· Written and maintained by Nonimo
On a Queensland drivers licence the card number sits in the bottom right corner, printed next to the label “Card number”. Depending on your card it can be on the front, on the back, or on both, so turn the licence over and check each side before you go hunting through old emails.
It’s a different number from your licence number. The card number belongs to the piece of plastic you’re holding and changes every time the licence is renewed or replaced, which is exactly why online identity checks now ask for it.
So before a photo of your licence heads off to a property manager, a new boss or a car loan broker, redact it. The tool at the top of this page does that from a photo or a PDF, read in your browser. Your licence doesn’t leave your device.
How to redact the card number on your QLD licence
1. Photograph one side of the card
Take the photo straight on against a plain surface, or pick a file you already have: HEIC, JPG, PNG, WEBP or a scanned PDF. The tool recognises the front of the Queensland card design issued since mid-2019 and gives each field it recognises a chip of its own. Nothing is blacked out yet.
2. Tap Card number, then anything else the recipient can live without
Nothing is redacted until you say so. On the front you’ll see chips for “Card number”, “Licence number”, “Family name”, “Given names”, “Date of birth”, “Issue date”, “Expiry date”, “Photo” and “Signature”. Tap “Card number”, then add the others the recipient doesn’t need. If your card number is on the back, check the preview of that side and, if the number still shows, drag a box over it with “Redact by hand”. Tap a box on the preview to show it again if you change your mind.
Holding a card from before mid-2019? The tool won’t recognise that design, so use “Redact by hand” and drag a box over each number yourself. Your licence class and conditions are never redacted.
3. Check the preview and save the copy
Check the result, then save it as PNG, JPG or PDF. The boxes are flattened into the pixels, so nobody can lift them off later, and the file carries no metadata. A watermark is switched on by default too, and our QLD licence watermark page has ideas for the line to write across it.
Where the card number is on a QLD licence
The Queensland Government’s page on finding your TMR reference numbers puts the card number in the bottom right hand corner, marked “Card number”, on the front and/or back of the card. That “and/or” matters: two Queensland licences can have it in different spots, so don’t assume yours matches a picture you saw online.
The current card design arrived in 2019. A TMR media statement from April 2019 explains that the new cards moved the chip inside the card, so it’s no longer visible, freed up room for bigger text, and added updated security features, with driver licences available from mid-June that year. If your card still shows a chip on its face, you’re holding the older design.
Why the card number gets so much attention now: after the Optus breach in 2022, the Queensland Government brought forward a change so that organisations checking a licence also need the card number, and its page on protecting your identity explains that both the card number and your Customer Reference Number are verified through the national Document Verification Service. Give an old card number and the check fails.
Other states print it in other places. New South Wales puts it on the front, as our NSW card number guide shows, while Victoria keeps it on the back, explained on our VIC card number page. South Australia uses the back, top right (our SA card number guide), the ACT prints it on the front beside the photo (our ACT card number guide), and the Northern Territory puts it on the back of cards issued since November 2020 (our NT card number guide). Tasmania prints it on the back (our TAS card number guide). For all of them at a glance, see where the card number is in every state and territory.
Which fields to redact, and what to leave visible
Ask what the person actually has to check. Usually that’s your name, your photo and perhaps your licence number, not the card number.
| Field | Where on a QLD card | On a copy you send |
|---|---|---|
| Family name, given names, photo | front | leave visible, they show it’s you |
| Licence class and conditions | front | left visible, the tool never redacts them |
| Card number | bottom right, front and/or back | redact it, on every side it appears |
| Licence number | front | redact it unless the form asks for it |
| Date of birth | front | redact it unless your age is the point |
| Issue and expiry dates | front | usually fine to leave, redact if you prefer |
| Signature | front | redact it |
| Address | back | redact it unless the application needs it |
Renting in Queensland has its own rules since 1 May 2025. The RTA’s application process guidance lets a property manager ask for up to two identity documents, and you can let them see the original instead of handing over a copy. If they want to keep a copy, they need your consent.
Agencies handling a pile of applications can see how this fits their office on our page for real estate agents. If your passport is going in with the licence, our guide to watermarking a passport copy shows how to mark that one with who it’s for. Want the number gone as well? Take the passport number off that copy while you’re at it.
For whole files on your computer, such as a signed lease or a scanned ID bundle, the Nonimo app redacts names and ID numbers on Mac and Windows.
Common questions
Where is the card number on a Queensland drivers licence?
In the bottom right hand corner, next to the words Card number. The Queensland Government says it can be on the front, the back or both, depending on your card, so look at both sides before you photograph anything. If you only find it on one side, that's normal, and that side is the one to redact.
Why do online ID checks ask for my Queensland card number?
Because a licence number on its own isn't enough for an online identity check any more. Since late 2022, organisations checking a Queensland licence through the national Document Verification Service ask for the card number as well, and the Queensland Government compares it to a CVV on a bank card. Together, the two numbers are what lets a check pass.
Does my card number change when I renew my Queensland licence?
Yes. TMR says a new card number is generated every time your licence is renewed or replaced, while your Customer Reference Number stays the same. An old card number will make a verification fail, so if a business asks for it, copy it from the card currently in your wallet rather than from an old photo.
My licence was issued before mid-2019. Will the tool recognise it?
The tool reads the card design Queensland started issuing in mid-2019, the one without a visible chip on the front. On an older card it won't place the boxes for you, but everything still works: choose Redact by hand and drag a box over the card number, the licence number and anything else you'd rather keep to yourself.
My licence details were caught up in a data breach. What now?
TMR suggests replacing the card, which gives you a new card number, and it waives the replacement fee when your licence details were exposed in a data breach. If you've renewed or replaced it since the breach, the number has already changed. A new Customer Reference Number is only for details already used in fraud and at risk of more.
Does a Queensland property manager need my card number?
Usually not. Under the RTA's application rules, a property manager can ask for up to two identity documents and can sight the original instead of keeping a copy, and needs your consent to keep one. Your name, photo and licence number show who you are. If a form genuinely needs the card number, tap its chip to show it again.
Do I have to redact the card number on both sides of the card?
Only where it's printed. On some Queensland cards it appears on one side and on others on both, so redact it wherever you see it. On the front, tap the Card number chip; on the back, use Redact by hand if the number still shows. On a computer you can add the back as a second page, and the two sides download together as one PDF.
Is redacting the card number enough to keep my licence safe?
It's a good start, but no single step does it all. The Queensland Government suggests being mindful of who you share licence details with, asking how a business will store them, and only entering them on secure websites you know. A redacted copy simply means one less useful number is sitting in someone else's inbox.