How to scan a UK passport or photocard licence on iPhone
In the Files app, tap the More button, choose Scan Documents, and capture the passport photo page or the front and back of your photocard licence before tapping Save. Ask first whether a scan is wanted at all: right to work and right to rent checks rely on originals or share codes, and car hire firms can take a DVLA check code.
The scanner built into Files turns a passport or photocard licence into a straight, cropped PDF. The harder part is knowing whether the person asking needs that PDF at all.
Is a scan what they need?
| Who is asking | What GOV.UK describes |
|---|---|
| Employer checking your right to work | Your originals checked with you present, an identity service provider, or a share code; the employer makes its own copy |
| Landlord in England checking your right to rent | Originals seen with you present, a registered Digital Verification Service, or a share code |
| Car hire firm checking your driving record | A check code from the View or share your driving licence information service, valid for 21 days |
| Anyone needing proof of an eVisa | A share code, valid for 90 days, plus your date of birth |
For a referencing pack, an agency file or your own records, a scan is the right tool.
Scan in the Files app
- Open Files and tap the More button at the top of the screen.
- Choose Scan Documents and lay the card on a plain, dark surface.
- In Auto mode the page is captured by itself. Otherwise tap the shutter or press a volume button, drag the corners to the card’s edges and tap Keep Scan.
- For a photocard, turn it over and capture the back as the second page.
- Tap Done, pick a folder and tap Save.
On iOS 26 you can also switch the flash or a filter; on a glossy photocard, light from one side with the flash off keeps glare off the photo. Notes has the same scanner under its Attachment button, and a note can then be locked.
Passport or photocard: what to capture
Passport. Open the booklet flat at the photo page, with the coded lines along the bottom inside the frame. Endorsement pages, such as a work visa, matter for an employer’s right to work copy; otherwise send only the pages requested.
Photocard licence. Scan both sides unless the request says front only, and glance at the date the photocard runs to: the DVLA asks you to renew it every 10 years.
Zoom in on the preview before saving: name, numbers and dates sharp, all four corners in view.
A4 prints and upload limits
To put both sides of a photocard on one A4 sheet at real size, use the ID card to PDF tool; if a form says the file is too large, the compression tool shrinks it. Both run in the browser without uploading your document.
Keeping the scan afterwards
A PDF in Files is unprotected unless you lock the whole app; the guide to password-protecting document photos compares the options. Delete copies left in Downloads, mail and chats once the request is done.
Dokus has its own scanner. It keeps the passport or licence as one encrypted document with both sides, opened with Face ID, and sends a compressed PDF or JPG marked with the recipient and the date.
Questions about scanning
Can I scan my BRP for a new job?
It will not help with a right to work check, because employers can no longer accept biometric residence cards or permits. Get a share code from your UKVI account and give it to the employer instead.
Can I add a scanned licence to GOV.UK Wallet?
No. GOV.UK says the wallet cannot be downloaded or used yet, apart from the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card saved through the GOV.UK One Login app, and that a driving licence will follow later. A scan never becomes a government credential.
