This guide is for individuals going through a Persona-powered identity verification flow. While we’ve included helpful tips, the verification was set up by the business, service, or organization that asked you to verify. They use Persona as a tool, and they ultimately decide what’s required and can assist with your specific situation, if you’re having trouble.
Why covers cause problems
A plastic sleeve, passport holder, or lamination layer is another surface the camera has to look through. The reflection it adds can show up as glare, and the material can blur or distort the details behind it, which makes the document harder to scan.
What to try
- Remove the document from its sleeve, holder, or case before scanning.
- If you keep it in a wallet, take it out of the wallet.
- Lay it flat on a dark surface and keep both hands and the holder out of the frame.
- If lamination is sealed over the card and you cannot remove it, reposition the card or the light so the glare moves off the barcode and the printed text.
After you scan
You can put the document back in its holder once the verification flow accepts the capture. The scan just needs a clean read, and a document inside a sleeve usually cannot give one.
Still not reading
For a card that is permanently laminated or protected, work through the fixes in My ID or passport is damaged. If it is still not readable, the company that sent you the verification can suggest an alternative document.