Contact QR Codes: VCard and MeCard

Generate scannable contact QR codes with VCard 3.0 or MeCard format so users can save details directly to their address book.

Contact data types encode personal and professional details into a QR code that any modern smartphone camera app can parse and offer to save as a new contact. The package supports two standards: VCard (RFC 6350 / version 3.0) and MeCard (NTT DoCoMo format). Both let a user scan once and skip the manual entry entirely.

VCard

Use QrCode::VCard(array $config) to produce a vCard 3.0 payload. VCard is the most widely supported contact format across iOS, Android, and desktop mail clients, making it the safest default choice for business cards, event badges, and printed marketing materials.

Supported Keys

name · string · required

The full display name of the contact (FN field). This is the only required key.

firstName · string

The contact’s given name. Used alongside lastName to populate the structured N field.

lastName · string

The contact’s family name.

If firstName and lastName are provided, they will automatically construct the structured N field in the VCard, while name populates the FN (Formatted Name) field.

email · string

A general internet email address.

emailWork · string

A work-typed internet email address (EMAIL;type=INTERNET,WORK).

emailHome · string

A home-typed internet email address (EMAIL;type=INTERNET,HOME).

phone · string

A general phone number (TEL).

phoneWork · string

A work-typed phone number (TEL;type=WORK).

phoneHome · string

A home-typed phone number (TEL;type=HOME).

phoneCell · string

A mobile/cell phone number (TEL;type=CELL).

company · string

The organisation name (ORG).

job · string

The job title (TITLE).

role · string

The role within the organisation (ROLE).

address · string

A street address (ADR).

url · string

A personal or company website URL (URL).

note · string

A free-text note (NOTE).

birthday · string

Date of birth in YYYYMMDD format (BDAY).

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// Minimal — name only
$qr = QrCode::VCard(['name' => 'Jane Smith']);

// Full business card
$qr = QrCode::VCard([
    'name'      => 'Jane Smith',
    'firstName' => 'Jane',
    'lastName'  => 'Smith',
    'email'     => '[e-mail]',
    'emailWork' => '[e-mail]',
    'phone'     => '[phone]',
    'phoneCell' => '[phone]',
    'company'   => 'Acme Inc.',
    'job'       => 'Software Engineer',
    'address'   => '123 Main St, Springfield, IL 62701',
    'url'       => 'https://janesmith.dev',
    'note'      => 'Met at Laracon 2025',
    'birthday'  => '19900315',
]);

// Render as SVG inline
echo QrCode::VCard([
    'name'    => 'Jane Smith',
    'email'   => '[e-mail]',
    'phone'   => '[phone]',
    'company' => 'Acme Inc.',
])->generate();

Always wrap in try/catch when using user-supplied data. The only hard requirement is a non-empty name; all other keys are optional.

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MeCard

Use QrCode::MeCard(string $name, ...) to produce a MeCard payload. MeCard is a lighter-weight format originating from NTT DoCoMo and is prevalent in Japan and some Asian markets. It carries slightly fewer fields than vCard but produces a shorter payload, resulting in a less complex QR code.

Signature

QrCode::MeCard(
    string  $name,
    ?string $phone        = null,
    ?string $email        = null,
    ?string $url          = null,
    ?string $address      = null,
    ?string $reading      = null,  // Phonetic reading of the name (SOUND)
    ?string $nickname     = null,
    ?string $phone2       = null,
    ?string $phone3       = null,
    ?string $videoPhone   = null,
    ?string $note         = null,
    ?string $birthday     = null,  // YYYYMMDD format
    ?string $postOfficeBox = null,
)

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// Basic
$qr = QrCode::MeCard('Jane Smith');

// With contact details
$qr = QrCode::MeCard(
    name:     'Jane Smith',
    phone:    '[phone]',
    email:    '[e-mail]',
    url:      'https://janesmith.dev',
    address:  '123 Main St, Springfield, IL',
    note:     'Laracon 2025',
    birthday: '19900315',
);

// Render to a PNG file
QrCode::MeCard(
    name:  'Jane Smith',
    phone: '[phone]',
    email: '[e-mail]',
)->format('png')->size(400)->generate(storage_path('app/qrcodes/jane.png'));

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VCard vs MeCard — Which Should You Use?

	VCard 3.0	MeCard
Compatibility	iOS, Android, Outlook, macOS — universally supported	Excellent on Android; supported on iOS 11+; less so on desktop
Fields	Rich: multiple emails, phone types, role, birthday, notes	Core fields only: name, phone, email, URL, address, note
Payload size	Larger (more verbose)	Smaller (shorter QR code at the same error-correction level)
Best for	Business cards, event badges, marketing collateral	Simple personal cards, space-constrained prints

When in doubt, choose VCard. It is more widely supported and handles multiple phone numbers and email addresses in a single payload.