An apparatus for optical analysis of at least one value document, transported individually in a given transport direction and at a given transport speed, in a recording area of the apparatus, having an illumination device for illuminating the value document in at least a part of the recording area, which possesses at least one laser diode (50; 76), a control device for driving the laser diode (50; 76), and a detection device (40; 40′′′) for recording optical radiation from at least one part of the recording area, characterized in that the at least one laser diode (50; 76) is a surface emitting laser diode, and vertical the illumination device possesses at least one further vertical surface emitting laser diode (50; 76) for producing a given illumination pattern in the recording area, that the control device is configured also for driving the further laser diode (50; 76), and that the illumination device has at least two groups of surface emitting laser diodes (50; 76) which comprise the laser diodes (50; 76), wherein the laser diodes (50; 76) of one group are drivable independently of those of the other group, and the control device is configured for driving one group of laser diodes (50; 76) separately from the drive of the other groups of laser diodes (50; 76), and that the laser diodes (50; 76) are configured in one and the same chip and are disposed in matrix form on the grid points of a rectangular or square grid or on the points of a hexagonal point grid. and that an extension of a detection area of the detection device (40; 40′′′) in the transport direction is smaller than the extension of the illumination pattern in the transport direction and that the illumination pattern, viewed against the transport direction, extends further with respect to the detection area than in the transport direction. an illumination device for illuminating the value document in at least a part of the recording area, which possesses at least one laser diode (50; 76), a control device for driving the laser diode (50; 76), and a detection device (40; 40′′′) for recording optical radiation from at least one part of the recording area, characterized in that the at least one laser diode (50; 76) is a surface emitting laser diode, and vertical the illumination device possesses at least one further vertical surface emitting laser diode (50; 76) for producing a given illumination pattern in the recording area, that the control device is configured also for driving the further laser diode (50; 76), and that the illumination device has at least two groups of surface emitting laser diodes (50; 76) which comprise the laser diodes (50; 76), wherein the laser diodes (50; 76) of one group are drivable independently of those of the other group, and the control device is configured for driving one group of laser diodes (50; 76) separately from the drive of the other groups of laser diodes (50; 76), and that the laser diodes (50; 76) are configured in one and the same chip and are disposed in matrix form on the grid points of a rectangular or square grid or on the points of a hexagonal point grid. and that an extension of a detection area of the detection device (40; 40′′′) in the transport direction is smaller than the extension of the illumination pattern in the transport direction and that the illumination pattern, viewed against the transport direction, extends further with respect to the detection area than in the transport direction.