Short answer: yes, you can still be asked for a fax in 2026, and you can send one without owning any equipment. Upload a PDF in your browser, type the recipient's number, confirm by email and the document travels over the phone network to an ordinary fax machine at the other end. No account, no landline, no printer.
Every few weeks someone tells us the same story. A form arrives from a tax agency, a medical practice or a attorney with a single instruction at the bottom: "return by fax". The sender hasn't seen a fax machine in a decade and assumes the instruction is a mistake. It rarely is.
Why the fax is still around
Email is faster and cheaper, so why does a technology from the 1980s survive? Three reasons keep coming up.
First, habit and procedure. A business process that works is rarely redesigned. Intake desks in clinics, pharmacies and small public agencies were built around a machine that prints the page the moment it arrives. Replacing that with a shared inbox means changing who looks at what, and when.
Second, perceived privacy. A fax travels directly from one number to another, without sitting in a mailbox that several people can read or that a phishing message could expose. Whether or not that perception is entirely fair (we come back to it below), it explains why professionals who handle sensitive records stay loyal to the channel.
Third, a paper trail. A machine prints a transmission report, showing when the call happened and which number answered. People who deal with deadlines like the feeling that proof exists as soon as the page has gone through. We explain how to build that proof properly in our guide to fax delivery receipts.
Where you are most likely to meet one
The picture looks much the same in every country we cover (Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Canada, Portugal and France).
- Tax and social security. Supporting documents for a correction, a payment arrangement or a change of bank details. Many offices now offer an online portal, but the portal does not always cover unusual cases, and a fax remains the accepted fallback.
- Health. Prescriptions, referral letters, test results and insurance forms moving between practices, pharmacies and insurers. Here the fax is often part of the clinic's own security routine.
- Legal and notarial work. Signed pages sent ahead of an appointment, a cancellation notice, a statement for a court registry. Lawyers like the timestamp.
- Housing and utilities. Landlords, agents and energy suppliers who process contracts and meter readings on a fixed line.
If a document is going to one of those recipients, check their instructions first: an increasing number accept a secure upload instead. When they do not, a fax is the shortest road.
How to send a fax online in four steps
- Prepare the file. A PDF is ideal. Word, Excel, images and plain text are converted for you, up to 100 MB. A black-and-white, sharp scan always transmits better than a color photo: our PDF preparation checklist goes into detail.
- Choose the destination and type the number. Pick the country first, then enter the local number, leaving out both the initial zero and the international prefix. The form checks that the number matches the pattern of a fixed line in that country, which catches most typing slips before anything is sent.
- Add your name and email. The email address is used for the validation link and for tracking, nothing else.
- Confirm and watch. You receive an email with a link. Once you click it, a short countdown starts, the fax is dialled and a status page shows each stage until delivery.
Need a cover sheet? The free cover-page generator produces one in a few seconds.
What it costs
One-page faxes cost nothing. For longer documents you pay once, at the moment you submit the form; the pricing page gives the exact amount and what it covers. Written proof of the request and of the transmission is an optional extra. You only pay if you decide to continue, and a one-page fax can be repeated as often as you like.
Is a fax really more private than email?
Partly. A fax is not stored in a shared mailbox and it is not forwarded by accident. But the page comes out of a machine in someone's office: if that machine sits in a hallway, anyone walking by can read it. Phone lines can also be intercepted in theory, though that takes effort most attackers will not spend.
For you, the sender, the practical advice is simple. Phone ahead for anything sensitive, so the recipient is standing by the machine. Don't send more than the recipient needs. Keep a copy of what you sent and of the transmission report. The security page lists how the service handles your file.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a fax machine or a landline?
No. The service dials for you from the internet. You only need a device with a browser and the document you want to send.
Can I send a photo taken with my phone?
Yes, though a flat scan is clearer. Photographs taken at an angle or under a lamp often come out gray and slow to transmit. More on that in fax from a phone.
How long does it take?
Dialing and transmission usually take a few minutes. The recipient's machine must be on, loaded with paper and not busy, so a retry is sometimes needed. The status page tells you what is happening.
Which countries can I fax to?
The seven listed under destinations. Each page shows the dialing format and examples of valid numbers.
Key points
- A fax is still requested by some tax, health, legal and housing recipients.
- You can send one from a browser, with no machine, line or account.
- One page goes out free; longer documents carry a one-off price.
- Prepare a clean black-and-white PDF and check the number format before sending.
- Keep a copy of the document and the transmission report.
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