Persona Help Center
This article teaches individuals how to upload their passports to a Persona flow for identity verification purposes. For example, this article would work for someone trying to upload a passport to a delivery app that uses Persona to verify driver identities.
For companies looking to set up NFC or passport collection on Persona, please see our guide here.
Make sure your mobile device has an NFC reader
You need a phone or mobile device with an NFC reader (an NFC-enabled mobile device) to scan your passport and upload it to Persona.
If you have ever used your phone for a Tap to Pay transaction, then your phone has a qualifying NFC reader. Otherwise, search the internet to confirm your device model's NFC capability or consult your device's user manual.
Where is the NFC reader in my phone?
- iPhone: The NFC reader is at the top of the back of your phone.
- Android: The NFC reader is either at the top or in the middle of the back of your phone.
- Other device: Search the web to confirm the location of the NFC reader in your specific device model or look up your device's user manual.
Check whether your passport has an RFID chip
The NFC scan only works with biometric passports or e-passports (electronic passports), which contain an RFID chip.
You can confirm that your passport contains an RFID chip by checking the cover for this symbol:
Two electronic devices with NFC or RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology can communicate information within close proximity. You may have seen this before at payment registers that offer Tap to Pay. Learn more →
Find the NFC chip in your passport
The chip in your passport is in one of these places:
- Front cover
- Back cover
- Photo page or biodata page
- Dedicated chip page
Due to extra shielding on some passport covers, the chip may be easier to scan from one side of the cover than the other.
| Chip location | ||
|---|---|---|
| Front cover |  Outside |
 Inside |
| Back cover |  Outside |
 Inside |
 Passport Photo Page |
 Passport Card |
Troubleshooting
If you having trouble scanning your passport with your NFC-enabled device, try these steps:
- Remove your phone and passport from any wallets, cases, or added protective covers.
- Lay your passport on a hard, flat surface.
- Hold your mobile device flat against the top of the passport, with no gap between the two items.
- Run your phone very slowly across the surface of the passport in all directions, until your phone indicates that scanning has begun.
- As soon as scanning begins, hold your phone still against the passport until the scan completes.
If you're struggling to find the chip, scan the front cover, the back cover, the photo page, and any dedicated chip page inside your passport. Scan each cover or page from both sides.
For example, if you scanned the front cover of your passport with the passport closed, try again by scanning the inside of the front cover with the passport open.
Example Screenshots
Below are screenshots of what you can expect during an NFC verification.
Successful scan
| iOS | Android |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Select errors
| Error | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
| No scan performed: no scan was completed and the scanner timed out. |  |
|
| Lost connection: the device was moved away and there was not enough time to scan. |  |
 |
| Access error: scanner was unable to access the NFC data. In the previous step, check if the fields on the ID were extracted correctly. |  |
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