TIM Card

The TIM Card, a smart card implemented according to INSIKA Specification 2.0, is used to secure all taximeter data that is relevant for accounting: Data manipulation or forgery cannot go unnoticed. This is important for taxi companies and allows them to prove that their data management is correct and complies with the highest security requirements.

The cards are usually issued in dual SIM format. Hence the holder can use the Mini SIM or Micro SIM format as required.

The TIM Card comes with a particularly secure chip that looks much like a SIM card for mobile phones. The chip is removed from the card and inserted into a security unit which is connected to the taximeter. The TIM Card automatically adds an electronic signature to the taximeter data. According to the German Act on Digital Signature, this must be an advanced electronic signature that protects the data against unnoticed manipulation and forgery.

If a company uses TIM Cards, it is required to securely store these cards and to handle them carefully. This is a prerequisite for proving correct book-keeping. If the TIM Cards cannot be presented, this might cause problems during an audit by fiscal authorities and the accounting system could very well be rejected. Even expired TIM Cards or those which are no longer used must also be stored.

The cards can be purchased from Bundesdruckerei GmbH and are produced by D-TRUST GmbH, a subsidiary of Bundesdruckerei in Berlin. In order to get a card, you must simply submit your online application at https://www.bundesdruckerei.de/de/Loesungen-Produkte/Sichere-digitale-Identitaeten/Smartcards-Token#TIM_Card.

The following information and documents must be submitted with your application:

• The name and VAT registration number of your company. This data is then printed on the TIM Card.
• The personal data of the company's owner or managing director applying for the card.
• A copy of the letter in which your  VAT registration number was issued by the German Federal Tax Agency

Please send all of these documents to:

D-TRUST GmbH
Kommandantenstr. 15
10969 Berlin, Germany  

The smart card holder’s data is stored on the TIM Card. This ensures that it is always clear who signed which taximeter data, i.e. who is responsible for the data. In the interest of system reliability, D-TRUST includes certain data contained in the application form in a so-called certificate.

Using this certificate, which is also stored on the smart card, D-TRUST can confirm the assignment of the card to the respective taxi company. That’s why the certificate includes the VAT registration number of the company. Since a company can apply for several smart cards, D-TRUST adds a consecutive number to the VAT number for each card issued. TIM Card certificates can be viewed at
http://www.bundesdruckerei.de/de/2936-ldap-abfrage

You should commission a service company, a producer of security units and/or a taximeter producer to integrate the TIM Card into the security unit and connect it to the taximeter. You should also enter into a maintenance agreement in order to secure continuous operation. You are responsible for the integration and use in your taximeter and for your purposes.

It must be possible to check the signed data for completeness, integrity and affiliation using suitable verification software. You as an entrepreneur are responsible for providing the data in INSIKA export format for verification purposes. For more information, please contact your data centre, for instance.

You will receive your personal TIM Card from D-TRUST around 14 days following application. The card will be sent as a registered letter to the delivery address stated in your application. Your TIM Card will be ready for operation.

Once you have received the TIM Card, you can start working with it. The letter accompanying the card shows a so-called transport PIN which you will have to enter once before using the card. This guarantees that the card was not used already. The TIM Card is activated by entering the transport PIN.

Please note: If you enter an incorrect transport PIN 16 times, the card will be blocked for good and cannot be activated anymore. In this case, the card will have to be replaced. If you put your TIM Card into operation, your service company, the taximeter producer or other service provider will usually support you. You activate the TIM Card directly by inserting it into the security unit. Please note that D-TRUST does not provide any support for putting the TIM Card into operation or for using it.

The TIM Card is valid for three years. The exact date of expiry is printed on the card. Validity starts automatically on the day the card is produced. This means that the card is already valid when you receive it - and not at the time when you first use it. 

TIM Cards shall be kept at least for a period of ten years beginning at the time of first use. Keeping them for a sufficient period of time is important because the card contains information that is relevant both in a legal sense and for tax purposes. You should inform yourself about the respective retention periods.

The totalizers on the TIM Card store the accumulated values of all transactions for each month. These accumulated values are regularly signed and issued and externally stored - just like the individual transactions. This means that the totalizers are transparent and reproducible for the entrepreneur. The totalizers on the TIM card cannot be reset.

What happens if a card is lost or stolen? And what do you have to do when the company ceases operations or is sold? In cases like these, you will have to have your cards blocked just like you would a credit or debit card.

As soon as a card is blocked, it is no longer valid and cannot be used anymore to sign taximeter data. All data that was signed before blocking, however, is considered to be officially confirmed by you. All data signed with the card after it was blocked is invalid. That’s why it is so important to have a lost card blocked immediately. This is in your interest, after all, somebody else could sign their taximeter data using your card and declare that you to be responsible for this.
 

There are two ways to block the TIM Card - by phone or in writing. You can choose which method suits you best.

Call the D-TRUST hotline at +49 30 2593 91602

In this case, the TIM Card will be immediately blocked after your call.
To block a card by phone, a letter containing a blocking password is sent to the applicant's personal address. This password must be kept safe so that no unauthorised person can block the card.

You will need to have the following information available when you call the hotline:

• The name of the caller
• The name of the holder of the TIM Card that is to be blocked (if not identical with the caller)
• The name of the company
• Application ID (you can find this number on the application form and in the letter with the blocking password)
• Very important: The blocking password (you can find this in the letter with the blocking password)

You can reach the hotline from Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm.

In writing to D-TRUST GmbH, Kommandantenstraße 15, 10969 Berlin, Germany

In this case, you can state a date and time in the future when the TIM Card is to be blocked.

The following information must be given in your written blocking request:

• The name of the sender
• The name of the holder of the TIM Card that is to be blocked
• The name of the company
• Application ID (you can find this number on the application form and in the letter with the blocking password)
• If possible: The blocking password (you can find this in the letter with the blocking password)
• Date and time when the card is to be blocked (this cannot be a date in the past)
• The signature of the sender

Please also note: Once the card is blocked, it cannot be used anymore. Blocking cannot be reversed. In this case, you will have to apply for a new card.

There are several persons who are allowed to block the TIM Card.

• The applicant himself.
• Other owners/managing directors of the company. In this case it must be proven that the person requesting that the card be blocked is in fact the owner or managing director of the company.
• In addition, the trust service provider is also authorised to block the card if it is found that information stated in the application was not correct or that the invoice for the TIM Card was not paid in time.

To check whether or not a certificate is blocked, go to the D-TRUST online query service at: http://www.bundesdruckerei.de/de/2936-ldap-abfrage

The TIM Card costs EUR 69 plus VAT. You will first receive the smart card, then the PIN letter and finally the letter containing the blocking password. The invoice will then be sent to the address stated by you. Please remit this amount within 30 days following invoicing. If the invoice is not paid, D-TRUST is authorised to block the TIM Card so that it can no longer be used.

Please also refer to our General Terms and Conditions.