What it means
شناسنامه (shenâsnâme) is Iran’s official civil identity document: a small booklet issued at birth that records a person’s full name, father’s name, birth date, birthplace, and later, marriage and divorce entries. The word is built entirely from Persian roots: شناس (shenâs, “identifier, one who recognizes”) from شناختن (to recognize, to know) plus نامه (nâme, “letter, booklet, document”). A close functional equivalent in everyday speech is کارت ملی (kârt-e melli), which is the newer national ID card, but the شناسنامه remains the primary legal record of personal status.
How to use it
- شناسنامهات رو بیار. (Shenâsnâme-at ro biâr.) “Bring your identity booklet.”
- بدون شناسنامه نمیتونی ثبتنام کنی. (Bedun-e shenâsnâme nemituni sabt-nâm koni.) “You can’t register without your identity booklet.”
- صفحهی اول شناسنامه رو کپی کن. (Safhe-ye avval-e shenâsnâme ro kopi kon.) “Photocopy the first page of the identity booklet.”
- شناسنامهم رو گم کردم. (Shenâsnâme-am ro gom kardam.) “I lost my identity booklet.”
Cultural note
The شناسنامه system was introduced in Iran during the Constitutional period and formalized under Reza Shah in the 1920s as part of national civil registration. It is required for almost every official transaction in Iran: enrolling in school, getting married, opening a bank account, or obtaining a passport. Unlike a simple ID card, the booklet contains the full family record, so Iranians often refer to it when discussing ancestry or official lineage. Losing it requires a formal court process to replace.