The scanner already in your phone
Phones come with a document scanner that crops the edges, straightens the page and improves contrast. It's much better than a regular photo.
- iPhone: in the Notes app, create a note, tap the camera icon and choose “Scan Documents”. It's also in the Files app, in the three-dot menu.
- Android: in the Google Drive app, tap the “+” button and choose “Scan”. Many phones also include it in the camera app.
Both save the result as a PDF and let you scan several pages in a row into the same file.
How to get a readable scan
- Place the page on a dark, flat surface so the phone detects the edges.
- Find good light and avoid flash, which causes glare. Watch out for your phone's own shadow on the paper.
- Hold the phone parallel to the page, directly above it.
- Check every page before saving: no missing edges, signatures or stamps.
- For text documents, use black and white or greyscale. It reads just as well and is much smaller. Keep colour for photos, coloured stamps or documents where colour matters.
Combine, sort and adjust the PDF
- Several documents in one: if a single file is required, merge the PDFs or turn your photos into a PDF.
- Rotated or out-of-order pages: rotate them or reorder them.
- Blank back pages: remove them.
- File too big: compress it to the size required. See the size limits of the main Spanish e-offices.
Give each file a clear name
A name like IMG_4821.pdf tells the person reviewing your file nothing. Use names that describe the content, without accents or unusual symbols to avoid upload problems, such as id-both-sides.pdf, work-history.pdf or degree-certificate.pdf.
Frequently asked questions
Is a photo of the document as good as a scan?
Many e-offices accept it, but your phone's scanner gives a cleaner result: it crops, straightens and removes shadows. If the procedure explicitly requires a certified copy, neither a photo nor a scan is enough.
What format should I save the scan in?
PDF, unless the procedure asks for something else. Practically every e-office accepts it, and it holds several pages in one file.
Why is my scanned PDF so big?
Usually because each page is a high-resolution colour photo. Scan in black and white or compress the PDF to the size you need.
Do I need to install an app?
No. iPhone has it in Notes and Files, and on Android it's in Google Drive or in the camera of many phones.
Tools
- Compress PDFShrink a PDF to the exact size you need: 100 KB, 200 KB, 1 MB…
- Resize ImageShrink your photos to 20, 50, 100 KB… and set their pixel size.
- ID PhotoCrop your photo for a Spanish DNI, passport or TIE and download it to upload or print.
- Merge PDFCombine several PDFs and photos into one PDF, in any order.
- Convert ImageTurn iPhone HEIC, WEBP or PNG photos into JPG, PNG or WEBP, several at once.
- PDF to JPGTurn every page of a PDF into a JPG or PNG image.
- Split PDFExtract pages, separate them one by one or split a PDF by maximum size.
- Organize PDFRotate, reorder and delete PDF pages without losing quality.
- Sign PDFDraw, type or upload your signature and place it on your PDF, with date and initials.