· Written and maintained by Nonimo
Redacting a passport copy means blacking out what the person asking has no use for: usually the date and place of birth, the issue date, the signature and the two lines of code at the bottom of the page, and sometimes the passport number. What stays visible is enough to prove who you are. What is covered stops travelling with the copy.
The tool above reads your UK passport page in your browser and puts a chip on each field; you decide, field by field, what stays readable. Your passport never leaves your device. It covers rather than blurs: a blur can be read through, a solid box burned into the image leaves nothing underneath.
If the copy is going to a letting agent or an employer, you can also write across it who it is for and the month, as explained on how to watermark a passport copy.
How to redact a passport copy
1. Add your passport data page
Take a photo of the open passport with your phone, or drop in a scan: JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC or PDF. Crop and straighten it if the shot is at an angle. The tool recognises the UK passport data page and puts a chip on each field it reads.
2. Tap the fields to cover
Everything starts visible. Tap a chip to cover that field with a black box, tap again to show it; Show everything brings the whole page back. Cover your passport number or date of birth and its characters in the two lines at the bottom are covered too. To black out both lines completely, or anything without a chip, use Redact by hand and drag over it.
3. Download the redacted copy
As PNG, JPG or PDF, one page at a time. The boxes are burned into the pixels of a new image, so nothing can be lifted off them, and the file comes out without the original photo’s EXIF and GPS data.
What to redact on a UK passport, field by field
The page people photograph is the data page. On the blue passports issued since 2020 it is the back of a stiff polycarbonate sheet at the front of the book. HM Passport Office’s basic passport checks describes it, and the pages around it, in detail.
| Field | Where it is | On the copy you send |
|---|---|---|
| Surname, given names | Data page | Keep: it is what they asked for |
| Photo | Data page, plus a small window repeating it | Keep if they need to match you to your face |
| Expiry date | Data page | Keep if they check the passport is current |
| Passport number | Data page, and through the book | Keep only if they will record it |
| Date of birth | Data page, plus the same small window | Cover unless they ask |
| Place of birth, issue date | Data page | Cover |
| The two lines at the bottom | Foot of the data page | Each field you cover is covered here too |
| Signature | Page 3, facing the data page | Keep page 3 out, or Redact by hand |
Positions from HM Passport Office, Basic passport checks.
The two lines at the bottom repeat the whole page
They are the machine readable zone defined by ICAO Doc 9303, two lines of 44 characters. The bottom line carries your passport number, nationality, date of birth, sex and expiry date. Blacking out your date of birth above while leaving it in the code is not redacting it, which is why the tool also covers each field in the lines when you cover it above.
Page 3 and the passport number: the parts outside the frame
Page 3, opposite the data page, carries your wet ink signature, a second colour photo and any official observations. A photo of the open passport catches both pages, so frame the data page alone. The nine-digit number is also printed on the inner front cover, engraved on the title page and laser perforated through the book, so check the edges of the shot as well.
What to leave visible, depending on who asks
Redacting is not hiding everything. For right to rent in England and for right to work, a manual check under the Home Office guides is done on the original, with you present in person or by video, so the copy you email ahead is a courtesy: name, photo and expiry date are enough, unless they ask for the number. A bank or a solicitor running identity checks may want more, so ask what they accept before you cover it.
Before an AI reads the page, go further and tap every chip still showing, so nothing points back to you. What a chatbot keeps from a picture is set out in whether ChatGPT stores your photos, and for statements or contracts in PDF form there is our guide to redacting a PDF.
Nonimo is the software that does this on your own computer: it redacts client names and IDs before your text reaches ChatGPT. No account needed, and the app does it without your files leaving your machine.
Common questions
What should I redact on a passport copy?
Whatever the recipient does not need to check. Most people asking for a copy want your name, photo and expiry date. The date and place of birth, the issue date and your signature can usually go, and the passport number too unless they will record it. Cover a field and the matching part of the two code lines at the bottom goes with it.
What are the two lines at the bottom of my passport?
The machine readable zone, or MRZ, set by the international standard ICAO Doc 9303: two lines of 44 characters each. The top line holds your name; the bottom one holds your passport number, nationality, date of birth, sex and expiry date. Covering a date above while leaving these lines visible gives it straight back to anyone who knows the layout.
Can I redact my passport number?
Yes: one tap on the Passport number chip covers it, along with its characters in the code lines below. Check first that the recipient does not need it. A letting agent or employer running a formal check records it from the original anyway, while a holiday let host or a club secretary usually only needs your name and face.
Where is the signature on a UK passport?
On the blue passports issued since 2020, not on the data page. HM Passport Office says holders sign in wet ink on page 3, the Official Observations page, which faces the data page. Photograph the data page on its own, or, if page 3 is in the picture, drag over the signature with Redact by hand.
Is blurring a passport as good as redacting it?
No. A light blur can leave digits readable, especially on a sharp photo, and some apps let the blur be reduced. The tool puts solid black boxes over the fields and burns them into a new image, so in the file you download there is nothing left underneath, no layer to peel off and no annotation to delete.
Does my passport get uploaded to redact it?
No. Your passport never leaves your device: it is read and redacted in your browser. The PNG, JPG or PDF you download is a new file with the boxes burned in, and it carries none of the original photo's hidden data, such as the GPS location, the time it was taken or the model of your phone.
Can I redact a passport on my phone?
Yes. The tool works in the phone's browser, opens the camera or your photos, and reads the HEIC pictures an iPhone saves as well as JPG, PNG, WEBP and PDF. You tap the chips with your finger, cover anything else by dragging over it with Redact by hand, and download the copy without installing anything.
How do I redact a passport before showing it to an AI?
Cover everything that points to you: tap every chip still showing, from your names and passport number to the photo and the dates, until nothing personal is left. The AI still sees the shape of the page and its headings, which is enough to explain a field or help with a form, and your identity stays out of the chat history.