· Written and maintained by Nonimo
When a real estate agent, an employer, a car hire desk or a bank asks for a copy of your licence, what you send is a picture of the whole card, and it can sit in their inbox, their CRM or a shared folder for years. A watermark written across it says who that copy was for, why, and when. If it ever turns up somewhere it shouldn’t, the text gives it away.
The tool at the top of this page adds a watermark to a copy of your Victorian drivers licence in your browser: add a photo or a PDF, say who the copy is for and download it. Your licence never leaves your device.
How to watermark your licence copy
1. Add a photo or PDF of your licence
Drop the image into the tool, or pick it from your phone: it opens the camera or your photos. It reads JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, the format iPhones save photos in, and PDF. The card is read in your own browser. If they want both sides, drop the other one into “Back” on a computer and “Download both sides as a PDF” saves them as one file. On a phone, do one side, then the other.
2. Say who the copy is for
The watermark is already on, with a suggested sentence: “For this application only”, with the current month and year filled in for you. It does the job unchanged, but editing it to name the recipient and the reason does it better, and the “Quick picks” are there too. Then choose a layout: “Diagonal”, “All over” or “Horizontal”. There are example texts and a word on each layout below.
3. Download the watermarked copy
Save it as PNG, JPG or PDF. The watermark is burned into the image pixels, and the file is saved fresh, without the camera model, the time or the location your phone recorded. Those hidden details matter in any file you send, as our guide to metadata in Word and PDF files explains. Send that copy, not the original photo.
What to write on your licence copy
Three things: who it’s for, what it’s for, and the month. The more specific the sentence, the better it works. A generic COPY or CONFIDENTIAL fits any misuse; a line that names one rental application makes every other use stand out, to anyone who looks at it.
Copy for Smith Street rental application only · October 2026
Copy for HR, delivery driver onboarding only · October 2026
Copy for car hire booking, Tullamarine pick-up only · October 2026
Copy for bank account opening, ID check only · October 2026
For a rental, name the street rather than the agency. One agency can have a dozen of your applications in a busy month of inspections, and the address is what ties each copy to a single property.
Keep the month as well as the year. A copy from October that resurfaces in March, attached to something you never applied for, is one more sign it has been reused. A Western Australian card takes the same dated line, and the WA licence watermark guide suggests wording for a FIFO site induction. The same dated line suits a Queensland, South Australian, ACT, Tasmanian or Northern Territory licence copy, and each of those pages has example lines for its own state.
Where the watermark goes, and which layout to pick
The watermark belongs across your details, not in a corner, because a corner can be cropped out in a second and then the copy says nothing. The tool has three layouts, and the right one depends on who’s getting the copy.
“Diagonal”, the default, runs one line across the card, and you can drag it over your details. “All over” repeats the text across the whole card, through your name, photo and licence number. There’s no clean strip left to trim, so it suits a real estate agent, an app you’ve never used or anyone you won’t deal with again.
“Horizontal” is one straight line, tidier, and leaves the rest easy to read. It suits a copy for someone you trust, like your accountant or your employer’s HR team.
To fine-tune it, open “Customise your watermark” and change the size, opacity, font, colour or angle. “Reset settings” takes you back to where you started.
Whichever layout you pick, the watermark hides nothing, so the person receiving it can still check who you are. If you’re renting, Consumer Affairs Victoria’s page on applying for a property says a rental provider or agent can request no more than two identity documents from a set list, with a driver licence the first item on it. A Medicare card is on the same list, so if it’s your second document, watermark that Medicare card copy too with a matching line. The OAIC’s tenancy guidance adds that, where the Privacy Act covers an agency, it can collect only the personal information that is reasonably necessary.
A watermark naming the property keeps that copy tied to that application. Agencies collecting licence copies by the dozen can see how it fits their process on our page for real estate agents. For whole documents on your computer, there’s the Nonimo app for Mac and Windows. Sorting out a licence from over the border? The NSW drivers licence watermark page has its own examples.
Common questions
What should I write in a watermark on my licence copy?
Who the copy is for, why, and the month. For example: Copy for Smith Street rental application only, followed by the month and year. The more specific it is, the more it protects you, because if the copy turns up somewhere else the text says where it came from. A generic word like COPY fits any misuse.
Where should the watermark go on a Victorian licence?
Across your details, not in a corner. A watermark that crosses your name, photo and licence number can't be trimmed off, while one tucked along the edge can be cropped in seconds. That's why the tool starts with a diagonal line across the card, and All over repeats it across the whole thing.
Can someone remove a watermark from my licence copy?
It depends how it was added. A watermark sitting on a separate layer, as some PDF editors do it, can usually be deleted. One burned into the image pixels and repeated over your details means retouching the whole picture, and that tends to show. The tool here burns the watermark into the image when you download.
Can I watermark my drivers licence on my phone?
Yes. The tool works in your phone's browser, so there's nothing to install. It opens the camera or your photos and reads HEIC, the format iPhones save in. Type who the copy is for, pick a layout and download the copy as PNG, JPG or PDF on the same phone.
Will a real estate agent accept a watermarked licence copy?
A watermark doesn't hide any of your details, so the agent can still check who you are. If someone asks for a copy without one, it's fair to ask why. Consumer Affairs Victoria says rental providers can only use your personal information to assess your suitability or meet another requirement of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.
Do I need to watermark both sides of my licence?
Only if both sides are asked for, and then add both: on a computer the front and back download together as one PDF, each with the watermark. On a phone you do one side, then the other. Many requests are happy with the front, which carries your licence number, name and date of birth. If nobody has asked for the back, there's usually no need to send it.
Does the watermark change my original licence photo?
No. The tool makes a new copy and leaves the photo you added untouched on your device. Send the watermarked copy, not the original, and once the application is settled, delete the original from your camera roll if you don't need it, especially if your photos back up to the cloud.
How many ID documents can a rental provider in Victoria ask for?
Consumer Affairs Victoria says a rental provider or their agent can request no more than two identity documents from a set list, and a driver licence is on it. From 31 March 2026, applications must use the prescribed rental application form, and they can only ask for the information that form sets out.