How to scan your passport photo page with your phone
Updated
Wondering how to scan passport pages without a flatbed scanner? Open the passport at the photo page, point Doc Scanner at it, and the app finds the edges, straightens the page and saves a crisp PDF or JPG you can upload to a visa form, send to HR or attach to a booking, in a few taps on iPhone or Android.
Doc Scanner by Ginowl is free to download, shows no ads, adds no watermark and needs no sign-up. Scanning and image processing happen on your phone, so your passport copy isn't sent to a server to be processed.
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How to scan a passport photo page in 6 steps
Open the photo page and lay it flat
Open the passport at the photo page (the page with your picture and the two lines of characters at the bottom). Lay it on a plain, dark, matte surface and press along the spine so the page lies as flat as possible.
Tap Scan
On the Home screen tap the Scan button to open the document scanner, or go to the Tools tab and tap Document.
Let the edges lock on
Hold the phone parallel to the page, about a hand's width above it. Doc Scanner detects the edges, corrects the perspective and captures the page automatically. Drag a corner if you want a tighter frame.
Clean up the scan
Use Crop and rotate if needed, then pick a filter: Original or Magic Color for a true colour copy, Grayscale for a printer-friendly one. Avoid B&W for passports, because it can wash out your photo.
Add other pages if the form asks for them
Need the signature page or a visa page too? Tap Add page, or switch the camera to Batch and capture several pages into one PDF. You can reorder or delete pages afterwards.
Share as PDF or JPG
Tap Share, choose PDF or JPG, set the Quality (Low, Medium or High) and Page Size (Original, A4 or Letter), then share, save or print. Add Protect with password if you send the PDF by e-mail (Premium).
| Where it's going | Format | Doc Scanner settings |
|---|---|---|
| Online visa or travel form | JPG or PDF, as the form says | Original or Magic Color, Quality Medium; drop to Low if the upload is rejected for size |
| Employer or HR onboarding | Magic Color, Quality High, Page Size Original | |
| Printed copy | Grayscale, Page Size A4 or Letter, then Print | |
| E-mail to an agent or hotel | Quality Medium, Protect with password (Premium) |
Scan the photo page in seconds
A passport photo page is exactly the kind of document a phone scanner is good at: one page, high contrast, and a fixed size. Doc Scanner's Document mode handles the hard part for you. Smart edge detection outlines the page, perspective correction straightens an angled shot, and auto-capture fires the moment the page is steady.
On Android, edge detection runs on Google Play services' document scanner; on iPhone it runs on iOS 15.5 or later. Either way you get a clean, flatbed-style scan, ready to share as a PDF or JPG.
A passport is a booklet, not a card, so use Document or Batch mode for it. ID Card mode is built for two-sided cards such as a driver's license or ID card.
Tips for a sharp copy without glare
The photo page of most passports is covered by a glossy security laminate with holographic patterns. That film is what usually ruins a phone scan, so a few habits make a big difference:
- Turn the flash off. A flash bounces straight off the laminate and leaves a white hotspot over your photo or your passport number.
- Use soft side light. Daylight from a window to one side works better than a ceiling lamp directly above you.
- Tilt slightly if you still see a reflection. Moving the phone or the light a few degrees shifts the glare off the important parts; perspective correction straightens the page afterwards.
- Keep your fingers off the page. Hold the booklet open at the edges or weigh the opposite page down with something flat.
- Check the bottom lines. The two rows of characters at the bottom of the page should be fully inside the frame and readable when you zoom in.
If the scan still looks dull, apply Magic Color, or use Lighten for a page shot in a dim room. Filters apply per page or to all pages at once.
Passport copies for visas, I-9 paperwork and bookings
Common requests for a passport scan include:
- Visa and eVisa applications, which usually want the photo page as a JPG or PDF upload. Our guide to scanning documents for a visa application covers the full set of papers.
- Employment paperwork, such as Form I-9 in the US, where HR often asks for a copy of the photo page alongside the original. Follow your employer's instructions on how they want to see the original document.
- Hotel, car rental, travel and booking requests that want a copy before arrival.
Portals often cap the file size. If an upload is rejected, share the scan again with a lower Quality setting rather than retaking it. If a form wants several documents in one file, scan them in a row with Batch mode, or follow our guide on scanning multiple pages into one PDF.
Doc Scanner vs. your phone's built-in scanner
Your phone can already make a basic scan: on iPhone, the Notes app (and the Files app) has a Scan Documents option, and on Android, Google Drive has a scan button. For one quick copy they work.
Doc Scanner is the better tool for a passport because it gives you the choices visa portals and HR systems care about:
- PDF or JPG export from the same scan, so you match whatever the form asks for.
- Quality and Page Size options to fit size limits or print on A4 or Letter.
- Six filters (Original, Magic Color, Grayscale, B&W, Lighten, Contrast) to fix dull or dark shots.
- Folders to keep travel documents together, and the same app and steps on iPhone and Android.
- Password-protected PDFs with AES-256 encryption before you e-mail a copy (Premium).
New to phone scanning in general? Start with how to scan documents on iPhone.
Keep it private: on-phone processing and PDF passwords (Premium)
A passport scan is one of the most sensitive files on your phone. Doc Scanner scans and processes images on the device, shows no ads and doesn't require you to create an account. Text recognition also runs on the phone, and nothing is uploaded for recognition.
Before you send the copy, you can lock the PDF with a password and AES-256 encryption: tap Share, then Protect with password, or use Protect PDF in the Tools tab. Password protection is a Premium feature. Send the password separately from the file. Read more about password-protecting a PDF.
What a phone scan can't do
Doc Scanner makes an image copy of the printed page. It does not read the electronic chip inside a passport, it does not verify your identity, and it is not a passport photo maker. If an airline, a government app or a bank asks you to verify your passport inside its own app, use that app for the check. Use Doc Scanner when someone asks for a copy or a scan of the page.
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
How do I scan my passport with my iPhone?
Open the passport at the photo page and lay it flat. In Doc Scanner tap Scan (or Tools → Document) and hold the iPhone parallel to the page: the app detects the edges and captures it. Then tap Share and choose PDF or JPG. Turn the flash off to avoid glare on the laminate.
Can I scan a passport with an Android phone?
Yes. Doc Scanner runs on Android 7.0 or later and uses Google Play services' document scanner for automatic edge detection. The steps are the same as on iPhone: tap Scan (or Tools → Document), let the edges lock on, then Share as PDF or JPG.
Can the app read the passport chip?
No. Doc Scanner copies the printed photo page as an image or PDF. It does not read the electronic chip and does not verify identity. Use the official app of the airline or agency when they ask for a chip check.
Which format do visa forms want?
Most online visa forms accept a JPG or a PDF of the photo page, and many set a maximum file size. Doc Scanner exports both formats from the same scan; choose Medium or Low quality if the upload is too large, and always follow the format the form names.
Should I scan my passport in colour?
Use colour unless the form says otherwise. Pick Original or Magic Color for a true colour copy and keep B&W for plain text documents, because it can make your photo hard to see.
Is Doc Scanner 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.
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Apple and Google. 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.
- 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.
- 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.