How to scan an ID card front and back on your iPhone

With an ID card mode: both sides on one page

The SignMaster app for iPhone and iPad has an ID card mode built for this. Scanning is free on every plan, including Free.

1. 1

   Pick ID card

   Open the Scan tab and choose ID card in the row of modes above the shutter. Lay the card on a plain, dark surface, like a desk or a closed laptop.

2. 2

   Scan the front

   Tap the shutter and hold the phone flat above the card. Apple's document camera captures it as soon as it finds the four edges.

3. 3

   Flip it and scan the back

   Turn the card over in the same spot and let the camera capture the second side, then finish the scan.

4. 4

   Check the page

   Both sides land on one Letter page, front above back, at the card's real size, so a printout at 100% looks like a photocopy. A card shot sideways is turned upright. Use Crop, Rotate or a different look if a side needs it.

5. 5

   Save and share

   Tap the checkmark. The scan is named for you, like "ID card · Nov 9, 2:14 PM"; rename it, pick a folder if you like, and tap Save PDF. Then share it, save it to Files, or send it with a form for signature.

Already have photos of both sides? Tap Photos instead of the shutter and pick the front, then the back. Scanning IDs for two people? Capture four sides in one go and every pair becomes its own page. For a passport, use the Passport mode, which places the photo page on one page at real size.

With the iPhone's built-in scanner: two pages

Notes, Files and, on iOS 26 and later, Preview all have Scan Documents. In Notes, open a note, tap the attachments button and choose Scan Documents; in Files, tap More, then Scan Documents. Scan the front, then the back, and finish. The result is a two-page PDF, one side per page, which most upload forms accept.

If the form asks for both sides on a single page, the built-in scanner can't lay them out that way. Adobe Scan's free ID card capture type also puts both sides on one page; CamScanner's FAQ lists its ID card layout as a Premium feature.

Get a copy people can read

• Kill the glare. Laminated cards reflect overhead lights. Turn off the flash, step out of direct light, or tilt the phone slightly until the shine leaves the numbers.
• Keep the whole card in. Don't crop the edges; some offices reject a copy that cuts off the expiry date or the card border.
• Use color. The ID card mode starts in color, which shows holograms and photos the way a checker expects.
• Zoom in before you send. Check the license number, date of birth and expiry are sharp at full size.

Keep the copy private

A scanned ID is everything someone needs to impersonate you, so treat the PDF like the card itself.

• Send it the way they ask. A landlord's portal or a secure upload beats an email thread that sits in two inboxes forever.
• Cover what they don't need. If they only need to see your name and photo, black out the license number. In SignMaster, choose Edit after saving and draw a redaction box; the page is rebuilt so nothing under the box survives. More in how to redact a PDF.
• Mark the copy. In More export options, turn on Add a watermark and type your own words, like "For 18 Birch Lane lease application only". The document in SignMaster stays clean.
• Lock it. In the same place, Lock with a password asks for a password before the PDF opens. Send the password by text or a call, not in the same email.
• Delete it when you're done. In Documents, move the scan to Trash, then delete it for good from Trash.

Collecting IDs from customers instead? Ask for the photo inside the contract they sign, so it's filed with the signed copy; see how to collect a photo ID with a contract.