How to prepare documents for a HELB or HEF application

The HELB and HEF student finance application asks for your National ID or Maisha Card with both sides in one PDF, a passport-size photo as JPG or PNG, and some certificates as PDF. On a phone, photograph both sides of the ID, open Images to PDF, choose both photos and select Create PDF →. The photos are turned into a PDF on your phone and aren’t uploaded to us.

What the application asks for

The requirements list on the Higher Education Financing (HEF) website, checked November 2, 2026, includes:

• Your passport-size photo, in JPEG, JPG or PNG.
• A copy of your National ID or Maisha Card, both sides, in PDF.
• A copy of a parent’s death certificate if a parent is deceased, in PDF.
• Your birth certificate in PDF if you are applying as a minor.
• A sponsorship letter in PDF if you were sponsored in secondary school.

The list also asks for details you type in, such as KCSE index number, bank or M-PESA details and guarantors’ ID numbers. The HEF application guide says documents are uploaded under the My Profile tab. The guide also says the process is paperless and that HELB doesn’t charge a fee for it.

The official requirements don’t state a maximum file size. Some news sites mention a limit, but we couldn’t confirm it on an official page. If the upload screen shows a limit, use that number with the size steps below. PDFReadyGo isn’t connected to HELB or HEF.

Both sides of your ID in one PDF

1. Put the card on a dark, plain surface and photograph the front, then the back. Fill the frame and avoid glare from lights.
2. Open Images to PDF and select Choose images. Pick the front photo first, then the back.
3. Check the order. The front should be first.
4. Keep Page size on A4.
5. Select Create PDF →, then Download result ↓.

In our test on November 2, 2026, two sample card photos became one 2-page A4 PDF of 198.7 KB. Each image was fitted on its page without cropping.

If your photos are iPhone HEIC files, or you want the tool to crop to the card’s edges, use Scan to PDF instead and pick Enhanced color.

Certificates and letters as PDF

• From paper: photograph each page with Scan to PDF. A two-page letter can go in one PDF.
• Already a PDF: if the file is too large for the upload, open Compress PDF, choose Target size — for upload limits and pick the size the form allows, for example 1 MB.

The passport-size photo

The photo must be an image, not a PDF. If it is too large for the upload, open Resize photo in KB, choose the photo, and pick Passport size · 35 × 45 mm · under 50 KB or type your own Maximum size in KB. The tool saves a JPG, which the requirements accept.

Before you upload

• Open each PDF and zoom in. The ID number and your name must be readable.
• Name the files clearly, for example ID-front-back.pdf, so you pick the right one in the form.
• Your ID and certificates are personal documents. Delete extra copies from shared phones or cyber café computers when you finish.
• Low on data? Open the tools you need once while connected. After that they work offline, so you can prepare everything and connect only to upload.

Related tools

• How to compress a PDF offline, useful when data bundles are low
• How to make a PDF from photos on your phone
• Merge PDF: combine several PDFs into one