The Kennkarte served as the basic identification document issued to German nationals from the age of 15 onwards, with place of residence or permanent residence in the territory of Germany during the Third Reich era, and extended to include citizens of German-occupied territories. It was introduced through the ordinance on identity cards of July 22, 1938 (RGBl. I p. 913) as a "police-issued general domestic identity card".

Following the introduction in Germany of the Kennkarte (identification card), three announcements specified details such as the obligation for certain groups to apply for the identity card by year-end. The ordinance took effect on October 1, 1938, and evidence suggests that the first identity cards were issued starting in January 1939. These cards remained valid for five years from the date of issue.

The regulation authorized the Reich Minister of the Interior to introduce the requirement to have identity cards for certain groups of citizens. Based on this authorization, three announcements dated 23 July 1938 (RGBl. I p. 921 ff.) introduced an obligation to have identity cards for:

For the latter, the third announcement contained a series of additional regulations:

On August 17, 1938, the German government issued the Second Ordinance implementing the Law on the Change of Surnames and First Names (Namensänderungsverordnung, RGBl. I, 1044). Starting in January 1939 at the latest, this decree required all Jewish men and boys to add "Israel" to their first names, while Jewish women and girls were required to add "Sara". This rule applied only if their original first name were not on the Third Reich's list of state-approved names for Jews. The law specifically targeted assimilated Jews who had adopted names considered "less apparently Jewish" by the Nazis, as they viewed this practice as an attempt to conceal Jewish identity. These measures were recorded by the municipal registration authorities (Meldebehörden) or police headquarters (Polizeipräsidien) in the contemporary residents' registers.

The local police authorities were responsible for receiving the applications, and the passport authorities were responsible for issuing the Kennkarte. The identity cards were issued in duplicate; one copy remained with the issuing authority. The administrative fee for issuing them was 3 ℛℳ.; in certain cases - particularly when identity cards were compulsory - it could be reduced to as little as 1 ℛℳ. or waived entirely.

The identity cards were DIN A6 format and made initially of grey, linen-reinforced paper. In addition to the identification location and number, they contained registration and description data (surname, first name, date of birth, place of birth, occupation, fixed and changeable distinguishing marks), photograph, and prints of the holder's index fingers, the place and date of issue, the name of the issuing authority and the signature of the issuing official. The expiry date of five-year validity was also noted. Proof of payment of the fee was provided either by an adhesive revenue stamp or ink stamp.

The Kennkarte identity cards issued specifically to Jewish citizens displayed a prominent black 'J' on the front cover instead of the national emblem (Reichsadler), and a reddish-brown, five-centimeter-high 'J' was pre-printed on the interior.