Language:Español
Scan an ID card: front and back on one page
Updated
Scan an ID card on both sides and get one page, not two loose photos: Doc Scanner's ID card mode (Premium) captures the front, then the back, and places both on a single A4-style page you can export as a PDF or JPG, print or share in seconds. It works the same on iPhone and Android.
Not on Premium? The free plan still scans both sides into one two-page PDF with automatic edge detection. Either way, Doc Scanner by Ginowl processes your ID on your phone, shows no ads, stamps no watermark and needs no sign-up.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Doc Scanner by Ginowl — iPhone & Android · Free to download
How to scan both sides of an ID card on one page
Open ID Card mode
In Doc Scanner, open the Tools tab and tap ID Card (Premium). The camera opens with a card-shaped frame on screen.
Choose Both Sides
Tap Both Sides below the frame. Single Side saves one side as its own page, which is handy for a card with nothing on the back.
Capture the front
Lay the card flat on a plain surface, hold your phone straight above it so the card fills the frame, and tap the shutter.
Capture the back
When the app says Now scan the BACK of the card, flip the card, line it up in the same frame and tap the shutter again. Doc Scanner puts both sides on one A4-style page and opens the document.
Polish the page
Rotate it if needed and pick a filter: Magic Color for vivid colour, Grayscale for a clean office copy, Lighten if the photo came out dark.
Share, save or print
Tap Share, choose PDF or JPG, set the quality and page size (Original, A4 or Letter), then send it through your phone's share sheet or tap Print.
| ID card mode (Premium) | Document mode (free plan) | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | Front and back on one A4-style page | Front and back as two pages in one PDF |
| How you capture | Card-shaped frame guide, front then back | Automatic edge detection, perspective correction and auto-capture |
| Export | PDF or JPG, or print directly | PDF (searchable) or JPG, or print directly |
| Best for | Forms and offices that want both sides on one sheet | Upload portals that accept a multi-page PDF |
Both sides, one page
Landlords, HR departments, banks and schools keep asking for the same thing: "a copy of both sides of your ID on one page." On a photocopier that means fiddling with an ID-copy menu. On your phone it means two taps.
Doc Scanner's ID card mode lays the front in the top half of an A4-style page and the back in the bottom half, each one scaled to the same width with a white margin around it. The result looks like a proper office copy: one page, both sides, nothing cut off. Export it as a PDF for e-mail and online forms, as a JPG for upload fields that only take images, or print it straight from the app.
Scan an ID card on iPhone or Android
The steps above are identical on both phones. There are two ways in:
- Tools tab: tap ID Card and the camera opens straight in ID card mode.
- Camera: switch the mode strip from Document to ID Card. The same strip holds Batch for long documents, Extract Text for pulling text out of a photo (Premium) and QR Scanner for reading QR codes.
Every ID card scan opens as a regular document, so you can rename it ("Lease - ID copy"), move it into a folder, merge it with an application form or add your free signature to the other pages before you send everything as one PDF.
Free plan: both sides as a two-page PDF
Plenty of upload portals only want "front and back", not one page. For those, the free plan is all you need. Tap the camera, stay in Document mode, scan the front, then the back. Automatic edge detection finds the card's corners, straightens the perspective and captures each side, and you get one PDF with the front on page 1 and the back on page 2.
That PDF gets an invisible text layer on export, so it's a searchable PDF too. The same technique handles a full application packet: see how to scan multiple pages into one PDF.
No printer ID-copy menu needed
Office printers often have an "ID copy" function, but that needs a flatbed and a working printer. Your phone is enough.
What about the scanner built into your phone? On iPhone, Notes and Files can scan documents, and on Android (and iPhone) Google Drive has a scan button. They capture page after page into a multi-page PDF, and their guides document no mode that puts a card's front and back on one page. When a form insists on a single sheet, you'd have to stitch the two images together somewhere else.
That "somewhere else" is often a free online ID-copy website, which means uploading your ID to a server you know nothing about. Doc Scanner does the layout on your phone instead: the scan, the processing and the finished page stay on the device until you decide to share them.
Tips for a sharp, readable ID scan
- Flat and still: put the card on a table, not in your hand. A plain dark surface makes a light card stand out; a white sheet of paper works for dark cards.
- Beat the glare: laminated and plastic cards reflect light. Turn off overhead lights or tilt the phone slightly until the shiny spot leaves the card. Daylight from a window is ideal.
- Fill the frame: hold the phone parallel to the card and close enough that the card fills the on-screen frame, so the text is as large as possible.
- Same position for both sides: flip the card in place so the front and back come out the same size on the page.
- Pick the right file: PDF for e-mail and most forms, JPG for image-only upload fields. Medium quality keeps the file small for e-mail; High is best for printing.
Send it safely: PDF password (Premium)
An ID copy is exactly the kind of file you don't want sitting unprotected in someone's inbox. When you export a PDF, turn on Protect with password to lock it with AES-256 encryption (Premium), then share the password by a different route, such as a text message or a phone call.
Send ID copies only to organisations that asked for them. For more on what to look for in an app that handles personal papers, read our guide to a safe scanner app.
Which cards fit ID card mode
ID card mode is made for standard card-sized documents with two sides:
- National ID cards and residence permits
- Driver's licenses, front and back on one page
- Health insurance cards
- Student, employee and membership cards
- India's Aadhaar card and other two-sided government cards
A passport is a booklet, not a card, so scan its photo page in Document mode instead: here's how to scan a passport with your phone.
Scan your first document in seconds
Doc Scanner is free to download for iPhone and Android. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up required.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Frequently asked questions
Can I scan both sides of an ID card onto one page?
Yes. Doc Scanner's ID card mode (Premium) captures the front and the back and places them on one A4-style page, which you can export as a PDF or JPG, share or print.
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. On the free plan you can still scan the front and back as a two-page PDF in Document mode.
How do I scan an ID card on iPhone?
Install Doc Scanner from the App Store, open the Tools tab, tap ID Card, choose Both Sides, then capture the front and the back. The steps are the same on Android.
Can I scan an ID card without uploading it to a website?
Yes. Doc Scanner scans your ID and builds the page on your phone, so nothing is uploaded to be scanned. The finished file only leaves your phone when you share it, and you can lock the PDF with a password first (Premium).
Does Doc Scanner read the chip or barcode on my ID?
No. Doc Scanner makes an image copy of the card. It doesn't read chips, decode barcodes or check whether an ID is genuine.
What page size and format do I get?
Both sides sit on one A4-style page. When you share it, choose PDF or JPG, a page size (Original, A4 or Letter) and the quality (Low, Medium or High).
Sources
- Apple Support: How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (checked 2026-10-01)
- iPhone User Guide: Scan text and documents in Notes (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Drive Help: Scan documents (Android) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Google Drive Help: Scan documents (iPhone and iPad) (checked 2026-10-01)
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Apple, Google and Google Drive. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Related pages
- Driver's licenseScan a driver's license with your iPhone or Android phone: front and back on one PDF page with Doc Scanner, or a free two-page PDF. Ready to e-mail.
- 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.
- Aadhaar cardPut your Aadhaar card front and back on one page with Doc Scanner's ID Card mode (Premium) on iPhone and Android. Share it as a PDF or JPG for any form.
- 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).
- Many pages, one PDFScan multiple pages into one PDF on iPhone or Android: Batch mode captures page after page, then reorder, add or merge. No watermarks, no ads, no sign-up.
- JPG to PDFConvert JPG to PDF on iPhone or Android: combine several photos into one PDF, reorder pages, pick A4 or Letter. No watermark, no upload, on the free plan.
- Safe scanner appDoc Scanner is a safe scanner app for iPhone and Android: scans and text recognition are processed on your phone. No ads, no sign-up, AES-256 PDF lock.