IdScanly / ID Card OCR
ID card OCR API for front and back data extraction
Bring information from both sides of an identity card into one structured result. IdScanly extracts supported fields from national ID card images for customer registration, onboarding and administrative records.
Add the front, back and clearer retakes of the same card to one session. Your application receives merged fields and confidence information to help prepare a record for confirmation.
Synthetic data — an illustration of extraction, for review.
- Name
- Alex Example
- Document number
- DEMO-0001
- Expiry date
- 2030-01-01
One identity card can spread information across two sides
The front of a card may show the holder's name and portrait, while the back carries issuing details, an address or a machine-readable zone. The arrangement varies between countries and document generations.
An ID card OCR API makes those details available as fields. With IdScanly, your application can collect the relevant views of a card without treating each side as an unrelated document.
Fields available from supported ID cards
| Field group | Information that may be available |
|---|---|
| Personal details | Name, name components, date and place of birth, nationality and sex |
| Card reference | Document type, document number and issuing country |
| Issuing and validity details | Issue date, expiry date and issuing authority |
| Printed addresses | Address information where present and supported |
| Other identifiers | Personal or national identification numbers where supported |
| Machine-readable information | Available MRZ or supported barcode data |
Different cards contain different information. A printed address is available only when the document provides it and the format is supported. It should not automatically be treated as the holder's current contact address.
Front, back and retakes belong to the same document
Submit the first image when it is ready, then add the remaining side or another photo to the same session. IdScanly combines available information into a merged result.
This is useful when one side supplies a field absent from the other, or a retake makes a previously obscured area readable. Your application keeps the document associated with the correct customer or administrative record.
A passport and an ID card remain separate documents, even when they belong to the same person.
Help users complete the document step
Reflective surfaces, small text and a missing reverse side can interrupt an ID card upload. Supported capture feedback gives your application information it can use to explain an appropriate correction.
Show the submitted image, make the required sides clear and let the user provide another photo when needed. Keep the final confirmation of important fields visible in your workflow.
Reuse reviewed data across registration workflows
Extracted ID card fields can help prepare an account application, guest record, visitor registration or rental document. Your system selects the relevant fields and decides where they are used.
See KYC and customer onboarding, guest registration and property rental administration.
ID card OCR questions
Do I always need both sides?
That depends on the card and the fields your process needs. Submit the relevant sides rather than assuming the front contains every required value.
Can IdScanly read ID cards without an MRZ?
The service reads supported visible document fields as well as available machine-readable information. Confirm support for the particular card version and fields your application needs.
Will every card return the same field set?
No. Country, document version, printed content and image quality affect the available output. Build your record around the fields required for your process.
Does a high confidence score mean the ID is genuine?
Confidence helps assess the extracted reading. It does not independently establish that the card is genuine or belongs to the person submitting it.
Can I use OCR results to prefill a form?
Yes. Your application can map the returned fields to a draft form and ask the user or your team to confirm them.
Check the cards your customers actually use
Start with the countries, card versions and field requirements relevant to your service. Evaluate the available result before choosing how to handle confirmation and missing information.
Try ID card OCR · Review document coverage · Discuss your ID documents