How to Fax a Copy of Your Passport Safely

You can fax a copy of your passport from a fax machine or from an online fax service. Scan or photograph the photo page at 300 dpi or higher, save it as a PDF, confirm the recipient’s fax number by phone, add a cover sheet with a confidentiality statement, send it, and keep the delivery confirmation. This guide covers each step, the privacy precautions that matter for an identity document, and the difference between a faxed copy and a certified copy.

TL;DR

Copy only the pages the recipient asks for, usually the photo and data page, at 300 dpi or higher, with no glare, shadows or cropped edges.
Call or email the recipient first to confirm the fax number and that someone will be there to receive the pages.
Add a cover sheet that names the sender, the recipient, the page count and includes a confidentiality statement.
Review the confirmation report: check that the number matches and that the pages sent equal the pages received.
A faxed photocopy is not a certified copy. If the recipient asks for “certified”, you need an authorized person to certify it.

Check what the recipient actually needs

Before you copy anything, ask the recipient three questions:

Which pages do they need? Most requests cover only the photo and data page. Do not send visa pages, stamps or blank pages unless they are requested.
Do they accept a plain copy, or do they require a certified or notarized copy?
Is fax the channel they want, and what is the exact fax number?

This matters because a passport copy carries your full name, date of birth, passport number and photo. Sending less limits what can be misused if the fax lands in the wrong place.

Guidance from the University of British Columbia’s Office of the CIO says that before faxing medium-, high- or very-high-risk information, you should consider contacting the recipient by phone or email. The purpose is to confirm the fax number, confirm that the recipient is the right person, make sure they will be there to receive and protect the information, and ask them to call you when it arrives. A passport copy fits that description of sensitive information, so the same routine applies to you.

Make a clear passport copy

A fax that arrives unreadable is the most common reason a recipient asks you to send it again. Fax transmission lowers image quality, so start with a clean source.

Scanning the data page

Use a scanner or copier set to 300 dpi or higher, and save the result as a PDF or JPEG. Open the file and check that every line of the data page is legible, visible and uncropped, including the two lines of machine-readable text at the bottom.

A few practical points:

Open the passport flat on the glass and keep the page straight.
Make sure the whole page is inside the scan area, edges included.
Use the color or grayscale setting, then check the file. Very light settings can wash out the photo and fine print.
Zoom to 100 percent and read each field. If you cannot read it on screen, the recipient will not be able to read it on paper.

Photographing instead of scanning

A passport is thick, and a flatbed scanner lid may not close over it. Wise’s help center notes that scanners can perform poorly with thick IDs and passports, producing scans that are close to unreadable, and that a photo can work better in those cases.

If you use your phone camera:

Place the passport on a flat surface in even light.
Avoid glare, hotspots and shadows that can hide details.
Fit the entire page inside the frame.
Hold the phone directly above the page so the text is not skewed.

The same Wise page covers glare and framing in more detail.

Turn images into one PDF

Faxing works best from a single PDF. If your copy is a JPEG or PNG photo, convert it first. Our guide on converting images to PDF for fax walks through it. Keep the file to the pages you need so you pay only for those pages.

Prepare a cover sheet

A cover sheet tells the recipient who the fax is from and what to do if it was not meant for them. CMPA recommends a cover sheet that identifies the sender with contact information, names the intended recipient, gives the number of pages and includes a confidentiality statement asking the recipient to notify the sender if the fax was received in error.

A workable cover sheet for a passport copy includes:

Your name, phone number and email
The recipient’s name, organization and fax number
The date and total number of pages, cover sheet included
A short note such as “Passport copy requested for [purpose]”
A confidentiality statement

You can build one with our free fax cover sheet builder, and we have published three ready-to-use confidentiality statements you can paste in.

Send the fax

You have two practical routes.

Option 1: a fax machine or fax-capable printer

On a fax-capable printer, place the pages in the document feeder, select fax, dial the recipient’s number and send. The printer then prints a confirmation sheet. Because this uses a shared or office machine, stay at the machine, take your original passport and all printed pages with you, and never leave a copy in the output tray.

Option 2: an online fax service

With an online service, there is no machine to find. You upload the PDF, enter the recipient’s fax number and send, and the service handles delivery. Our guide to sending a fax online without a fax machine explains the full process.

Here is what sending a passport copy looks like with PerPageFax:

Upload your passport copy PDF, with the cover sheet as the first page.
Enter the recipient’s fax number, double-checking each digit against what the recipient told you.
Pay at checkout. The price is $0.50 per page, with no account or subscription.
We send the fax, retry automatically if the line is busy or fails, and show you the delivery status.
Save the delivery confirmation for your records.

A one-page passport copy with a one-page cover sheet is two pages, so $1.00 at $0.50 per page.

Protect your passport information

Faxing is a long-standing way of sending documents, but it is not risk free. UBC’s Office of the CIO notes that fax is not an especially secure sharing method for sensitive information, because the pages can be intercepted or copied by unauthorized parties. The practical answer is to control the points you can: the number, the people and the paper.

Rules to follow when you send

Confirm the number. A misdialed digit sends your passport data to a stranger. Read the number back to the recipient.
Make sure someone is there. UBC’s guideline recommends that the recipient is ready to receive and protect the information, and that you ask them to call to confirm receipt.
Use a confidentiality cover sheet. The same guidance recommends a cover sheet of this kind, along with a secure location with controlled access for the machine, and securely destroying copies you no longer need.
Send only what you would discuss by phone. CMPA advises sending only personal information by fax that you would be comfortable discussing over the telephone. A passport data page is a document you share deliberately, so share only the pages that are needed.
Destroy leftover copies. Shred any printed copies and delete the scan from shared folders, downloads and message threads once the recipient has confirmed receipt.

How official guidance frames it

The U.S. Department of State’s rules on fax transmission, found in the Foreign Affairs Manual, 5 FAM 530, allow fax for official business. They say standard fax machines may send only unclassified information. For sensitive but unclassified information, the sender must check that the recipient’s fax number is correct and that the recipient is authorized to receive the material. When the fax goes to a number outside U.S. Government control, the recipient should be present. These rules govern government personnel, not private individuals, but the logic is sound for anyone: correct number, authorized recipient, someone standing by.

Three safeguards for faxing sensitive information

Digital handling around the fax

The fax itself is one step. Your scan also sits on your phone, in your email and in cloud folders. Treat those copies with the same care. If you want to understand how online fax security compares with other channels, our articles on whether online fax is secure, fax versus email security and encrypted online fax go into detail.

Confirm that the fax arrived

Sending is not the end of the job. A confirmation closes the loop and gives you a record.

UBC’s guidance says to review the confirmation report immediately. Check that the number on the report matches the recipient’s number, and verify that the number of pages transmitted matches the number received. CMPA gives the same advice and adds that if you are in doubt, you should phone the intended recipient to verify receipt.

A good routine looks like this:

Read the confirmation as soon as it appears.
Compare the destination number with the one you were given.
Compare the page count with your original file.
Save the confirmation as a PDF or print it, and file it with the request.
Call or email the recipient to ask them to confirm the passport copy is legible.

With PerPageFax you get delivery confirmation and status tracking after you send. If a fax fails, you receive a refund on that failed fax.

Faxed copy or certified copy?

Some requests say “certified copy of your passport”. That is a different thing from a fax of a photocopy, and a fax will not satisfy it by itself.

Here is how the term is used in other jurisdictions:

Canada. The Canadian government describes a certified true copy as a reproduction of part of a travel document that has been validated against the electronic passport record, certified as authentic, and signed and dated. It states that these copies do not include pages with visas or stamps. That process applies to Canadian passports.
Australia. A professional guide on certifying copies says the original and the copy must both be present when the document is certified, and that the certifying officer must be satisfied the original is genuine.

For a U.S. passport, the usual route to a certified copy is an authorized person, often a notary public, comparing the original with the photocopy. Rules for who may certify and what wording is needed differ by state and by the organization asking, so ask the recipient what they accept.

The practical order is:

Ask the recipient whether a plain copy is enough.
If a certified copy is required, make the photocopy and have it certified in person with your original passport.
Scan the certified copy, stamp and signature included, at 300 dpi or higher.
Fax the scan, then confirm with the recipient that they accept it in that form. Some will still want the paper original by mail.

If you need to know whether signatures on faxed pages carry legal weight, read our article on whether faxes are legally binding. For related identity documents, see faxing an ID card.

Common mistakes to avoid

Sending the whole passport. Send only the pages requested.
Skipping the phone call. A wrong number is the biggest single risk. Always verify it.
Low-resolution photos. A blurry phone image becomes worse after fax compression. Retake it if you cannot read every line.
Leaving printouts behind. On an office machine, collect every page, including the confirmation sheet.
Forgetting the cover sheet in your page count. Count it so the confirmation report matches what you sent.
Keeping copies in open folders. Delete or secure the scan once the recipient confirms.

Our perspective on faxing identity documents

We built PerPageFax for people who need to send an official document once, quickly, and without signing up for anything. A passport copy is a typical case. You do not need a monthly plan to send two pages.

What we focus on is the part that matters for an identity document: you pay $0.50 per page, we encrypt the transmission, we retry automatically if delivery fails, and you get delivery confirmation and status tracking so you know the fax reached its destination. If a fax fails, we refund it.

Our advice is the same whatever service you use. Make a clean copy, send only what is requested, confirm the number with the recipient, use a cover sheet with a confidentiality statement, and keep the confirmation. We designed the flow so that each of those steps is simple to do from a laptop or phone, wherever you are.

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Send your passport copy with PerPageFax

If you have your PDF ready and the recipient’s fax number confirmed, you can send it now. PerPageFax accepts PDF and common image formats, needs no account or subscription, and charges $0.50 per page. You get delivery confirmation, and a refund if the fax fails. Send a fax online in a few minutes, or use our fax page for U.S. numbers if the recipient is in the United States.

If you also need to tidy up the file first, our free PDF tools can convert, merge, split and organize pages before you send.

FAQ

Can I fax a copy of my passport?

Yes. Fax is accepted by many organizations that still collect documents this way, but you should ask the recipient first. Confirm the fax number, which pages they need and whether they want a plain or certified copy. Then send a clear, high-resolution copy with a confidentiality cover sheet.

What resolution should a passport copy have before faxing?

Scan at 300 dpi or higher and save as a PDF or JPEG. Check that all data is legible, with no glare, blur or cropped edges. If your scanner cannot close over the passport, take a flat, evenly lit photo instead.

How do I know the recipient got my passport copy?

Review the confirmation report right away. Check that the number matches the recipient’s and that the pages sent equal the pages received, as UBC’s guidance advises. Then ask the recipient to confirm by phone or email. With PerPageFax you also get delivery confirmation and status tracking.

Is a faxed passport copy the same as a certified copy?

No. A certified copy has been compared with the original by an authorized person who signs and dates it. For a U.S. passport that is typically a notary public, though requirements vary by recipient. You can fax a scan of the certified copy if the recipient accepts that format.

How much does it cost to fax a passport copy online?

PerPageFax charges $0.50 per page with no account or subscription. A one-page passport copy plus a one-page cover sheet is two pages, or $1.00.