Redact an ID card or passport before you send it

What you can hide on an ID document

It all depends on what the organisation has to check. Often:

• the document number (ID card, passport, residence permit);
• the machine-readable lines at the bottom, which repeat that information;
• the date and place of birth, if only your name matters;
• the address on the back;
• the photo and the signature, when they are not required.

Keep at least what identifies you for the process at hand.

How to do it with Sumi

1. Drop the photo (PNG, JPEG or WebP) or the PDF. A phone photo is fine: if it is slightly tilted, it is straightened for reading.
2. The text is read on your device. Sumi flags passport and ID numbers when a label sits next to them, and the machine-readable lines.
3. Turn on "Find handwriting and signatures" in the scan card: the signature is boxed even if it is unreadable.
4. Use Draw box over the ID photo if it must go.
5. To add a note such as "Copy for rental application", write it on the printout afterwards, or on the document before you photograph it.
6. Preview, then Redact & download.

How to check the result in 10 seconds

Zoom in on each black area of the downloaded file: no letters show around it. The hidden metadata of the original photo, such as GPS location, has been removed.

Limits

Some organisations refuse an ID copy that is too heavily redacted. Hide what is not needed, not what they must check.

Questions