Decode State ID Card PDF417 Barcodes with Python

ID Cards Use the Same Barcode, but Not the Same Fields

People who do not drive carry a state or provincial identification card instead of a driver license. The back of most of these cards carries the same AAMVA PDF417 barcode as a license, so a check-in, age-verification, or onboarding flow will receive both. The difference is inside the record: an ID card has no license class, restrictions, or endorsements, and treating it as a license with missing fields leads to confusing validation errors.

One Python Request for Licenses and ID Cards

Send the card back to the PDF417 API. StructOCR decodes the barcode, parses the record defined by the AAMVA DL/ID standard, and returns document_kind as id_card or driver_license. Test a sample first in the free PDF417 scanner.

Where ID Card Barcodes Show Up

• Age and identity checks: Accept non-drivers at alcohol, cannabis, and venue check-in without a separate ID card flow.
• Account onboarding: Pre-fill name, date of birth, and address from either card type and label the document correctly in your records.
• License-only workflows: Use document_kind to stop rental or fleet sign-ups that require a driver license when an ID card is presented.

Implementation: Python REST Request

Base64 encode the card-back image, send it with the x-api-key header, branch on document_kind, and treat HTTP 422 as a request for a clearer image.

Prerequisite: Python 3.9+ and `pip install requests`

import base64
import os
import requests

with open("id-card-back.jpg", "rb") as image_file:
    image = base64.b64encode(image_file.read()).decode("ascii")

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.structocr.com/v1/driver-license-pdf417",
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["STRUCTOCR_API_KEY"]},
    json={"img": image},
    timeout=30,
)

if response.status_code == 422:
    body = response.json()
    print("Retake the barcode image:", body["error"], body.get("capture_issue"))
else:
    response.raise_for_status()
    data = response.json()["data"]
    if data["document_kind"] == "id_card":
        print("State/provincial ID:", data["document_number"], data["region"])
    else:
        print("Driver license:", data["document_number"], "class", data["vehicle_class"])
    print("Name:", data["given_names"], data["surname"])
    print("DOB:", data["date_of_birth"])

Sample ID Card JSON Output

The example uses fictional values. License-only elements such as vehicle_class are null for ID cards; type stays drivers_license for compatibility.

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "type": "drivers_license",
    "document_kind": "id_card",
    "source": "pdf417",
    "country_code": "USA",
    "region": "NY",
    "document_number": "SAMPLEID123",
    "surname": "SAMPLE",
    "given_names": "ALEX MORGAN",
    "first_name": "ALEX",
    "middle_name": "MORGAN",
    "name_suffix": null,
    "sex": "F",
    "date_of_birth": "1990-01-15",
    "date_of_issue": "2025-01-15",
    "date_of_expiry": "2033-01-15",
    "address": "100 EXAMPLE AVE",
    "city": "SAMPLE CITY",
    "postal_code": "10001",
    "vehicle_class": null,
    "restrictions": null,
    "endorsements": null,
    "height": null,
    "eye_color": null,
    "document_discriminator": "SAMPLE-DISCRIMINATOR",
    "issuer_identification_number": "636000",
    "aamva_version": 10,
    "jurisdiction_version": 0
  }
}