# vCard

> vCard is the standard contact-record format, defined in RFC 6350 for version 4.0 and RFC 2426 for 3.0. Encoded into a QR code it becomes a digital business card that a phone can save directly to its address book.

Source: https://useqr.app/glossary/vcard · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

---

## The shape

```
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Lovelace;Ada;;;
FN:Ada Lovelace
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+14155552671
EMAIL:ada@example.com
END:VCARD
```

`N` is structured as *family;given;middle;prefix;suffix* — all four semicolons required even
when fields are empty. `FN` is the display name; omitting it is why contacts sometimes
import blank.

## 3.0 versus 4.0 in QR codes

Use 3.0. Phone cameras and older scanner apps handle it universally, and the additional 4.0
properties rarely survive import into a phone address book anyway.

## Size

A full vCard runs 300–400 bytes — a version 11–13 code. Never embed a photo: base64 image
data is measured in kilobytes against a 2,953-byte ceiling. Use
[MeCard](/glossary/mecard) when the printed code must be small.