README.md

Worldwide Visa Check

A Python-based global solution for scanning passports and verifying visa validity using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and various API/data sources.

Key Features:

• Passport Image Upload or Scanning: Allows users to upload or scan passport images.
• OCR for Passport Data Extraction: Uses Tesseract OCR to extract passport details such as passport number, nationality, and date of birth.
• Visa Validity Check: Validates visa information against predefined rules (or through external API integration if available).
• User Authentication: Secure user registration and login system using Flask-Login.
• Database Management: Stores passport and visa details using SQLite.
• Security: Data encryption for sensitive information and HTTPS support for secure communication.

Table of Contents

1. Technologies Used
2. Project Architecture
3. Installation
4. Usage
5. API Endpoints
6. Security Considerations
7. Deployment
8. ToDo
9. Contribution
10. License

Technologies Used:

• Python 3.9: Core programming language.
• Flask: Web framework used for creating the web application.
• OpenCV: For image processing and passport scanning.
• Tesseract-OCR: Optical Character Recognition library for extracting text from passport images.
• SQLAlchemy: ORM for database management (SQLite).
• Flask-Login: For user authentication and session management.
• Flask-WTF: For secure forms and CSRF protection.

Project Architecture:

Architecture Diagram:

Architecture Description:

+----------------------------------------------+
|               User Interface (UI)            |
|  - HTML/CSS/JavaScript                       |
|  - Passport Image Upload Form                |
+----------------------------------------------+
                       |
                       v
+--------------------------------------------------+
|              Web Application (Flask)             |
|  - Routes:                                       |
|    - `/upload`: Handles passport image upload    |
|    - `/register`: User registration              |
|    - `/login`: User login                        |
|  - Authentication: Flask-Login                   |
|  - Handles form submissions and processes data   |
+--------------------------------------------------+
                       |
                       v
+--------------------------------------------------+
|        OCR & Image Processing                    |
|  - Tesseract: Extracts text from passport images  |
|  - OpenCV: Preprocesses images (grayscale, etc.)  |
|  - Focuses on the MRZ for passport data           |
+--------------------------------------------------+
                       |
                       v
+--------------------------------------------------+
|               Visa Validation Logic              |
|  - Validates visa expiration date                |
|  - Checks issuing country and visa number        |
|  - Predefined rules or external API integration  |
+--------------------------------------------------+
                       |
                       v
+--------------------------------------------------+
|             Database (SQLite/SQLAlchemy)         |
|  - User Table: Stores user credentials           |
|  - Passport Table: Stores passport details       |
|  - Visa Table: Stores visa details               |
|  - Logs all scans for auditing                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+
                       |
                       v
+--------------------------------------------------+
|               Security Layer                     |
|  - User Authentication via Flask-Login           |
|  - Data encryption using cryptography library    |
|  - HTTPS for secure communication                |
|  - CSRF protection via Flask-WTF                 |
+--------------------------------------------------+
                       |
                       v
+--------------------------------------------------+
|               Deployment (Cloud)                 |
|  - Dockerized for portability                    |
|  - Deployable on Heroku or AWS                   |
|  - Autoscaling and monitoring for production     |
+--------------------------------------------------+

Workflow:

1. User Interaction: Users interact with the web interface to upload passport images.
2. File Upload: The Flask backend processes the uploaded images.
3. OCR & Processing: The image is preprocessed, and Tesseract extracts passport details.
4. Visa Validation: Visa information is validated using predefined rules or external APIs.
5. Database Storage: All passport and visa details are stored securely in SQLite.
6. Security: Data encryption and authentication ensure secure handling of sensitive data.
7. Deployment: The app is packaged in Docker and deployed to cloud platforms like Heroku or AWS.

Installation:

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.9+
• Tesseract-OCR installed on your machine (for OCR functionality)
  • Install Tesseract: Installation Guide

Steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/fahmifareed/worldwide-visa-check.git
   cd worldwide-visa-check

2. Set up a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Initialize the database:

   python
   >>> from app import create_app, db
   >>> app = create_app()
   >>> with app.app_context():
   >>>     db.create_all()

5. Run the application:

   flask run

6. Open a browser and visit: http://127.0.0.1:5000

Usage:

Registration:

• Visit /register to create a new user account.
• Provide a username, email, and password to register.

Login:

• After registering, visit /login to log in with your credentials.

Passport Upload:

• Once logged in, navigate to the homepage.
• Upload an image of a passport to initiate OCR processing.
• The system will extract passport details (name, passport number, nationality) and validate visa details if available.

API Endpoints:

1. POST /upload:

Uploads a passport image and returns extracted details.

• Request: Form data with the passport image file.
• Response: Extracted passport and visa details.

2. POST /register:

Registers a new user.

• Request: JSON data with username, email, and password.
• Response: Success or failure message.

3. POST /login:

Logs in an existing user.

• Request: JSON data with username and password.
• Response: Success or failure message.

4. GET /logout:

Logs out the current user.

• Request: No data required.
• Response: Redirects to login page.

Security Considerations:

• Encryption: Passport and visa details are encrypted before being stored in the database using the cryptography library.
• HTTPS: Use HTTPS for secure data transmission in production environments.
• Authentication: User authentication is handled with Flask-Login. Passwords are hashed and stored securely.
• CSRF Protection: Flask-WTF provides built-in CSRF protection for all forms.

Deployment:

Heroku:

1. Install the Heroku CLI and log in.

   heroku login

2. Create a new Heroku app:

   heroku create worldwide-visa-check

3. Push the code to Heroku:

   git push heroku main

4. Set up environment variables for Flask:

   heroku config:set FLASK_APP=run.py

5. Open the deployed app:

   heroku open

AWS (Elastic Beanstalk):

Alternatively, you can deploy the application to AWS using Elastic Beanstalk for scalability.

ToDo:

• Improve UI/UX

• Enhance the UI for better user experience (mobile and desktop).

• Extend Visa Validation Logic

• Integrate real-time visa validation APIs (if available).

• Cloud Storage Integration

• Use AWS S3 or other cloud storage to store uploaded images.

Contribution:

1. Fork the repository.

2. Create a new feature branch:

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Add your feature"

4. Push the branch to GitHub:

   git push origin feature/your-feature

5. Create a Pull Request on the main repository.

License:

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more information.

Let me know if you'd like further changes!