Argentine identity card specimens

Argentine identity card specimens are official sample versions of the Argentine identity card (Documento Nacional de Identidad, DNI) published by the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER) and other Argentine government agencies to illustrate the design and security features of identity documents. Like the use of Erika Mustermann and Max Mustermann in Germany, these specimens use fictitious identities instead of real individuals. The most widely used placeholder identity on Argentine DNI specimens is María Victoria Villareal. Other fictitious names, including Daniel Costa, have appeared on official specimen documents and related identity credentials.

María Victoria Villareal

María Victoria Villareal is the principal fictitious identity used on specimen versions of the Argentine Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI). Her name appears on numerous official specimen documents published by RENAPER and reproduced in Argentine legislation, technical documentation, and informational material. The identity has appeared on several generations of the DNI, including, but not limited:

• the 2009–2012 booklet and card format;
• the 2012 biometric card;
• the 2020 redesign incorporating the official bicontinental map of Argentina;
• the 2023 electronic identity card prototype; and
• later specimen documents published in the Official Gazette.

Although the document layout, security features and personal information have changed between revisions, the name María Victoria Villareal has generally been retained as the specimen holder. The photographs appearing on specimen documents depict a real model or government employee rather than a person named María Victoria Villareal, while the accompanying biographical information is fictional and intended solely for demonstration purposes.

Placeholder identities

Unlike some countries that consistently employ a single fictitious identity for specimen documents, Argentine authorities have used several placeholder identities across different generations of identity documents and administrative credentials.

María Victoria Villareal

María Victoria Villareal on libreta identity card as placeholder.

María Victoria Villareal is the placeholder identity most commonly associated with modern specimen versions of the Argentine Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI). Since the introduction of the credit-card format, her name has appeared on numerous official specimen documents published by the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER), including biometric and later redesigned versions of the DNI. Her fictitious personal details have been revised repeatedly to make changes in document layouts and security features rather than to maintain a continuous fictional biography.

the photograph used on the classic booklet card in the 2000s was originally a real person—an employee at the RENAPER.

Virgilio Portillo

Virgilio Portillo was used as the placeholder identity on earlier specimen versions of the pre-biometric Argentine DNI, particularly those issued to foreign residents. His identity appears in official specimen documents reproduced from Argentine legislation and technical documentation. The personal data shown on these documents are fictitious and intended exclusively for illustrative purposes.

Manuela Martínez/Fernández

Manuela Martínez and Manuela Fernández are related female placeholder identities used on Argentine specimen identity cards. Different revisions of specimen documents employ one surname or the other while retaining substantially similar personal information, suggesting that the identity was modified during successive redesigns of the DNI rather than representing different fictional individuals. Their names appear on official specimen cards preserved on derived from RENAPER publications.

Daniel Costa

Specimen identity card for Daniel Carlos Costa Hernández.

Specimen identity card for a foreign resident using the same fictitious identity.

Official specimen documents published to demonstrate the layout and security features of Argentine identity cards.

Daniel Costa, that his full name appears Daniel Carlos Costa Hernández, is another fictitious identity that appears on Argentine specimen identity documents and related credentials. Unlike María Victoria Villareal, Daniel Costa has generally been used on specific document types rather than as the principal identity across successive generations of the DNI, and had appeared on the first identity cards drafts.
There is also a version of him of Parguayan nationality, but with a different face.

Use

The use of fictitious identities serves several purposes such as illustrating the appearance of official documents demonstrating security features publishing specimen documents in legislation, supporting software development and testing, training public officials, and avoiding the disclosure of the personal information of real individuals. The names used on specimen documents do not correspond to the actual individuals whose photographs may appear on some examples, as the images are typically supplied separately for demonstration purposes.

Purpose

Placeholder identities are used for many pueposes, such as demonstrate document layouts publish legal annexes containing specimen documents, illustrate security features, train government personnel, provide examples for software developers, border authorities and financial institutions. The use of fictitious identities avoids the disclosure of personal information belonging to real individuals while allowing official documents to appear complete.

Gallery

• 
  Specimen Argentine identity card issued to María Victoria Villareal
• 
  Virgilio Portillo specimen identity on the identity card.
• 
  2026 specimen identity card

See also

• Placeholder name
• Erika Mustermann
• Max Mustermann

External links

• Media related to Identity cards of Argentina at Wikimedia Commons