Document Scanning Support
We have created 14 key sections to help you to prepare for your application to enter or remain in the UK.
Applications under UK entry, leave to remain, settlement and naturalisation will have different guidance and rules you must meet.
Once you complete your pre-client care letter assessment form, this will guide us on how you meet your applicable route.
Scanning and formatting options
When you scan your documents, it is essential you follow our guidance.
Document evidence provided will help us and the Home Office to assess your suitability for your visa route.
Scanning Guidelines
You can use any tool to scan your documents but please follow our guidance on how best to do this.
Scanning files in the right size and format is crucial.
Do not create PDFs by adding different documents to it.
Naming your files correctly will help us to quickly identify if any documents are missing.
Using a printer scanner
If you decide to use a printer scanner to scan your documents, you will need to go to your printer settings on your PC or laptop and check what your Dot Per Inch (DPI) is set at.
DPI governs how small or large your scanned documents would be.
Every printer can have different settings so this is a guide to find your DPI:
- Go to the Printer driver > Printing Preferences > Advanced > Printer Features and select DPI settings.
Below is a general guide of various DPI settings:
- 50 (quality very poor)
- 100 (quality sub-standard)
- 150 (quality generally good)
- 200 (quality very good)
- 300 (file size becomes large)
- 400 (file size becomes too large)
- 600 (file size becomes very large)
- 900 (file size becomes huge)
- 1200 (file size becomes massive)
- 1600 (file size becomes humongous)
DPI 150-200 is normally ideal. Do a test run on a passport phot page, if nice and clear then you good to go.
ALWAYS SCAN IN COLOUR
Using a flatbed scanner
If you decide to use a flatbed scanner to scan your documents, you will need to go to your printer settings on your PC or laptop and check what your Dot Per Inch (DPI) is set at.
DPI governs how small or large your scanned documents would be.
Every flatbed scanner can have different settings so this is a guide to find your DPI:
Go to the scanner driver > Scanner or Preferences > Advanced > Scanner Features and select DPI settings.
Below is a general guide of various DPI settings:
- 50 (quality very poor)
- 100 (quality sub-standard)
- 150 (quality generally good)
- 200 (quality very good)
- 300 (file size becomes large)
- 400 (file size becomes too large)
- 600 (file size becomes very large)
- 900 (file size becomes huge)
- 1200 (file size becomes massive)
- 1600 (file size becomes humongous)
DPI 150-200 is normally ideal. Do a test run on a passport phot page, if nice and clear then you good to go.
ALWAYS SCAN IN COLOUR
Using a tablet device
If you decide to use a tablet to scan your documents, you can open 'Notes', select 'New Note', select the paperclip icon and you can scan multiple pages in one go and it be saved as a PDF. The issue with this feature, 3 page scan letter is 5mg so the file sizes will be too big to upload to the Home Office system. If you have Adobe software you can 'Compress' the PDF to a smaller size.
If the above is not an option for you, download a PDF scanner App.
How to Adjust Settings in Popular Apps
Because tablet cameras capture high resolutions natively (e.g., 12 to 48 Megapixels), many tablets and mobile scanner apps auto-calculate Dot Per Inch (DPI) based on the physical size of the document (like A4 or Letter) rather than allowing you to enter an exact number.
- Get closer: Avoid cropping too heavily. If you scan half a page and scale it up to fit, your actual DPI drops drastically. Fill as much of the camera frame with your document as possible.
- Check the PDF format: Setting the output mode to "Searchable PDF" embeds the OCR text, making the file highly legible and searchable even at 200 DPI.
Examples how Apps can vary:
- iScanner: Looks for the resolution switcher above the shutter button and select HD (300+ dpi).
- CamScanner: Go to settings (the "MI" icon) > Scan > Scan Quality and Resolution and select the right setting and ideally not the HD option.
- Genius Scan: The app automatically matches your phone's camera MP, generally yielding 300 to 360 DPI for a standard letter-sized scan. f asllowed select a lower resolution.
- ScannerDPI: This specialized iOS app allows you to manually input precise DPI, format, and compression prior to capturing the document. 200 DPI is generally ideal.
Depending if you have Android or IOS, go to the Apple or Galaxy Store and find a PDF App. Unlikely it be free but often pay for a one month trial and then cancel the subscription.
When purchasing a PDF App, ensure the App allows you to scan multiple pages in one go.
ALWAYS SCAN IN COLOUR
Using a mobile device
If you decide to use a mobile device to scan your documents, you can open 'Notes', select 'New Note', select the paperclip icon and you can scan multiple pages in one go and it be saved as a PDF. The issue with this feature, 3 page scan letter is 5mg so the file sizes will be too big to upload to the Home Office system. If you have Adobe software you can 'Compress' the PDF to a smaller size.
If the above is not an option for you, download a PDF scanner App.
How to Adjust Settings in Popular Apps
Because phone cameras capture high resolutions natively (e.g., 12 to 48 Megapixels), many tablets and mobile scanner apps auto-calculate Dot Per Inch (DPI) based on the physical size of the document (like A4 or Letter) rather than allowing you to enter an exact number.
- Get closer: Avoid cropping too heavily. If you scan half a page and scale it up to fit, your actual DPI drops drastically. Fill as much of the camera frame with your document as possible.
- Check the PDF format: Setting the output mode to "Searchable PDF" embeds the OCR text, making the file highly legible and searchable even at 200 DPI.
Examples how Apps can vary:
- iScanner: Looks for the resolution switcher above the shutter button and select HD (300+ dpi).
- CamScanner: Go to settings (the "MI" icon) > Scan > Scan Quality and Resolution and select the right setting and ideally not the HD option.
- Genius Scan: The app automatically matches your phone's camera MP, generally yielding 300 to 360 DPI for a standard letter-sized scan. f asllowed select a lower resolution.
- ScannerDPI: This specialized iOS app allows you to manually input precise DPI, format, and compression prior to capturing the document. 200 DPI is generally ideal.
Depending if you have Android or IOS, go to the Apple or Galaxy Store and find a PDF App. Unlikely it be free but often pay for a one month trial and then cancel the subscription.
When purchasing a PDF App, ensure the App allows you to scan multiple pages in one go.
ALWAYS SCAN IN COLOUR
Naming and saving your documents
How to name and scan your documents
First you need to ensure you have all of the documents required to upload to your PCCL. Not all documents will be required but if unsure please provide them. Document check list.
When you scan your documents ensure they are scanned ideally as PDFs but if you cannot scan as PDFs, we will accept scanned copies in these formats:
JPEG
PNG
GIF
TIFF
PSD
EPS
BMP
WBMP
| CORRECT | INCORRECT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| :-) | Naomi_passport_expiring_31.05.2019 | :-( | Naomi_passport |
| :-) | Naomi_previous_passport_expired_27.07.2019 | :-( | Naomipreviouspassportexpired27072019 |
| :-) | Naomi_HSBC_financial_statement_Feb-Jly-2024 | :-( | Naomi_financial_statements_Feb-Jly |
| :-) | Naomi_P60_tax_year_2024 | :-( | Naomi_P60_taxyear |
| :-) | Naomi_IELTS_B2_test_certificate | :-( | Naomi_IELTS_test_certificate |
| :-) | Naomi_overseas_degree_plus_ecctis_report | :-( | Naomi_degree_plus_report |
| :-) | Naomi_council_tax_statement_2024 | :-( | Naomi_counciltax_statement |
| :-) | Naomi_marriage_certificate | :-( | Marriage |
| :-) | Naomi_marriage_certificate_plus_translation | :-( | Naomi_marriage_certificate_plus_overseas copy |
| :-) | Peter_death_certificate | :-( | Death_certificate |
The above is just a guide, as long as you follow the same format, we will accept the files.
PDF rules
Do not scan different documents under one PDF file. Tips to follow:
- Multiple passports scan as separate evidence. All passport pages must be scanned including blank pages and passports cover pages.
- Cohabitation in different names, document types and date periods must be scanned as separate PDFs.
- Financial statements cover covering a 6, 12 or 24 month period can be in one PDF but in date order. Date order means page 1 being the most recent statement.
- Assets you own, they must be in separate PDFs.
- Family members documents cannot be under the same PDF unless the evidence is in joint names.
Translating non-English documents
Original and translated documents
All document evidence must be in English and no need to provide the original but just good quality copy will suffice.
Any non-English document must be translated. The translated copies must be processed by a regulated translation company.
Combining the original document and translated copy.
If you combine the original and translated copies as a PDF, you must place the English translated pages first, then add the original documents and name the file as instructed under 'Naming and saving your documents'.
Note: If the translated copies do not have the official stamp per page, the document will be rejected.
