A photo ID card, which is difficult to forge, is generated. A photo ID card having an IC chip is generated, and a face photo area therein is photographed for obtaining face photo data. The face photo data are converted into code information and stored in the chip together with personal information. For authentication, the face of a person being authenticated is photographed for obtaining photographed face data, and converted into code information. The personal information and the code information is read from the chip of the card held by the person, and whether or not the information obtained by the reading has been registered with a registration server is judged. Whether or not the code information generated from the photographed face data agrees with the code information in the server is also judged. If the results of both judgments are affirmative, the person is authenticated.
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