OCR Studio ready for new ICAO/ISO MRZ format

Document recognition technology developer OCR Studio has confirmed support for next-generation ICAO/ISO machine-readable zone (MRZ) format in identity documents.

The Dubai-headquartered optical character recognition firm notes that its system correctly handles IDs that follow the current  International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc 9303 specification, endorsed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as ISO Standard 7501. It also supports IDs that comply with the new standard once it is officially adopted.

The next-generation MRZ represents a significant revision of the ICAO Doc 9303 specifications: It introduces an expanded system of document codes to help classify ordinary, diplomatic, service, temporary and emergency passports more quickly.

It also strengthens printing requirements for MRZs, updates rules for generating digital MRZ analogues for mobile IDs and raises consistency requirements between the visual inspection zone and the machine-readable zone.

The transition to the new standards will not happen overnight. This means that service providers must be able to correctly process both legacy and new-generation passports.

The dual support enables financial companies, telecom operators, government agencies, and other regulated businesses to offer stable Know Your Customer (KYC) and border control services throughout the transition period, OCR Studio says in a release.

The company’s ID scanning product supports more than 4,000 document templates, including passports and ID cards from over 250 countries and territories.

OCR Studio has also announced that it has adapted three of its flagship technologies, OCR MRZ-scan, OCR CODE-scan and OCR BANK-scan, for web environments. This means that the software can read machine-readable zones in ID documents, barcodes, and payment card numbers directly on a website without installing apps or plugins. The recognition can be performed using a mobile phone’s camera.

OCR CODE-scan is able to read 2D and 1D barcodes from any surface, while the OCR BANK-scan enables instant scanning of credit and debit cards. The update was introduced to streamline conversion rates for clients and expand their product availability, the company says in a release.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  document reader  |  document verification  |  ICAO  |  identity document  |  OCR Studio