Products
MRZ reading
Reads the machine readable zone of the document and its checksum.
What the MRZ is
Most passports and identity cards carry a standardised machine readable zone, usually called the MRZ. Its lines use a machine-readable font, and only a defined set of characters belongs in them. Because the zone is built for machines, software can read it more directly than the rest of the document.
What the platform does with it
The document OCR reads the MRZ with its checksum.
What a checksum is for
A check digit is a value calculated from the characters it protects. When the digit that is printed and the digit that is calculated from the data disagree, the data was misread or does not hold what it claims to hold. That is why the checksum is read along with the text of the zone.
How it works in the flow
- The user photographs the document in the widget.
- The document is classified and the MRZ is located.
- The MRZ lines are read together with their checksum.
- The result is added to the document step of the session.
What your system receives
A document entry in the session results, with the status of the step. See session statuses.
Next
Read how document authenticity checks the image, or see the supported documents.
Questions, answered plainly
What is the MRZ?
The machine readable zone is the block of lines printed in a standardised machine-readable font on most passports and identity cards.
What does reading the MRZ with its checksum mean?
The platform reads the lines of the MRZ together with the check digits that belong to them.
Is MRZ reading a separate product?
No. It is part of document recognition and runs in every verification that includes a document step.
Can I check an MRZ myself?
The article on reading ID security features shows what to look at on a document, including the MRZ.