How to scan and protect documents on iPhone: a UK passport or photocard licence
In the Files app, tap the More button, choose Scan Documents, capture the passport photo page or both sides of your photocard licence and tap Save; the PDF sits in the folder you chose with no lock of its own. Ask first whether a scan is wanted at all, since right to work and right to rent checks rely on originals or share codes, and mark any copy you do send with who it is for.
The scanner built into Files turns a passport or photocard licence into a straight, cropped PDF. The harder parts come either side of it: knowing whether the person asking needs that PDF at all, and keeping the copy from going further than you meant it to.
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 scanner finds the edges and captures the page 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 location 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 saves the scan as a PDF inside the note. The Camera app is no substitute: it takes an ordinary photo, which lands in your photo library among everything else.
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.
Where the scan is saved
Files puts the PDF wherever you pointed it before tapping Save: On My iPhone keeps it on this phone, iCloud Drive copies it to every device on your Apple Account. Recents in Files finds it again. A Notes scan stays inside its note until you tap Share and choose Save to Files.
Locking it away
A PDF in Files is open to anyone holding your unlocked iPhone. Since iOS 18 you can touch and hold the Files icon and choose Require Face ID, which locks the whole app; or keep the scan in a locked note, which works for scans made in Notes but not for imported PDFs. The guide to password-protecting document photos compares the options, the Hidden album included.
Before you send a copy
A copy you email to a letting agent stays in their inbox, their case file and their downloads. Mark it so it cannot quietly serve anyone else: the free watermark tool writes the recipient, the purpose and the date across it. Where the recipient agrees, the redaction tool blacks out what they do not need, such as your passport number, and burns the box into the copy.
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. All of them run in the browser without uploading your document. Delete the copies left in Downloads, Mail and chats once the request is done.
Scanning and keeping it in Dokus
Dokus has its own scanner. It keeps the passport or licence as one encrypted document with both sides, opened with Face ID even offline, and screenshots of it come out blank. When someone asks for a copy, it sends a compressed PDF or JPG marked with the recipient and the date, with any areas you choose hidden, at no cost.
Questions about scanning
Where do scanned documents go on iPhone?
A scan made in Files is saved as a PDF in the location you picked before tapping Save, either On My iPhone or a folder in iCloud Drive, and Recents in Files lists it. A scan made in Notes stays inside the note as a PDF until you tap Share and choose Save to Files.
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. Only the issuing service can add a credential to it.