A method and system are provided for transferring verification data from a first carrier to at least a second carrier in a secure manner. A first carrier, which is typically a smart card based ID card, contains verification data to identify the card holder securely. The method of the invention verifies the verification data on the ID smart card, reads the verification data, compresses and encrypts it, and writes it onto a second carrier, which may be a second smart card or a printed document, for example, in a machine readable form. The invention permits verification data to be securely transferred from one carrier to another, which permits a high degree of security in numerous applications such as the issuing of bank cards, medical aid claims, and other valuable documents.