Dynamsoft MRZ Scanner Alternative: Passport OCR API

What Dynamsoft MRZ Scanner Is

Dynamsoft sells SDKs for MRZ and barcode recognition that run inside web, mobile, and desktop apps. Choosing between it and an API comes down to where processing runs, how you pay, and which documents you need.

Where StructOCR Differs

StructOCR is a server-side REST API: you send an image and receive structured JSON for passport. There is no SDK to embed, billing is 2 credits per successful request, credits never expire, and failed requests are not billed. See the Passport API docs or try the free scanner.

Where This Fits

• Choose Dynamsoft MRZ Scanner when: you want MRZ recognition to run on the device and only need the MRZ fields.
• Choose StructOCR when: you want MRZ plus visual-zone fields such as place of birth and issuing authority from a single server-side call.
• Use both when: You capture on a device with one tool and need server-side extraction or a fallback for uploaded images with the other.

Try the API in a Few Lines

A complete request takes one HTTP call with your API key.

Prerequisite: Python 3.9+, `pip install requests`, and a STRUCTOCR_API_KEY

import base64
import os
import requests

with open("passport.jpg", "rb") as image_file:
    image = base64.b64encode(image_file.read()).decode("ascii")

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.structocr.com/v1/passport",
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["STRUCTOCR_API_KEY"]},
    json={"img": image},
    timeout=30,
)
response.raise_for_status()
data = response.json()["data"]
print("passport_number:", data.get("passport_number"))
print("surname:", data.get("surname"))
print("given_names:", data.get("given_names"))
print("date_of_expiry:", data.get("date_of_expiry"))

Response Shape

Illustrative fields returned by the StructOCR API for this document type.

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "passport_number": "…",
    "surname": "…",
    "given_names": "…",
    "date_of_expiry": "…"
  }
}