· Written and maintained by Nonimo
A unit in Brisbane, a contractor role out west, a hire car at Cairns Airport: in Queensland, plenty of paperwork starts with “please attach a copy of your licence”. Whatever you send is a full picture of the card, filed away by someone else. Put the recipient and the date across it, and should that file ever turn up where it shouldn’t, it carries its own record of where it came from.
The tool above adds that line in your browser. Open a photo or scan of your licence, check the line and save the new file. Your licence never leaves your device.
Moved interstate? There are matching pages for an SA licence and an ACT licence.
How to watermark your QLD licence copy
1. Load your licence
Hold your phone square over the card, or pick a photo or scan you already have. Photos straight off an iPhone (HEIC) are fine, and so are JPG, PNG, WEBP and PDF. A crooked shot can be straightened with “Rotate left” or “Rotate right”, and “Adjust crop” trims away the kitchen bench.
Has the request asked for both sides? On a computer, load the second side into “Back”, and “Download both sides as a PDF” saves the pair as one file.
2. Set the watermark line
As soon as the card appears, so does a line: “For this application only”, with the current month and year after it. You can leave it there, edit it so it names the person or business and the reason (still the best option), or pick from “Quick picks” and edit that to suit. Layout comes next, and there’s more on that below.
3. Save it and attach it
PNG, JPG or PDF, your call. The line is merged into the image itself, not stacked on top as something removable, and your camera model and GPS location are left out of the saved file. If the licence is travelling inside a Word file or a PDF bundle, our guide to removing metadata from Word and PDF explains what those documents can hold.
What to write on your QLD licence copy
Aim for a line that answers three things at a glance: who holds this copy, why they have it, and since when. A lone “SAMPLE” or “COPY” could sit on any misuse without looking odd. Name one application or one booking, and every other use looks wrong.
Copy for Form 22 rental application, one unit only · October 2026
Copy for site contractor onboarding only · October 2026
Copy for Cairns Airport car hire booking only · October 2026
Copy for apprentice payroll setup only · October 2026
Queensland rentals now run on one standard application, the RTA’s Form 22, so naming it ties the copy to that process. The RTA’s application process guidance also says a property manager can ask for up to two identity documents and needs your consent to keep a copy. The RTA’s personal information page then sets how long it may be held: 3 months for unsuccessful applicants, unless you agree to longer. With the month in the line, a copy that resurfaces next year is easy to question.
Start from scratch for every request instead of reusing an earlier file. It takes a minute, and each copy then belongs to exactly one place. If a passport is going in with the licence, watermark the passport copy using the same wording. A Medicare card often makes up the second of the two documents, and the Medicare card watermark page has wording for that card too.
Choosing a layout, and when the digital licence fits
Run the line through your details, not off in a margin, because a margin is the first thing a crop removes. Diagonal is the default: one slanted line you can drag into place. All over prints it in rows across the whole card, through your photo and numbers, which suits a business you’ve never dealt with or one likely to keep the file for months. Horizontal keeps a single straight line and leaves more of the card clear, fine for someone you already know, like the payroll team at work.
“Customise your watermark” changes the size, opacity, font, colour and angle. Whichever settings you land on, keep everything underneath readable so the check still works.
What about the Queensland Digital Licence app? It’s handy for showing a QR code or your screen in person, but the Queensland Government notes that sharing a PDF copy from the app shares all the information in that credential. When a copy has to be emailed or uploaded, a photo of the plastic card with your own line across it says who it was meant for.
Property managers juggling a pile of applications can see what Nonimo does for an agency on our page for real estate agents. For whole documents on a computer, there’s the Nonimo app for Mac and Windows.
Common questions
Can a Queensland property manager keep a copy of my licence?
Only with your consent, according to the RTA. Since 1 May 2025 you can prove your identity by sending a copy or by letting the property manager sight the original, and keeping a copy without your consent is an offence. If you do agree to a copy, a watermark naming that one application makes it clear what it was for.
How long can a rental agency in Queensland hold on to my licence copy?
The RTA says personal information from unsuccessful applicants should be securely destroyed after 3 months, unless you agree to longer, and for a tenancy within 7 years after it ends. These rules apply to tenancies that started on or after 1 May 2025. A dated watermark helps you spot a copy that has outstayed its welcome.
Should I send the PDF from the Queensland Digital Licence app instead?
Think twice. The Queensland Government says sharing your credential as a PDF shares all the information in that credential. A photo of the plastic card, on the other hand, can carry a line saying exactly who it was sent to and when, which an exported credential doesn't give you.
Can I watermark a licence photo I took a while ago?
Yes, as long as it shows the card you hold now. Any saved photo or scan works, including one sitting in your camera roll from a previous application. Your card number changes each time the licence is renewed or replaced, so an older picture may show a card that's no longer current. If in doubt, take a fresh photo.
My licence copy needs the front and the back. Can they go in one file?
Yes, on a computer. Load the second side into Back, then Download both sides as a PDF saves the pair as one file with the same line on each. On a phone, finish one side, save it, then start again with the other, keeping the wording identical so the pair clearly belongs together.
The watermark is hard to see on my card. Can I change it?
Yes. Open Customise your watermark and change the colour, size or opacity until the line stands out against the card's background. You can also pick a different font or angle, and drag the line to move it. Keep it over your details rather than over blank space, so a crop can't remove it cleanly.
Is there a good line for a job application in the mines?
Name the company or labour hire firm, the purpose and the month, for example Copy for site contractor onboarding only, then the month. That's specific enough to show where it belongs, without listing anything private. If the same employer later asks for a second copy for a different purpose, make a new one with its own line.
Will a watermarked copy still pass an in-person ID check?
An in-person check is usually done against the plastic card itself, so a copy isn't involved. A watermarked copy is for the times you have to send something: an application, an onboarding portal or a hire booking. The line stays readable over your details, so the person comparing it with your form can still do their job.