Switzerland Driver License OCR API with Python

Reading the Führerausweis / permis de conduire

It follows the EU photocard layout, where numbered fields hold the surname (1), given names (2), date and place of birth (3), issue and expiry dates (4a, 4b), issuing authority (4c), licence number (5), and categories (9). Swiss cards follow the same numbering and are issued by cantonal road traffic offices. Typing these fields by hand slows down rental, onboarding, and fleet workflows and introduces formatting errors.

Structured Fields from One API Call

The Driver License OCR API returns the licence number, holder name, dates, issuing authority, address, and vehicle class when they are printed and legible; missing fields are null. Try a sample with the free driver license scanner. For coverage, pricing, and the full field list, see the driver license OCR API overview.

Common Integration Scenarios

• Vehicle rental: Pre-fill Switzerland licence details before handover and keep the agent’s confirmation step.
• Driver onboarding: Move licence fields into a review queue without retyping the card.
• Fleet records: Track licence classes and expiry dates for internal compliance reminders.

Switzerland Driver License OCR API with Python

The official Python SDK reads a local file and calls /v1/driver-license from your backend.

Prerequisite: `pip install structocr`; set the server-side `STRUCTOCR_API_KEY` environment variable.

Prefer another stack? Open the Node.js SDK + Express integration.

import os
from structocr import StructOCR

client = StructOCR(os.environ["STRUCTOCR_API_KEY"])
result = client.scan_driver_license("driver-license.jpg")

if result.get("success"):
    data = result["data"]
    print(data.get("document_number"))
    print(data.get("given_names"), data.get("surname"))
else:
    print(result.get("error"))

JSON Response Example

Fictional values showing the normalized shape; fields not present on the card are null.

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "type": "drivers_license",
    "country_code": "CHE",
    "region": "Zürich",
    "personal_number": null,
    "surname": "MÜLLER",
    "given_names": "LEA",
    "sex": null,
    "date_of_birth": "1990-04-12",
    "place_of_birth": null,
    "date_of_issue": "2023-05-02",
    "date_of_expiry": "2033-05-01",
    "date_of_first_issue": null,
    "issuing_authority": "STVA ZH",
    "address": null,
    "vehicle_class": "B",
    "extra_details": {},
    "document_number": "000000000000"
  }
}