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The Medicare card is one of the cards most of us already carry, so it’s often the one we reach for when a form asks for a second ID document. A rental application, a police check for a new job, a bank opening an account: each of them wants a copy, and that copy sits in an inbox, a tenancy platform or an HR folder long after the job is done. A watermark written across it says who the copy was for, why and when. If it ever turns up somewhere it shouldn’t, the sentence gives it away.
The tool above adds that watermark in your browser. Add a photo or PDF of the card, write who it’s for and save the result. Your card stays on your device and nothing is uploaded. It’s made by Nonimo, which helps Australian businesses use AI without exposing client data.
What’s on a Medicare card
Services Australia issues three types of Medicare card, each in its own colour: green for the standard card, blue for the interim card and yellow for the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement card, which goes to visitors from a country that has one of those agreements with Australia.
Its main job is administrative. Services Australia’s operational guidance on Medicare cards says the card identifies people who are eligible for Medicare benefits to health service providers. The same page explains what’s printed on it:
- A 10-digit Medicare card number. The last digit is the card issue number, which counts up to 9 and then starts again at 1.
- The names of everyone on the card, each with an Individual Reference Number from 1 to 9. Together, the card number and that reference number identify each person on the card.
- An expiry date. Green cards show the month and year; blue and yellow cards show the full date.
One card number can list up to nine people, five on the first card and four on a second. That matters when you send a copy: a family card shows your partner’s and children’s names as well as yours. Services Australia says you can only be on two Medicare cards at the same time, and once you’re 15 or older you can get your own.
There’s also a digital Medicare card you can add to the wallet in the myGov app, which shows your Medicare number and who’s listed on the card. Services Australia’s operational guidance says it has a myGov hologram, a QR code and a time stamp, and calls it a verifiable credential you can use to prove identity. Even so, Services Australia says it’s a good idea to still carry your physical card.
Who asks for a copy of your Medicare card
The Medicare card turns up on most identity lists, usually as a supporting document next to a licence or passport.
Rental applications. In Victoria, Consumer Affairs Victoria says a rental provider or their agent can request no more than two identity documents from a set list, and the Medicare card is on it, alongside a driver licence and an Australian passport.
Police checks for work and volunteering. The Australian Federal Police asks for identity documents worth at least 100 points with an application for a national police check, and you scan or photocopy them to attach. The Medicare card is on the AFP’s 100-point checklist, which also asks for at least one primary document.
Banks and other identity checks. Opening an account, setting up a loan or joining a new service often comes with an identity check, and a Medicare card may be one of the documents on the list. Ask what the business actually needs before you send anything.
How to watermark your Medicare card
1. Add a photo or PDF of the card
The tool has two zones, Front and Back. Front is for the side with your details. Photos opens your picture library and Camera takes a fresh shot. If the back has been asked for, drop the other side into Back. It reads JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC (the format iPhones save in) and PDF, and the card is read in your own browser.
2. Say who the copy is for
The Watermark text box starts with a suggested sentence, “For this application only”, followed by this month and year. You can leave it, edit it to name the recipient and the reason (the stronger choice), or swap in one of the Quick picks. Open Customise your watermark to change the Layout between Diagonal, All over and Horizontal, or to adjust Angle, Size, Opacity, Colour and Font. Reset settings takes you back to where you started. To move the watermark, drag it with your mouse or a fingertip.
3. Save the watermarked copy
Each side has its own Download button, with a choice of PDF, PNG or JPG. If you added both sides, Download both sides as a PDF puts them on one page, front on top and back underneath, both carrying the watermark. Because the text is burned into the pixels and the image is saved again from scratch, the file comes out with no EXIF data, no GPS location and no camera details. Those hidden details matter in any file you send, as our guide to metadata in Word and PDF files explains. Send the new copy, never the original photo.
What to write on a Medicare card copy
Three things: who it’s for, what it’s for and the month. The more specific the line, the more it protects you.
Copy for Station Street rental application only · October 2026
Copy for national police check, new job only · October 2026
Copy for bank account opening, ID check only · October 2026
Copy for HR onboarding file only · October 2026
For a rental, name the street rather than the agency. In a busy month of inspections one agency can end up with several of your applications, and the address is what ties each copy to a single property. If the second document on that application is your passport, watermark your passport copy with the same line, and if it’s your licence, the VIC licence watermark page has examples for that card, with pages for NSW and QLD licences too.
Keep the month as well as the year. A copy dated October that resurfaces in March, attached to something you never applied for, is one more sign it has been reused.
Where the watermark goes, and which layout to pick
The watermark belongs across your details, not in a corner. A corner crops off in a second, and then the copy says nothing at all. The tool has three layouts, and the right one depends on who’s getting the copy.
All over repeats the sentence across the whole card, through the Medicare number, the names and the expiry date. There’s no clean strip left to trim, so it suits a real estate agent you haven’t met, an app you’ve never used or anyone you won’t deal with again.
Diagonal, the default, runs one line across the card, and you can drag it over the number and names. Horizontal is a single straight line, tidier, and leaves the rest easy to read. Either suits someone you already trust, such as your employer’s HR team or your accountant.
Whichever layout you choose, a watermark hides nothing. The number, the names and the expiry date stay readable, so the recipient can still check them. That’s also why there’s rarely a good reason to insist on a copy without one.
Front only, or both sides?
Send only what’s been asked for, which is usually the side with your number, the names and the expiry date. If both sides are requested, add both and save the single-page PDF: each side carries the watermark, so nobody can separate out an unmarked half.
Before you hit send
Check who’s asking. Services Australia warns that scammers pretend to be Medicare, myGov or Centrelink by text, email or social media to get your personal information. Contact a business through details you found yourself, not the ones in the message, and use its secure upload page if it has one. Pictures sent by text or chat stick around on both phones and in cloud backups, so delete yours once you’re done and ask the recipient to do the same.
Think about what the recipient needs. The OAIC’s tenancy guidance names a Medicare number as a government-related identifier. It says a real estate agent the Privacy Act applies to (not every agency is bound by it) can only collect what is reasonably necessary. Our list of personal identifiers worth removing explains why a number like this deserves care.
If your card is lost, stolen or damaged, you can ask for a new one through your Medicare online account in myGov or in the myGov app, and use the digital copy of the new card straight away. If there’s more than one person on the card, only one of you needs to request it. If you think someone is using your details to pretend to be you, Services Australia’s Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk can help.
Tempted to let a chatbot read the card for you first? Read what happens to the photos you give ChatGPT before you upload it. And if you handle client paperwork full of names and ID numbers at work, the Nonimo app for Mac and Windows redacts that data on your own computer before it reaches an AI tool.
Sources
- Services Australia, Your Medicare card. Green standard, blue interim and yellow Reciprocal Health Care Agreement cards; the limit of two cards at the same time; your own card from 15. servicesaustralia.gov.au
- Services Australia, Operational Blueprint: Medicare cards (011-44150000). The card’s administrative function; the 10-digit number and card issue number; the IRN and card number together identifying each person; Individual Reference Numbers 1 to 9; up to nine people across two cards; expiry date formats; the digital card’s hologram, QR code and time stamp. operational.servicesaustralia.gov.au
- Services Australia, How to access your digital Medicare card. The digital card in the myGov app wallet and the advice to keep carrying the physical card. servicesaustralia.gov.au
- Services Australia, Replace your Medicare card or get an extra card. servicesaustralia.gov.au
- Services Australia, Scams and identity theft. servicesaustralia.gov.au
- Australian Federal Police, National police checks and the 100 point checklist for identification documents. afp.gov.au
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Applying for a property. No more than two identity documents from a set list that includes the Medicare card. consumer.vic.gov.au
- OAIC, Tenancy. Collecting only what is reasonably necessary; the Medicare number as a government-related identifier. oaic.gov.au
Common questions
What should I write on a watermarked Medicare card copy?
Who the copy is for, what it's for and the month, for example: Copy for Station Street rental application only, followed by the month and year. If the copy ever turns up somewhere else, that line shows where it came from. A generic word like COPY or CONFIDENTIAL fits any misuse, so it proves very little.
Where should the watermark go on a Medicare card?
Across the details: the Medicare number and the names listed beside their reference numbers. A watermark tucked into a corner can be cropped off in seconds. The All over layout repeats the sentence across the whole card, so there's no clean strip left to trim, and it's the safer pick for anyone you don't know.
Does a watermark hide my Medicare number?
No. A watermark hides nothing: the number, the names and the expiry date stay readable, which is what lets the recipient check them. What it adds is a record of who the copy was for.
Everyone in my family is on my card. Does that matter?
It's worth thinking about before you send it. One Medicare card number can list up to nine people, five on the first card and four on a second, so a copy of a family card shows everyone on it. Once you're 15 or older you can get your own Medicare card, which only lists you.
Can I watermark my Medicare card on my phone?
Yes, in your phone's browser, with nothing to install. Camera takes a photo of the card and Photos picks one you've already saved, including iPhone HEIC pictures. Write the sentence, slide the watermark into place with your finger and save the copy to the same phone.
Can I just show my digital Medicare card instead?
Sometimes. Services Australia says the digital card in the myGov app wallet has a myGov hologram, a QR code and a time stamp, and that you can use it to prove identity. Whether a particular agent, employer or bank takes it is their call, so ask first. When someone wants a file to keep, a watermarked copy of the card is still the usual answer.
Does the tool change my original photo of the card?
No. It makes a new, watermarked file and leaves the photo you added untouched on your device. Send only the watermarked copy, and once the application is sorted, delete the original from your camera roll if you no longer need it, especially if your photos back up to the cloud.
How many ID documents can a rental provider ask for?
In Victoria, Consumer Affairs Victoria says a rental provider or their agent can request no more than two identity documents from a set list, and a Medicare card is on it. Elsewhere, the OAIC says a real estate agent the Privacy Act applies to can only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for their functions or activities.