Nomen Nescio wrote:

...

I guess an equivalent ID will do. in germany, you need your ID card to open a bank account (um, for those not in the know: we have state-issue ID cards in addition to passports. the passport is a travel document, used to visit non-EU countries. the ID card is used inside the EU and for national purposes (identification, mostly). you are NOT required to have it with you all the time or somesuch, but some activities, such as opening a bank account, require an ID card. driving license or other documents will do in many cases, but I think not for bank accounts).

How often must your ID card be renewed? What information does it (or the ID database) contain that a German passport does not?

it must be renewed every 10 or 5 years (there's two periods, I'm not sure which one applies in what cases). it contains: name, birthday and birth town, nationality, your signature (as you made it on the form), some string of number that contains your birth date and some other information I'm not sure about but which has most likely been published on the web somewhere. on the backside it contains addresse, height, colour of eyes and the issuing authority. there is also a field where you can have a pseudonym or religious name printed if you want to use it for any "official" activities (say, you're a rock star, actor or author and much more people know you under your pseudonmyn than under your real name). height and eye-colour are whatever you put in the form. I doubt it's ever checked. I know mine have been different on all ID cards I've had so far. the frontside also contains a picture of you, almost forgot that. I have no idea what kind of information is linked to this, i.e. what exactly a cop can pull out of his database by entering your ID number.