· Written and maintained by Nonimo
A real estate agent in Hobart, a new employer in Launceston, a campervan pick-up at Devonport: at some point, someone wants a picture of your licence. Once it’s sent, it can linger in an email thread or a cloud folder long after the reason has passed. A line of text across the card that says who it was for, and when, makes any later reuse easy to spot.
The tool above puts that line on your Tasmanian drivers licence right in your browser: open a photo or a PDF, name the recipient and download. Your licence never leaves your device.
How to watermark your TAS licence copy
1. Open a photo or PDF of the licence
Photograph the card flat, in good light, or choose a picture or scan already on your phone or computer. The tool accepts JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC and PDF, and on a phone it can jump straight to the camera. If the request wants both sides, a computer lets you drop the other one into “Back” and save the pair with “Download both sides as a PDF”.
The watermark goes on either side of a Tasmanian card in the same way, so it doesn’t matter which one you start with. Not sure which side is which? Service NSW’s document examples include a Tasmanian licence, front and back.
2. Name the recipient in the watermark
The watermark appears as soon as the photo loads, reading “For this application only”, with the current month and year filled in after it. Keep it, edit the “Watermark text” to add the business and the reason (which we’d recommend), or begin from “Quick picks”. The layouts on offer are “Diagonal”, “All over” and “Horizontal”. There’s more on each below.
3. Save the watermarked copy
Save as PNG, JPG or PDF. The wording is merged into the image rather than floating on a layer someone could lift off, and the saved file sheds the background details your phone attaches, such as device model and location. Those leftovers turn up in other files you send as well; our guide to metadata in Word and PDF shows where.
What to write on your TAS licence copy
A good watermark answers three questions: who is this for, what is it for, and when was it sent. Keep it to one line so it stays readable across the card.
Copy for Sandy Bay unit application only · October 2026
Copy for vineyard harvest crew onboarding only · October 2026
Copy for campervan hire, Devonport pick-up only · October 2026
Copy for car loan application, identity check only · October 2026
A suburb or street is often more useful than an agency name. During a busy rental search the same agency may hold several of your applications, and the location keeps each copy tied to the one place it was meant for.
Keep the month in. A copy marked October that resurfaces months later, attached to something you never signed up for, tells its own story. If the same application wants your passport, watermark the passport copy, using matching wording so both copies point to the same application. Moving interstate for work? The WA licence watermark guide has wording for a mine site induction.
Picking a layout that suits the copy
Where the text sits matters as much as what it says. A watermark parked in a corner can be cropped away in seconds. One running through your name, photo and numbers can’t.
“Diagonal” is where it starts: a single slanted line you can slide across your details. “All over” tiles the text from edge to edge, leaving no clean patch to trim. It suits a copy going to someone you’ll never deal with again, like a one-off booking or an app you’re trying for the first time.
“Horizontal” gives you one level line and keeps the rest of the card neat and legible. It’s a fair choice for someone you know and trust, such as your accountant.
Under “Customise your watermark” you can alter size, opacity, font, colour and angle. If the copy might be printed in black and white, a darker colour holds up better than a pale one.
None of your details disappear under a watermark, so whoever receives the image can still confirm it’s you. That’s the point: the copy works for the job it was sent for and gives itself away anywhere else. The OAIC’s tenancy guidance says that, where the Privacy Act applies, an agency should only collect personal information that’s reasonably necessary. A copy that names one application fits that neatly.
Seasonal and casual work deserves a special mention in Tasmania. Picking, pruning and harvest jobs can mean a new employer every few months, each with its own onboarding form. A fresh copy for each one, with the business and the season in the line, means you always know which employer holds which file.
And if you think your details have already been misused, IDCARE, the national identity and cyber support service, can help you work out what to do next.
Got longer files with names and ID numbers through them? Nonimo’s app handles those on your computer, on Mac and Windows.
Common questions
Can I watermark the front of my Tasmanian licence?
Yes. The watermark goes on any photo of the card, front or back, in exactly the same way. Most people send the front, since that's the side with the photo and name. If the back is wanted as well, add it in the same session so both sides carry an identical line and clearly belong to one copy.
How faint should a watermark on my licence copy be?
Light enough that your details stay readable, solid enough that it can't be overlooked. A middling opacity through the centre of the card usually manages both. Open Customise your watermark to adjust opacity and size, then zoom in on the preview to make sure your name and photo still come through clearly.
Should the watermark name the agency or the property?
For a rental, the property usually works better. One agency might be handling a few of your applications in the same fortnight, and the street name links each image to just one of them. For a job or a loan, name the employer or lender and the purpose, such as onboarding or an account application, with the month at the end.
Will the watermark show up if the copy is printed in black and white?
It should, as long as the colour isn't too pale. Light yellow or pale blue can fade almost to nothing on a greyscale printer. If you think the copy might be printed, pick a darker colour under Customise your watermark and nudge the opacity up a little, then check the preview before you save.
What should the line say for a seasonal job in Tasmania?
Name the grower or contractor, the job and the month, for example Copy for vineyard harvest crew onboarding only, followed by the month and year. Seasonal work can mean several employers in one year, and each one may keep your paperwork. A line that names the season's job keeps every copy tied to the place it was sent.
Is a watermarked licence copy fine for a rental application in Tasmania?
A watermark leaves all of your details readable, so an agent can still confirm your identity. The OAIC's tenancy guidance says agencies under the Privacy Act should collect only the personal information that's reasonably necessary to assess an application, so an image that plainly names that one application suits the purpose well.
Can I put both sides of my Tasmanian licence in one file?
On a computer, yes. Drop the other side into Back, then Download both sides as a PDF saves them as one file with the watermark on each. A phone handles them one at a time, so you get two separate files. If the request only mentions the licence, ask whether the front will do before including the reverse.
Does the watermark tool keep my licence photo?
The licence is read in your browser and doesn't leave your device. The tool creates a fresh image and leaves the original photo where it was, in your camera roll or folder, which you can tidy up once the application is done, especially if your phone syncs pictures to the cloud.