--- title: "How to scan an Australian passport, driver licence or Medicare card on iPhone" description: "Scan both sides of a licence or Medicare card and the photo page of a passport with the iPhone’s Files app, then check the copy against ImmiAccount and 100-point rules." canonical: "https://dokus.app/en-au/scan-id-on-iphone/" lang: "en-AU" reviewed: "2026-10-06" app_store: "https://apps.apple.com/au/app/dokus-private-id-wallet/id6781915709" translations: en: "https://dokus.app/scan-id-on-iphone/" en-GB: "https://dokus.app/en-gb/scan-id-on-iphone/" en-CA: "https://dokus.app/en-ca/scan-id-on-iphone/" en-AU: "https://dokus.app/en-au/scan-id-on-iphone/" pt-BR: "https://dokus.app/pt/escanear-rg-no-iphone/" pt-PT: "https://dokus.app/pt-pt/digitalizar-cartao-cidadao-iphone/" es: "https://dokus.app/es/escanear-dni-iphone/" es-MX: "https://dokus.app/es-mx/escanear-ine-iphone/" fr: "https://dokus.app/fr/scanner-carte-identite-iphone/" de: "https://dokus.app/de/personalausweis-iphone-scannen/" he: "https://dokus.app/he/scan-id-on-iphone/" ar: "https://dokus.app/ar/scan-id-on-iphone/" hi: "https://dokus.app/hi/scan-id-on-iphone/" ja: "https://dokus.app/ja/scan-id-on-iphone/" zh-Hans: "https://dokus.app/zh/scan-id-on-iphone/" --- # How to scan an Australian passport, driver licence or Medicare card on iPhone Open Files, tap More, then Scan Documents, and capture each side of the card or the photo page of the passport; tap Keep Scan, then Save to get one PDF. Before you send it, check what the portal takes: ImmiAccount, for example, accepts clear photos of documents and files up to 5 MB, but not encrypted PDFs. Dokus scans your Australian cards and passport into one encrypted wallet, both sides together, opened with Face ID. [Free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/au/app/dokus-private-id-wallet/id6781915709) ![Specimen Australian passport photo page with made-up details. A scan is a copy, not a travel document.](https://dokus.app/assets/specimens/en-AU/hero/passport.1ef2261b.webp) Specimen Australian passport photo page with made-up details. A scan is a copy, not a travel document. Visa applications, 100-point checks and rental applications all end with someone wanting your documents as files. The iPhone’s Files app scans them without another app. ## Scan in the Files app 1. Open Files and tap More (the three dots), then Scan Documents. 2. Hold the iPhone over the document. In Auto mode it captures by itself; otherwise tap the shutter or press a volume button. 3. Drag the corners to the document’s edges and tap Keep Scan. 4. Scan the next side or page, then tap Done. 5. Choose where to save and tap Save. ## What to capture on each document - **Driver licence:** both sides. A NSW card shows a card number at the top right as well as the licence number; Service NSW says the licence number alone cannot pass a Document Verification Service check, so a full scan, showing both, should go only where a check needs it. - **Australian passport:** the photo page, with the two machine-readable lines at the bottom sharp. The Passport Office advises never sharing photos of your passport online and giving its details only to organisations that legitimately need them. - **Medicare card:** only when the form lists it; the ROVER list below counts it as a secondary document. - **Visa:** a visa holder can send proof of visa conditions to an employer or landlord through VEVO instead of a passport scan. ## Check the portal’s rules before you upload **ImmiAccount.** Home Affairs accepts photos of documents if they are clear and show all the document information. Attachments other than your own digital photograph can be up to 5 MB each, as PDF, JPG, PNG and more, but not as encrypted or secured PDFs. You cannot open a file again from your account once it is uploaded, so keep your own copy. **100-point checks.** Each organisation publishes its own list. The federal ROVER vehicle-import portal, for example, asks for copies of both sides of every document and scores an Australian passport at 70 points, a driver licence at 40 and a Medicare card at 25. **Paper applications.** Home Affairs asks for certified copies when you apply on paper. A certifier, such as a justice of the peace, a pharmacist or a police officer, compares your copy with the original and signs it. ## After the scan Over the limit? The [compression tool](/en-au/compress-id-scan/) shrinks it in your browser; for both sides on one A4 page, use the [photo to PDF tool](/en-au/id-card-to-pdf/). A PDF in Files has no lock of its own, so [lock the Files app](/en-au/store-documents-on-iphone/) and delete copies left in Downloads and chats once the application is in. Dokus scans straight into an encrypted wallet on your iPhone, keeps front and back under one name, opens offline with Face ID, and shares smaller PDF or JPG copies marked with the recipient’s name. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a certified copy, or is a phone scan enough? It depends on the channel. Home Affairs asks for certified copies on paper applications, signed by someone such as a justice of the peace, pharmacist or police officer, while ImmiAccount accepts clear photos or scans of the original attached online. ### Why won’t ImmiAccount take my PDF? ImmiAccount does not accept encrypted or secured PDF files, which often happens with documents downloaded from a website. Home Affairs suggests printing and scanning a new copy; a scan saved from the Files app has no password. ## Sources Reviewed on 6 October 2026 - [Scan documents on iPhone (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-au/108963) - [Attach documents to your application (Department of Home Affairs)](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online/attach-documents-to-your-application) - [Certified copy (Department of Home Affairs)](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/on-paper/certified-copy) - [ROVER identity document guide (Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts)](https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/vehicles/rvs/rover-resources/identity-verification-guide) - [Data breaches (Service NSW)](https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/guide/data-breaches) - [Data breaches and scams (Australian Passport Office)](https://www.passports.gov.au/help/data-breaches-and-scams) - [Check visa conditions online, VEVO (Department of Home Affairs)](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/check-conditions-online)