Guides & blog
Guides to reading identity documents
How the numbers and machine-readable zones on common identity documents work, and what Mahad OCR does — and does not do — with them.
Passport MRZ (ICAO 9303): how the check digits work
How the two-line passport machine-readable zone is laid out, and how its 7-3-1 check digits are calculated and verified.
Read guide →Qatar ID (QID): reading the card and its 11-digit number
What is printed on a Qatar residence ID card, how the 11-digit QID number is commonly structured, and what Mahad OCR returns from it.
Read guide →Emirates ID: the 15-digit number and the card’s MRZ
How the 15-digit Emirates ID number is laid out, what the machine-readable zone on the back contains, and what Mahad OCR extracts.
Read guide →Saudi Iqama and national ID: the 10-digit number
How Saudi resident (Iqama) and citizen ID numbers are told apart, why Hijri dates matter, and how Mahad OCR reads these cards.
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