Card sharp: Deputy Director of Immigration Eric Wong introduces the features of the Smart ID Card. They are produced by a Swiss-made machine, costing $8 million, at a rate of 240 pieces an hour.

People can apply for multi-purpose Smart Identity Cards from June 23.

Existing ID cards will be replaced in phases from August 18.

Deputy Director of Immigration Eric Wong said the replacement of 6.9 million ID cards will be completed in four years.