How to Build an Android MRZ Scanner with Dynamsoft MRZ SDK

Jan 05, 2026

Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) recognition is a critical feature in applications that require scanning and processing identity documents, such as passports and visas. On Android devices, implementing accurate MRZ recognition can significantly enhance the efficiency and user experience of such apps. In this article, we will explore how to build a comprehensive MRZ scanner using the Dynamsoft MRZ Scanner SDK combined with Google ML Kit. This powerful combination provides dual scanning modes (live camera and document capture), automatic face extraction, and robust MRZ parsing capabilities, making your app enterprise-ready.

This article is Part 4 in a 4-Part Series.

Demo Video: Android MRZ Scanner

Key Features

This MRZ Scanner app demonstrates a production-ready implementation with:

Dual Scanning Modes:
- Live Camera Scanning: Real-time MRZ detection and parsing from video feed
- Document Scanner: High-resolution capture using Google ML Kit Document Scanner API
Automatic Face Extraction: Uses Google ML Kit Face Detection to crop passport photos
Comprehensive MRZ Parsing: Extracts all key fields including name, document number, dates, nationality, and more
Multiple Document Support: Handles TD1, TD2, and TD3 (passport) MRZ formats
Modern UI: Material Design components with CardView layouts for professional presentation

Technology Stack

Dynamsoft MRZ Scanner SDK 3.2.5000: Core MRZ recognition engine
Google ML Kit Document Scanner: High-quality document capture
Google ML Kit Face Detection: Automatic face cropping
Google ML Kit Text Recognition v2: OCR fallback and text extraction
AndroidX & Material Design: Modern UI components

Prerequisites

Obtain a Dynamsoft Capture Vision Trial License

Implementing MRZ Recognition on Android

Step 1: Configure Your Android Project Dependencies

In your project’s root build.gradle file, add the Dynamsoft Maven repository:

 allprojects {
     repositories {
         google()
         mavenCentral()
         maven { url "https://download2.dynamsoft.com/maven/aar" }
     }
 }

In the module’s build.gradle file, include all necessary dependencies:

 dependencies {
     // Dynamsoft MRZ Scanner SDK
     implementation 'com.dynamsoft:mrzscannerbundle:3.2.5000'

     // Google ML Kit - Document Scanner
     implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-mlkit-document-scanner:16.0.0-beta1'

     // Google ML Kit - Face Detection
     implementation 'com.google.mlkit:face-detection:16.1.6'

     // Google ML Kit - Text Recognition v2
     implementation 'com.google.mlkit:text-recognition:16.0.0'

     // AndroidX & Material Design
     implementation 'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.6.1'
     implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.11.0'
     implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.1.4'
     implementation 'androidx.cardview:cardview:1.0.0'
        
     // Image loading
     implementation 'com.github.bumptech.glide:glide:4.16.0'
 }

Step 2: Initialize Dynamsoft License and MRZ Parser

Create a MrzParser utility class to centralize license initialization:

public class MrzParser {
    private static final String LICENSE_KEY = "YOUR_DYNAMSOFT_LICENSE_KEY";
    
    public static void initLicense() {
        LicenseManager.initLicense(LICENSE_KEY, (isSuccess, error) -> {
            if (!isSuccess) {
                Log.e("MrzParser", "License initialization failed: " + error.getMessage());
            }
        });
    }
    
    // Methods for parsing MRZ data from Dynamsoft ParsedResultItem
    public static Map<String, String> parse(ParsedResultItem item) {
        // Extract and format MRZ fields
        HashMap<String, String> properties = new HashMap<>();
        // ... parsing logic
        return properties;
    }
}

Step 3: Create the Home Activity with Dual Scanning Options

Android MRZ Scanner home page

Create a HomeActivity that provides users with two scanning options:

public class HomeActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    private LinearLayout btnDocumentScan;
    private LinearLayout btnLiveScan;
    private GmsDocumentScanner documentScanner;
    private ActivityResultLauncher<IntentSenderRequest> scannerLauncher;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_home);
        
        initViews();
        initDocumentScanner();
        setupClickListeners();
    }

    private void initDocumentScanner() {
        GmsDocumentScannerOptions options = new GmsDocumentScannerOptions.Builder()
                .setGalleryImportAllowed(true)
                .setPageLimit(1)
                .setResultFormats(GmsDocumentScannerOptions.RESULT_FORMAT_JPEG)
                .setScannerMode(GmsDocumentScannerOptions.SCANNER_MODE_BASE)
                .build();
        
        documentScanner = GmsDocumentScanning.getClient(options);
        
        scannerLauncher = registerForActivityResult(
                new ActivityResultContracts.StartIntentSenderForResult(),
                result -> {
                    if (result.getResultCode() == Activity.RESULT_OK) {
                        GmsDocumentScanningResult scanResult = 
                            GmsDocumentScanningResult.fromActivityResultIntent(result.getData());
                        
                        if (scanResult != null && !scanResult.getPages().isEmpty()) {
                            Uri imageUri = scanResult.getPages().get(0).getImageUri();
                            navigateToResult(imageUri);
                        }
                    }
                });
    }

    private void setupClickListeners() {
        btnDocumentScan.setOnClickListener(v -> startDocumentScanner());
        btnLiveScan.setOnClickListener(v -> navigateToLiveScan());
    }
}

Step 4: Implement Live Camera Scanning

Android MRZ Scanner live camera scanning

Add a new layout file named activity_scan.xml in the layout folder:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
 	android:layout_width="match_parent"
 	android:layout_height="match_parent">
    
    
 	<com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraView
 		android:id="@+id/dce_camera_view"
 		android:layout_width="match_parent"
 		android:layout_height="match_parent" />
    
 	<TextView
 		android:layout_above="@+id/tv_result"
 		android:id="@+id/tv_message"
 		android:layout_marginHorizontal="24dp"
 		android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
 		android:layout_marginBottom="80dp"
 		android:textColor="@color/red00"
 		android:textSize="16sp"
 		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
    
 	<TextView
 		android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
 		android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
 		android:layout_marginBottom="70dp"
 		android:id="@+id/tv_result"
 		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 		android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
 </RelativeLayout>

Key Components:

CameraView: Dynamsoft’s camera preview for real-time MRZ scanning
TextViews: Display scan status, instructions, and detected MRZ text
CircularProgressIndicator: Shows processing state

Configure the live camera scanning in MainActivity.java:

 public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
     private CameraEnhancer mCamera;
     private CameraView mCameraView;
     private final CaptureVisionRouter mRouter = new CaptureVisionRouter();

     @Override
     protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
         setContentView(R.layout.activity_scan);
			
         PermissionUtil.requestCameraPermission(this);
			
         // Initialize Dynamsoft License
         MrzParser.initLicense();
			
         // Setup camera
         mCameraView = findViewById(R.id.dce_camera_view);
         mCamera = new CameraEnhancer(mCameraView, this);
			
         try {
             mRouter.setInput(mCamera);
         } catch (CaptureVisionRouterException e) {
             throw new RuntimeException(e);
         }
			
         // Register result receivers
         mRouter.addResultReceiver(new CapturedResultReceiver() {
             @Override
             public void onRecognizedTextLinesReceived(@NonNull RecognizedTextLinesResult result) {
                 onLabelTextReceived(result);
             }
				
             @Override
             public void onParsedResultsReceived(@NonNull ParsedResult result) {
                 if (!succeed) {
                     onParsedResultReceived(result);
                 }
             }
         });
     }
		
     @Override
     protected void onResume() {
         super.onResume();
         succeed = false;
         mCamera.open();
			
         mRouter.startCapturing("ReadPassportAndId", new CompletionListener() {
             @Override
             public void onSuccess() {
                 runOnUiThread(() -> updateStatus("Ready - Position MRZ in frame"));
             }
				
             @Override
             public void onFailure(int errorCode, String errorString) {
                 runOnUiThread(() -> showError(errorString));
             }
         });
     }
		
     @Override
     protected void onPause() {
         super.onPause();
         mCamera.close();
         mRouter.stopCapturing();
     }
 }

Handle the parsed MRZ results and navigate to the result screen:

 private void onParsedResultReceived(ParsedResult result) {
     if (result.getItems() == null || result.getItems().length == 0) {
         return;
     }
		
     HashMap<String, String> labelMap = MrzParser.parse(result.getItems()[0]);
		
     if (!labelMap.isEmpty()) {
         succeed = true;
         runOnUiThread(() -> {
             updateStatus("MRZ parsed successfully!");
         });
			
         // Navigate to result screen
         Intent intent = new Intent(this, ScanResultActivity.class);
         intent.putExtra(ScanResultActivity.EXTRA_LABEL_MAP, labelMap);
         startActivity(intent);
     }
 }

The ParsedResult is processed by the MrzParser utility which extracts all relevant fields.

Step 5: Implement Document Scanning with Google ML Kit

Android MRZ Scanner document scanning

For the document scanning mode, implement image processing with face detection:

public class ScanResultActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    private FaceDetector faceDetector;
    private TextRecognizer textRecognizer;
    private CaptureVisionRouter mRouter;
    
    private void initMLKit() {
        // Initialize Face Detector
        FaceDetectorOptions faceOptions = new FaceDetectorOptions.Builder()
                .setPerformanceMode(FaceDetectorOptions.PERFORMANCE_MODE_ACCURATE)
                .setLandmarkMode(FaceDetectorOptions.LANDMARK_MODE_ALL)
                .setMinFaceSize(0.1f)
                .build();
        faceDetector = FaceDetection.getClient(faceOptions);
        
        // Initialize Text Recognizer
        textRecognizer = TextRecognition.getClient(TextRecognizerOptions.DEFAULT_OPTIONS);
    }
    
    private void processImage() {
        InputImage inputImage = InputImage.fromBitmap(documentBitmap, 0);
        
        // Detect faces
        faceDetector.process(inputImage)
                .addOnSuccessListener(faces -> {
                    if (!faces.isEmpty()) {
                        extractFace(faces.get(0));
                    }
                    recognizeText(inputImage);
                })
                .addOnFailureListener(e -> {
                    Log.e(TAG, "Face detection failed", e);
                    recognizeText(inputImage);
                });
        
        // Process with Dynamsoft for MRZ parsing
        processwithDynamsoft();
    }
    
    private void extractFace(Face face) {
        Rect bounds = face.getBoundingBox();
        // Add padding and crop face from document
        int padding = (int) (bounds.width() * 0.3);
        // ... crop logic
        faceBitmap = Bitmap.createBitmap(documentBitmap, left, top, width, height);
        ivAvatar.setImageBitmap(faceBitmap);
    }
}

Step 6: Display the MRZ Data with Face Photo

Result Screen

The result screen displays comprehensive information extracted from the document:

Create a modern layout file named activity_scan_result.xml with Material Design components:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
 	xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
 	xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
 	android:layout_width="match_parent"
 	android:layout_height="match_parent"
 	android:background="@color/dy_black_3B"
 	tools:context=".ResultActivity">
    
 	<RelativeLayout
 		android:id="@+id/rl_title"
 		android:layout_width="match_parent"
 		android:layout_height="48dp"
 		android:background="@color/dy_black_2B">
    
 		<ImageView
 			android:id="@+id/iv_back"
 			android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 			android:layout_centerVertical="true"
 			android:layout_marginStart="16dp"
 			android:background="@color/transparent"
 			android:src="@drawable/ic_arrow_left" />
    
 		<TextView
 			android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 			android:layout_centerVertical="true"
 			android:layout_toEndOf="@id/iv_back"
 			android:text="Back"
 			android:textColor="@color/white"
 			android:textSize="17sp" />
    
 		<TextView
 			android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 			android:layout_centerInParent="true"
 			android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
 			android:text="Result"
 			android:textColor="@color/white"
 			android:textSize="20sp"
 			android:textStyle="bold" />
    
 	</RelativeLayout>
    
 	<ScrollView
 		android:layout_below="@id/rl_title"
 		android:layout_width="match_parent"
 		android:layout_height="wrap_content">
    
 		<LinearLayout
 			android:id="@+id/ll_content"
 			android:layout_width="match_parent"
 			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 			android:orientation="vertical"
 			android:padding="20dp">
 		</LinearLayout>
 	</ScrollView>
 </RelativeLayout>

Inflate the layout and display the MRZ data in the ResultActivity.java file:

 package com.dynamsoft.mrzscanner;

 import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
 import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
 import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat;
    
 import android.graphics.Color;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.view.View;
 import android.view.ViewGroup;
 import android.widget.LinearLayout;
 import android.widget.TextView;
    
 import java.util.HashMap;
    
 public class ResultActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
 	private LinearLayout content;
    
 	@Override
 	protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
 		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
 		setContentView(R.layout.activity_result);
 		findViewById(R.id.iv_back).setOnClickListener((v) -> {
 			finish();
 		});
 		content = findViewById(R.id.ll_content);
 		HashMap<String, String> properties = (HashMap<String, String>) getIntent().
 				getSerializableExtra("labelMap");
 		if (properties != null) {
 			fillViews(properties);
 		}
    
 	}
    
 	@NonNull
 	private View childView(String label, String labelText) {
 		LinearLayout layout = new LinearLayout(this);
 		LinearLayout.LayoutParams params = new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT,
 				ViewGroup.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT);
 		params.setMargins(0, 30, 0, 0);
 		layout.setLayoutParams(params);
 		layout.setOrientation(LinearLayout.VERTICAL);
 		TextView labelView = new TextView(this);
 		labelView.setPadding(0, 30, 0, 0);
 		labelView.setTextColor(ContextCompat.getColor(this, R.color.dy_grey_AA));
 		labelView.setTextSize(16);
 		labelView.setText(label);
 		TextView textView = new TextView(this);
 		textView.setTextSize(16);
 		textView.setTextColor(Color.WHITE);
 		textView.setText(labelText);
 		layout.addView(labelView);
 		layout.addView(textView);
 		return layout;
 	}
    
 	private void fillViews(HashMap<String, String> properties) {
 		content.addView(childView("Document Type:", properties.get("Document Type")));
 		content.addView(childView("Document Number:", properties.get("Document Number")));
 		content.addView(childView("Name:", properties.get("Name")));
 		content.addView(childView("Issuing State:", properties.get("Issuing State")));
 		content.addView(childView("Nationality:", properties.get("Nationality")));
 		content.addView(childView("Date of Birth(YYYY-MM-DD):", properties.get("Date of Birth(YYYY-MM-DD)")));
 		content.addView(childView("Sex:", Character.toUpperCase(properties.get("Sex").charAt(0)) + properties.get("Sex").substring(1)));
 		content.addView(childView("Date of Expiry(YYYY-MM-DD):", properties.get("Date of Expiry(YYYY-MM-DD)")));
 	}
 }

Complete Feature Set

The final application includes:

Home Screen - Choose between Document Scan or Live Scan
Live Camera Scanner - Real-time MRZ detection with visual feedback
Document Scanner - High-resolution capture using Google ML Kit
Result Screen - Displays:
- Extracted face photo (automatically cropped)
- Document type (Passport/ID/Visa)
- Full name, nationality, sex, age
- Document number and issuing state
- Birth date and expiry date
- Raw MRZ text for verification
- Scanned document image

Supported MRZ Formats

TD1 (ID cards): 3 lines × 30 characters
TD2 (Travel documents): 2 lines × 36 characters
TD3/MRP (Passports): 2 lines × 44 characters

Source Code

https://github.com/yushulx/android-camera-barcode-mrz-document-scanner/tree/main/examples/MrzScanner