December 17, 2025

OCR Studio Confirms OCR MRZ-scan support for the Next-Generation ICAO/ISO MRZ Standard

OCR Studio, a developer of AI-powered document recognition systems, has adapted its OCR MRZ-scan solution in advance of the upcoming ICAO/ISO changes to the machine-readable zone (MRZ) format in identity documents. The system correctly handles IDs that follow the current ICAO Doc 9303 MRZ specification as well as those that will comply with the new standard once it is officially adopted. This helps banks, fintech companies, telecom operators, government agencies, and other regulated businesses maintain stable KYC and border-control workflows throughout the transition period.

The worldwide shift towards the next-generation MRZ ICAO standard will not happen overnight – each state will adopt the new standard at its own pace, so the unification of the new format may take a number of years. For service providers, this creates a compatibility challenge: KYC and document verification systems must correctly process both legacy and new-generation passports, avoiding false rejections of legitimate customers and unnecessary manual checks, while still detecting fraud and document tampering.

The major revision of ICAO Doc 9303 MRZ standard introduces an expanded system of document codes (such as PP, PD, PS, PT, and other letter combinations) to remove previous format’s ambiguity. This will help classify ordinary, diplomatic, service, temporary, and emergency passports more quickly. The new edition also tightens printing requirements for MRZ, refines rules for generating digital MRZ analogues for mobile IDs, and raises consistency requirements between the visual inspection zone and the machine-readable zone.

OCR Studio’s ID scanning solution is built to operate in exactly this mixed environment. The algorithms automatically detect document type, read the MRZ and visual fields, and cross-check structured data even when documents follow different versions of the ICAO Doc 9303 MRZ specification. Moreover, it supports 4 000+ document templates, including passports and ID cards from over 250 countries and territories worldwide. OCR MRZ-scan works without GPU acceleration and ensures fast, reliable, and future-proof ID scanning for any digital onboarding or border control scenarios.