Kentucky Driver License & ID Card PDF417 API

Reading Kentucky Card Barcodes in Real Workflows

Kentucky distillery tours and racing venues check age and identity at entry under bright outdoor light or dim tasting rooms. Both extremes reduce barcode contrast. PDF417 error correction recovers some damage, but an application should never invent identity values when the barcode cannot be decoded.

One API for Kentucky Licenses and ID Cards

Kentucky cards are issued by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Division of Driver Licensing. Licenses and identification cards carry the same AAMVA DL/ID PDF417 barcode on the back. Send the back image to the StructOCR PDF417 API: it decodes the barcode deterministically, normalizes the jurisdiction to KY, and returns document_kind as driver_license or id_card. Test a non-sensitive sample in the free PDF417 scanner. For the printed front of the card, use the Driver License OCR API.

Where This Workflow Fits

• Distillery tasting age checks: Pre-fill names, dates, and address for distillery tasting age checks and keep final confirmation in your application.
• Race-day venue entry: Accept both Kentucky licenses and state ID cards, and use document_kind where only a license is acceptable.
• Air-cargo hub staffing: Send unreadable Kentucky barcodes to a retake or manual review step instead of saving partial identity data.

Decode a Kentucky Card Back

Upload a JPG, PNG, or WebP image of the full card back. Show a live guide frame, block submission when the barcode is cut off, and offer an instant retake after a 422 response.

Prerequisite: A server-side StructOCR API key and a clear image of the complete card back

curl -X POST https://api.structocr.com/v1/driver-license-pdf417 \
  -H "x-api-key: $STRUCTOCR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@kentucky-card-back.jpg"

Illustrative Kentucky ID Card Response

This response uses wholly fictional data to show a KY identification card. A license returns document_kind driver_license and its class fields.

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "type": "drivers_license",
    "document_kind": "id_card",
    "source": "pdf417",
    "country_code": "USA",
    "region": "KY",
    "document_number": "SAMPLE1234",
    "surname": "SAMPLE",
    "given_names": "ALEX MORGAN",
    "first_name": "ALEX",
    "middle_name": "MORGAN",
    "sex": "X",
    "date_of_birth": "1990-01-15",
    "date_of_issue": "2025-01-15",
    "date_of_expiry": "2030-01-15",
    "address": "100 EXAMPLE AVE",
    "city": "SAMPLE CITY",
    "postal_code": "00000",
    "vehicle_class": null,
    "restrictions": null,
    "endorsements": null,
    "document_discriminator": "SAMPLE-DISCRIMINATOR",
    "issuer_identification_number": null,
    "aamva_version": 10,
    "jurisdiction_version": 0
  }
}