How to scan a driver's license on your phone, both sides on one page
Updated
To scan a driver's license with your phone, open Doc Scanner, switch to ID card mode (Premium), capture the front and then the back: both sides land on one page that you can send as a PDF or JPG, or print. It works the same on iPhone and Android, and nobody has to find a photocopier.
On the free plan, Document mode scans the front and back into a crisp two-page PDF with automatic edge detection. Doc Scanner by Ginowl shows no ads, adds no watermark and needs no sign-up, and your license is processed on your phone.
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How to scan a driver's license, front and back on one page
Open ID Card
Open Doc Scanner, go to the Tools tab and tap ID Card (Premium). You can also switch the camera's mode strip to ID Card.
Select Both Sides
Tap Both Sides under the card-shaped frame, so the front and the back end up on the same page.
Photograph the front
Place the license flat on a table, hold the phone straight above it until the card fills the frame, and tap the shutter.
Photograph the back
When you see Now scan the BACK of the card, turn the license over in the same spot and tap the shutter again. The app builds one A4-style page with the front on top and the back below.
Fix the look
Rotate the page if needed, then try Magic Color for a vivid copy or Grayscale for a clean, printer-friendly one.
Export or print
Tap Share, pick PDF or JPG, choose the quality and page size (Original, A4 or Letter), add a password if you like (Premium), then send it or tap Print.
Front and back on one page
Car rental bookings, new-job paperwork, insurance claims, apartment applications and many DMV and government forms ask for "a copy of your driver's license, front and back." Some want two images. Most offices that print the copy want both sides on a single sheet.
Doc Scanner's ID card mode gives you that single sheet directly from your phone. The front fills the top half of an A4-style page, the back fills the bottom half, both at the same width with clean white margins. Save it as a PDF for e-mail and online forms or as a JPG for upload fields that only accept images. Need US Letter instead of A4? Pick Letter as the page size when you share.
The same mode handles any two-sided card, from a state ID to a health insurance card. For a deeper look at the layout, see scan an ID card: front and back on one page.
Step by step on iPhone or Android
Doc Scanner works the same way on both platforms: iPhone with iOS 15.5 or later and Android phones with Android 7.0 or later. Install it from the App Store or Google Play, open it, and you can scan right away: an account is created for you automatically, so there's no form to fill in first.
Follow the numbered steps on this page. Two details make the result look professional:
- Flip the card in place. Keep the license where it is and just turn it over, so both sides come out the same size and line up on the page.
- Use the frame. ID card mode shows a card-shaped outline. Fill it with the license and keep the phone parallel to the table; a tilted phone makes the card look like a trapezoid.
New to phone scanning in general? Our guides on scanning documents on iPhone and scanning documents on Android cover the basics.
Free plan: a two-page PDF
If the form accepts two pages, you don't need Premium. Tap the camera, stay in Document mode, scan the front, then keep going and scan the back. Automatic edge detection finds the license's corners, straightens it and captures it, and you get one PDF: front on page 1, back on page 2. Exported PDFs carry an invisible text layer, so they're searchable too.
Your phone's built-in scanner can do this kind of two-page copy as well: Notes and Files on iPhone, Google Drive's scan button on Android. What they don't document is a mode that puts both sides on one page. Doc Scanner gives you both options in one app, plus free signatures, folders and no watermark on any page.
Make the copy readable
A driver's license is small, shiny and packed with fine print, which makes it one of the harder things to scan well. These habits fix most problems:
- Kill the glare. The laminate reflects ceiling lights straight into the camera. Scan next to a window in daylight, switch off the light above you, or tilt the phone a few degrees until the bright spot slides off the card.
- Contrast behind the card. A dark table or a sheet of dark paper makes a light license pop; avoid busy patterns.
- Choose the right filter. Magic Color brightens colours and text, Grayscale gives a neat black-and-white office copy that still shows the photo, Contrast sharpens faint print on the back, and Lighten rescues a dim shot. B&W is great for paper documents but can turn a license photo into a dark blob.
- Zoom and check. The license number, the expiration date and your photo must be readable. If they're not, rescan; it takes seconds.
- Right size for the job. Medium quality keeps e-mail attachments light; High looks best on paper.
Send it with a password (Premium)
Your license shows your full name, date of birth, address and license number. Before you send it, consider locking the PDF: turn on Protect with password in the Share screen and Doc Scanner encrypts the file with AES-256 (Premium). Tell the recipient the password by phone or text, not in the same e-mail. Here's more on how to password-protect a PDF.
Since the scan is made and processed on your phone, there's no detour through an online converter or someone else's server before the file reaches the person who asked for it.
What this copy is (and is not) for
A scan of your license is a copy for paperwork: rental and job applications, insurance and car rental bookings, forms that ask you to attach both sides, and a spare copy on your own phone in case the card goes missing.
It is not a replacement for the license itself. When you're driving, at a rental counter or at a checkpoint, you'll usually need to show the physical card. Doc Scanner also doesn't read the barcode on the back, doesn't read chips and doesn't verify that a license is genuine: it makes a clean image copy, and that's all most forms need.
Scanning other travel and identity papers? See how to scan a passport with your phone.
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Doc Scanner is free to download for iPhone and Android. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up required.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I scan my driver's license on my phone?
Install Doc Scanner on your iPhone or Android phone, open the Tools tab, tap ID Card (Premium), choose Both Sides and capture the front and the back. On the free plan, use Document mode to scan both sides into a two-page PDF.
Can I put both sides of my license on one page?
Yes. ID card mode (Premium) places the front and back of your driver's license on one A4-style page, which you can share as a PDF or JPG or print. When you export a PDF you can also choose A4 or Letter as the page size.
Is ID card mode free?
Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs. Premium unlocks text extraction, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs and more.
Does the app read the license barcode?
No. Doc Scanner copies the license as an image. It doesn't decode the barcode on the back, read chips or verify the license.
What format should I send my license scan in?
PDF for e-mail and most online forms, JPG when an upload field accepts images only. Medium quality keeps the file small; High is best for printing.
Is it safe to scan my driver's license with an app?
Doc Scanner scans and processes your license on your phone, so nothing is uploaded to be scanned. There are no ads and no sign-up, and you can lock the PDF with a password and AES-256 encryption before sharing it (Premium). See is Doc Scanner safe?
Sources
- Apple Support: How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Drive Help: Scan documents (Android) (checked 2026-10-01)
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Apple, Google and Google Drive. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Related pages
- Scan ID cardsScan both sides of an ID card onto one page with Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android. Front and back on one A4-style PDF or JPG, ready to print or share.
- PassportScan your passport photo page into a sharp PDF or JPG with Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android. Auto edges, tips to beat glare and visa-ready files, no ads.
- Insurance cardScan an insurance card front and back with your phone. Doc Scanner puts both sides on one page (Premium) or a free two-page PDF, ready to upload or email.
- Social Security cardScan your Social Security card on iPhone or Android with Doc Scanner. Processed on your phone, no sign-up, no ads, and a password-locked PDF (Premium).
- Scan on iPhoneStep-by-step: scan a document on iPhone with Notes or Files, or with Doc Scanner for searchable multi-page PDFs, ID cards on one page and more export formats.
- Scan on AndroidStep-by-step: scan a document on an Android phone with Google Drive, Files by Google or Doc Scanner, save it as a PDF or JPG and share it.
- Is Doc Scanner safe?Is Doc Scanner safe? Who makes it (Ginowl, Türkiye), what happens to your scans, its permissions, and how to find the right iPhone or Android app.