Identity document OCR API for passports and ID cards

Structured data extraction for KYC, onboarding and document automation.

Send passport, national ID, residence permit, visa or driver license images to one REST API and receive normalized JSON fields, MRZ data, confidence scores and source traces.

Asynchronous scan sessions with polling or wait-for-result responses

Multi-image fusion combines front and back into one result

No long-term document image retention by default.

Built for businesses and apps that need reliable, privacy-first identity document verification.

IdScanly identity document OCR API workflow

Identity document OCR API

Passport, ID Card and Driver License Data Extraction

IdScanly is an identity document OCR API for extracting names, document numbers, dates of birth, expiry dates, nationality and other structured fields from passports, national ID cards, residence permits, visas and driver licenses.

Backend teams can automate KYC onboarding, account opening, hotel check-in, visitor registration and vehicle rental workflows through a documented REST API instead of building country-specific OCR pipelines.

OCR, MRZ recognition, barcode reading and multi-image analysis combine front and back document images into normalized JSON results with confidence scores and field-level source traces.

Common use cases

Common Identity Verification Use Cases

KYC and Customer Onboarding

Automate customer registration by extracting identity data from passports, national ID cards and driver licenses.

Fintech and Banking

Accelerate Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures and reduce manual data entry during account creation.

Travel and Hospitality

Capture guest information from passports and identity cards during hotel check-in processes.

Access Control and Security

Verify visitor identities and automate registration workflows using machine-readable identity documents.

Car Rental and Mobility Services

Extract and validate driver license information during vehicle rental and onboarding processes.

Document signal
MRZ
Validation
Checksums
Merged with
OCR + barcode

MRZ recognition and passport OCR

MRZ Recognition API

Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) recognition allows software systems to extract highly reliable identity information directly from passports and many government-issued identity cards.

IdScanly automatically detects MRZ zones, validates checksum digits and merges MRZ information with OCR and barcode results to increase extraction accuracy.

The MRZ scanner API is suitable for passport verification, border control systems, travel applications and digital identity onboarding workflows.

Privacy-first verification

Privacy-First Identity Verification API

Many document scanning solutions store sensitive identity documents indefinitely. IdScanly was designed differently.

Identity document images are processed in memory and discarded after processing by default. No document archives, galleries or long-term image storage are required.

This architecture helps organizations reduce compliance risks while maintaining control over personal information.

  • No long-term identity document image storage by default
  • No document galleries or archives required
  • Designed to reduce privacy and compliance exposure

Why this is different

Parallel OCR layers

Multiple independent recognition engines run concurrently - text, color, MRZ, barcode, and visual zones process in parallel so results arrive fast.

Zero storage by default

Images are processed and discarded. No document gallery, no retention by default. Configure your own retention policy if needed.

Session-based fusion

Upload front and back into one session. The engine continuously merges candidates and selects the strongest value per field across all images.

Confidence scores + source traces

Every extracted field includes:

  • Confidence score (0–1)
  • Source layer (MRZ, OCR, barcode)
  • Originating image ID
  • Alternative candidates

Multi-country support

Designed for multiple document formats and countries. Unknown document types still return partial fields and raw OCR data.

Built for your backend

Backend developer integrating the IdScanly OCR API

API Integration

Call the REST API from your own backend. Submit images, poll for results, read structured fields.

  • Session-based workflow: create → upload → poll
  • Partial results available before processing completes
  • JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC/HEIF supported

Best for:

Backend teams, fintechs, KYC platforms, onboarding flows, access control systems

Server infrastructure for private identity document processing

Self-hosted / Enterprise

Run IdScanly on your own infrastructure for maximum data sovereignty and custom SLAs.

  • Deploy on your own servers or private cloud
  • Full control over data retention and encryption
  • Custom rate limits, audit logs, and monitoring

Best for:

Regulated industries, government, large enterprises, privacy-critical deployments

What it extracts

Structured field extraction designed for compliance and downstream processing.

  • Name, document number, date of birth, expiry date, nationality
  • Document type + issuing country, MRZ data with checksum validation
  • All fields returned as JSON with confidence scores and source traces

Supported fields vary by document type. Unknown documents still return partial data.

Structured identity document data extraction workflow

Security & privacy

Privacy is a design constraint, not a checkbox.

Server-side processing

No image retention

No document databases

No plaintext logging

Designed for compliance

API responses carry Cache-Control: no-store. Images are processed and not retained by default. Request IDs are logged - not document content.

Enterprise controls:

  • Configurable retention periods and encryption keys
  • Network allowlisting / IP restrictions
  • Audit-friendly logs (request IDs and metadata only)

How it works

Simple, three-step integration

1

Create a session

One API call initializes a scan session and returns a session identifier you use for uploads and polling.

2

Upload document images

Submit the front and back of the document as separate images in the same session. Multiple OCR engines process them in parallel.

3

Receive structured results

Poll the session endpoint or wait on the final upload until processing completes.

  • Partial fields appear as recognition layers finish
  • Final result includes merged fields with confidence scores

Pricing

Choose the plan that fits your integration

Pay as you go

For prototypes and variable usage.

Simple usage-based pricing per scan session with transparent volume tiers.

Get pricing
POPULAR

Monthly subscription

Predictable costs for production workloads.

Includes a monthly session allowance + discounted overage rate.

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Enterprise

Custom pricing for high volume, self-hosted deployments, and SLAs.

Includes dedicated infrastructure, custom rate limits, and integration support.

Contact us

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you store ID images?
No. Images are processed server-side and discarded. No document gallery or retention by default. Enterprise deployments can configure custom retention with encryption.
How do I authenticate?
Send your API key in the x-api-key request header. Keys are provisioned by IdScanly - contact support to request one. Never embed keys in client-side code.
Which countries and document types are supported?
Multi-country support is a core goal. The engine processes unknown document types and still returns partial fields, MRZ data, and raw OCR output. We continuously expand coverage.
Can I upload front and back of the same document?
Yes - this is recommended. Upload both into the same session. The engine fuses field candidates from all images and selects the strongest value per field.
When is the result ready?
Poll the session endpoint every few seconds, or use wait=true on the final image to receive the completed session in the upload response. The final result contains merged fields and confidence scores; partial fields remain available during asynchronous processing.

Coming soon

Features actively in development

PDF417 barcode support (US/Canada driver licenses)
Webhook notifications on session completion
Admin dashboard with usage metrics and error rates
Field validation rules (expiry checks, required fields)
Quality score endpoint before full processing
Batch session creation
Country rollout page with coverage details
Fraud-resistance signals in result metadata

Ready to integrate?

Get API access and start extracting structured data from identity documents today.