How to Scan an ID Card or Passport on iPhone (Both Sides on One Page)
"Please send a copy of your ID." A rental application, a new job, a bank, a visa, a hotel abroad. The request is routine and the result is usually terrible: a small card lost in a big photo of your desk, a shadow across the face, a reflection off the hologram, and the front and back in two separate files. This guide shows how to scan an ID card, passport, or driving licence on iPhone so it is accepted the first time, with both sides on one page, and how to keep the most sensitive file you own from going anywhere it should not.
The short version
- Any card, both sides on one page: Scanner App, Scan ID Card mode. Front, flip, back, export one PDF. On your device, no upload.
- Passport: the photo page only, flat, no flash, hologram angled away from the light.
- Before sending: name the file, send it to the person who asked and nobody else, delete it from the chat afterwards.
Why a photo of an ID gets rejected
Cards are small and shiny. A photo taken from a normal height puts the card in a fraction of the frame, so the text is a few pixels tall once the recipient zooms in. Laminate and holograms throw back the flash and any overhead light, hiding the face or the number. And the two sides arrive as two attachments that someone has to combine. Whoever is checking your ID asks for it again, and the process you were trying to finish stalls for a day.
A scan fixes all three: it crops to the card edges, corrects the angle so the card is a true rectangle, evens out the lighting, and puts front and back together on a single page at readable size.
How to scan an ID card with Scanner App
- Open Scanner App, tap the plus button, and choose Scan ID Card under Tools.
- Place the card on a flat, dark, matte surface. A dark table, a book cover, a sheet of dark paper.
- Hold the phone parallel above the card. The edges are detected and the card is captured and cropped automatically.
- Flip the card and capture the back. Both sides are placed on the same page.
- Check the result. If a glare spot hides text, tilt the card slightly away from the light and recapture that side.
- Export as PDF, name the file something like ID-Front-Back.pdf, and share it to the person who asked.
Everything, capture, cropping, enhancement, and the PDF, happens on the iPhone. There is no account and no upload path, so the file exists only where you choose to save or send it. More on the ID card scanner feature page.
Scanning a passport
A passport is a booklet, so the rules change a little.
- Only the photo page is needed in almost every case: the page with your picture, the machine-readable lines at the bottom, and the number.
- Press it flat. The curve of the spine bends the text lines and can hide the number. Open the passport fully and hold the edges down, or weigh them with something outside the frame.
- No flash, and angle the hologram away. The laminate over the photo reflects anything bright. Daylight from the side, phone straight above.
- Choose Scan Passport in the same Tools menu; it crops to the page and corrects the curve.
If a form asks for the passport and the ID together, scan both into one document so the recipient gets a single file.
Driving licence, residence permit, insurance card
Same as an ID card: both sides, one page. Licences are often asked for by rental companies and delivery jobs, residence permits by landlords and employers, insurance cards by clinics. Keep one clean scan of each in a folder so the next request is a share, not a photo shoot; the document organizer is built for exactly this pile.
Business cards: scan, then pull the text
A business card is an ID card with a different purpose. Scan it the same way, then run text recognition to copy the name, phone number, and email straight into Contacts. A stack from a conference is ten minutes of work instead of an evening of typing.
Getting a clean card scan every time
- Dark, matte background. A light card on a dark surface gives edge detection a clean boundary. Avoid glass and glossy tables.
- Side light, no flash. Flash creates the reflection you are trying to avoid.
- Phone straight above. Tilt is corrected, but a straight capture keeps the small text sharpest.
- Fill the frame. Get close. The card should take up most of the screen.
- Check the numbers. Zoom in on the ID number and the expiry date before you send. Those are the fields that get checked.
- Color for IDs. Unlike text documents, IDs are usually expected in color. Black and white can be refused.
Handling the most sensitive file on your phone
An ID scan is everything a fraudster needs in one image, so treat it like cash.
- Know where it goes. Scanner App keeps the scan on your device; the only copies that exist are the ones you send. Be deliberate about each one.
- Send it to the requester only, through the channel they use officially, never in a group chat or a public form you did not verify.
- Delete it from the chat afterwards. A scan sitting in a messaging thread for years is the most common way IDs leak.
- Redact what is not needed. If only your name and photo are required, black out the number before sending. Some organizations ask for exactly that.
- Check local rules. Some countries restrict who may copy or store an ID. If a request feels excessive, ask what they need it for and whether a partial copy is enough.
Quick answers
How do I scan both sides of an ID card into one PDF on iPhone?
In Scanner App, choose Scan ID Card, capture the front, flip the card, capture the back, and export. Both sides are placed on one page in a single PDF. Scanner App is free to download and processes the scan on your device.
Can I scan my passport with my iPhone?
Yes. Open the passport flat to the photo page, avoid flash, and use Scan Passport in Scanner App. The page is cropped and straightened, and the curve of the spine is corrected.
Is it safe to scan my ID with an app?
It is safe when the scan stays on your device. Scanner App has no account and no upload; the only copies are the ones you send. Be careful with where you send them and delete them from chats afterwards.
Why is my ID scan rejected?
Usually glare hiding the number or the face, text too small because the card filled a small part of the frame, or front and back sent as separate files. A dedicated card scan fixes all three.
Should an ID scan be in color or black and white?
Color. Most organizations expect to see the card as it looks, including security features. Use black and white for text documents, not for IDs.
Scan it once, properly
The next time someone asks for a copy of your ID, it takes thirty seconds and gets accepted. Download Scanner App, free to download, both sides on one page, nothing leaves your phone.