported the ISIC card’s pioneering mission to “increase international understanding by promoting travel and exchange opportunities among students, young people and the academic community.”

The image of the cards in the 1970s, 1990s, 2000 and 2008

The ISIC remains the only internationally recognized proof of student status. However, the growth of discounted airfares has changed the focus of the ISIC card. The availability of cheap flights led to a decline in sales of the card for reasons related solely to travel.
Today, the vast number of advantages and discounts associated with the ISIC card go beyond the simple purpose of traveling, becoming a lifestyle that accompanies students in their daily lives.
As well as having advantages on their travels, ISIC card holders gain access to more than 150,000 products, services and experiences at every stage of their student life, both at home and abroad.

ISIC Portugal is a full member of the ISIC Association and, together, our mission is “Making Student life better”. We want to play a key role in supporting students’ lives, helping to make their time as students easier, more accessible and more enjoyable, and facilitating international recognition of student status.
Our aim is to make the ISIC card essential for students all over the world, increasing access to educational opportunities, promoting intercultural understanding and educational exchange, strengthening links between students of all nationalities and the global academic community.