· Written and maintained by Nonimo
Rental application, new job, ute hire for the weekend: sooner or later someone asks for a copy of your NSW licence, and the photo you send is the whole card, sitting in an inbox or a shared drive long after the deal is done. Writing across that copy who it’s for, and when, turns it into something that only makes sense in one place. If it ever shows up anywhere else, the line itself gives it away.
The tool above adds the watermark in your browser: drop in a photo or PDF of your licence, finish the sentence and download the copy. Your licence never leaves your device.
Holding a Victorian licence instead? The VIC drivers licence watermark page is written for that card. There are watermark pages for QLD, SA, ACT, TAS and NT licences too.
How to watermark your NSW licence copy
1. Add a photo of the plastic card
Snap the card with your phone camera or drop in a file you already have, in JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC or PDF. Use the plastic card rather than a screenshot of the Digital Driver Licence. Service NSW’s advice to licence checkers is that accepting a screenshot or copy of the digital licence isn’t recommended, and that anyone who needs a copy should ask for the plastic licence. Asked for the back as well? On a computer, drop it into “Back” and “Download both sides as a PDF” saves the pair as one file. On a phone, do one side, then the other.
2. Check the watermark sentence
The watermark is switched on from the start, reading “For this application only”, with the current month and year already in. You can send it like that, but it’s worth editing the line to say who’s getting the copy and the reason, or swapping it for one of the “Quick picks”. Then pick a layout. Examples, and when each layout fits, are further down.
3. Download the watermarked copy
PNG, JPG or PDF. The line is baked into the pixels, and the new file carries no metadata: no phone model, no GPS position. Word documents and PDFs hide the same kind of detail, as our guide to removing metadata from Word and PDF explains. Send the new file and keep the original photo to yourself.
What to write across your NSW licence copy
Name the recipient, the reason and the month. A catch-all word like “copy” or “confidential” could sit on any misuse at all. A line that names one rental, one job or one booking makes every other use look wrong to whoever reads it. If you’ve moved to Perth and swapped to a WA card, our WA drivers licence watermark page has lines for a FIFO induction and a campervan pick-up at Perth Airport.
Copy for King Street rental application only · October 2026
Copy for courier contractor sign-up only · October 2026
Copy for weekend ute hire booking only · October 2026
Copy for tax agent, new client ID check only · October 2026
Leave the month in. A copy dated October 2026 that turns up next winter on an application you never made is a clear sign someone has reused it. And make a fresh copy for each request rather than recycling one: it takes a minute, and each file then points to one place only. The same goes for a Medicare card sent as your second ID: watermark your Medicare card with its own line and month.
Where the watermark goes, and which layout to pick
Across the details, never in a corner: a corner is the first thing a crop removes. Pick the layout by how much you trust whoever’s receiving the file.
Diagonal is the default: one line across the card that you can drag over your details. All over repeats it across the whole card, through your photo, name and numbers, so there’s no clean strip to crop. Use it for agents, hire companies, an app you’ve never used before, or anyone who will store the file.
Horizontal runs one straight line and leaves more of the card clear, so it fits a copy for someone you already deal with, such as your employer’s HR team or your broker.
The “Customise your watermark” panel lets you change the size, opacity, font, colour and angle, and “Reset settings” puts everything back.
Every layout leaves your details readable, so the person who asked can still check who you are. Where the Privacy Act covers a real estate agent, the OAIC’s tenancy guidance says it can only collect what is reasonably necessary, and a copy tied to one application fits that. Agencies working through a stack of applications can see what Nonimo does for their office on our page for real estate agents, and for whole documents on a Mac or Windows computer, there’s the Nonimo app.
Common questions
What should I write in the watermark on my NSW licence copy?
Three things: the recipient, the reason and the month. Something like Copy for courier contractor sign-up only, followed by the month and year. The more specific the line, the more it protects you: if the copy turns up anywhere else, the watermark itself says it was never meant for that use. A plain word like copy does very little.
Can I watermark a screenshot of my NSW Digital Driver Licence instead?
It's better to use a photo of the plastic card. Service NSW tells licence checkers that accepting a screenshot or copy of the digital licence is not recommended, and that anyone who needs a copy should ask for the plastic licence. The digital licence is designed to be checked live in the app, with a QR code that expires and reloads.
Can I use the same watermarked copy for two applications?
You can, but a fresh one for each is better. A copy naming one property or one employer only makes sense there, so if it surfaces somewhere else you'll know which file got out. Making another takes a minute: add the photo again, change the line and download. The photo on your device stays as it was.
What if an agent asks for a copy without a watermark?
Ask what they need the clean copy for. A watermark sits over the card without hiding anything, so your name, photo and details can still be checked against the application. Where the Privacy Act covers the agent, the OAIC's tenancy guidance says it may only collect what is reasonably necessary, and a copy tied to one application generally does the job.
Is it safe to email a watermarked copy of my licence?
It's safer than emailing a clean copy, though the file still sits in their inbox and yours. Send it only to the person who asked, check the address belongs to the business you're dealing with, and ask them to delete it when they're done. The watermark then tells anyone who finds it later who it was for.
Does a watermark stop someone misusing my licence?
Not on its own, and no single step does. What it changes is how useful the copy is to anyone else: a line naming one rental or one job makes the file awkward to pass off somewhere new, and easier for you to trace. It works best alongside sending it only where it's needed and keeping a note of who has one.
Will the person checking my licence still be able to read it?
Yes. The watermark sits on top of the card, and your name, photo, licence number and other details stay readable through it, so an agent or employer can still compare them with your application. If they find the All over pattern busy, Diagonal or Horizontal puts a single line across the card and leaves more of it clear.
Does the watermarked file show where the photo was taken?
No. The tool saves a new file without metadata, so the phone model, the time and the GPS position your camera may have recorded don't travel with it. The original photo on your device keeps whatever it had, so send the watermarked file and, if your camera roll syncs to the cloud, think about deleting the original once you're done.