How to Scan a Birth Certificate with Your iPhone
Use Document mode, flatten the certificate under a book for a few minutes first, and light it from the side so the raised seal casts a visible shadow instead of vanishing. Keep the capture in colour and resist heavy contrast — the security background is part of what makes the copy credible. Everything is processed on your iPhone, so the certificate is not uploaded to a server.
Tools used: Crop & perspective fixRotateBrightness & contrastOCR text recognitionPDF conversion
Step by step
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Flatten the folds first
Most birth certificates have lived folded in a drawer for years, and a fold running through the name field creates a shadow line that edge detection reads as a page boundary. Leave it flat under a heavy book for a few minutes before you scan; that alone fixes more bad captures than any editing tool.
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Light it from the side so the seal shows
An embossed or raised seal is invisible under flat overhead light because it has no ink — it is texture. Light coming from one side casts a shallow shadow across the embossing and makes it readable in the scan. Rotate the certificate on the table until the seal reads clearly in the viewfinder.
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Capture in Document mode on a dark surface
Certificates are often printed on cream, pale green, or pale blue security stock, which blends into a light desk and confuses edge detection. A dark surface underneath gives the app a clean boundary, and Document mode is tuned for full-sheet subjects rather than cards.
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Edit gently
Square the page with Crop & perspective fix and use Rotate if you shot it landscape. Go easy on Brightness & contrast — pushing it hard flattens the guilloche background pattern and the fine engraved lines, and a certificate that looks scrubbed clean can read as suspect to whoever receives it.
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Export a colour PDF
Export to PDF in colour so the seal, any coloured ink signature, and the security tint all survive. Before you send it, open the PDF and confirm the registration number, the date, and the registrar's signature are all legible at full zoom.
Frequently asked
- Is a scanned birth certificate legally valid?
- Usually not on its own. Many authorities accept a scan for an initial submission but require the original or a certified copy later, and some require a certified copy from the outset. A phone scan is a copy, not a certified document — confirm what the recipient accepts before you rely on it.
- How do I scan a raised or embossed seal so it shows up?
- Use side lighting and shoot straight down. The embossing only becomes visible when light rakes across it at a low angle, so a lamp or window to one side works far better than a ceiling light directly above. Do not try to recover it afterwards with contrast — if the shadow was not captured, there is nothing to enhance.
- Should I scan the back of the certificate?
- Scan it if there is anything printed or stamped there — some registrars put an apostille, an amendment note, or a certification stamp on the reverse. A blank back adds nothing, but a missed amendment note means resubmitting.
- Why does the coloured background look blotchy in my scan?
- That is usually contrast pushed too far, which turns a smooth security tint into visible banding. Reduce the adjustment and rescan under more even light. Some fine patterns also interact with the camera sensor at certain distances — moving slightly closer or further away and recapturing clears it.
- Does the app upload the certificate anywhere?
- No. Capture and text recognition run entirely on the device using Apple's built-in frameworks, and document images are not sent to a server. Exporting to PDF or JPG is free and unwatermarked, with no account required.
Last updated 2026-07-28