Interestingly the "lifetime" of the smart card is ten years - the same proposed maximum for EU driving licences (see: EU driving licences to be renewed every 10 years and new security features added each
Interestingly the “lifetime” of the smart card is ten years – the same proposed maximum for EU driving licences (see: EU driving licences to be renewed every 10 years and new security features added each time: Report) – after which the “chip” could be updated: Directive 2003/127/EC (pdf with lots of tehnical detail)