· Written and maintained by Nonimo
Your Irish passport card lives in your wallet, so it’s the ID that gets photographed on the spot: for a gym, a new job, a phone contract or a letting agent who wants something now. That photo then sits in their inbox or their system long after the matter is done. A watermark across it says who the copy was for and when, so it can’t quietly be reused anywhere else. On the agency side, AI for Irish estate agents covers the tenant references and sale files those copies end up beside.
The tool at the top of this page watermarks a passport card copy in your browser: add the photo, write who it is for and download. Your card never leaves your device. It comes from Nonimo, an Irish privacy tool for working safely with AI.
How to watermark a passport card copy
1. Add a photo of the card
Lay the card on a plain surface and photograph the front, or drop in a scan, as JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC or PDF. On a phone, choose Photos or Camera. Crop and straighten it if it sits at an angle. The tool recognises the front of the Irish Passport Card.
2. Write who the copy is for
The watermark is already on, reading “For this application only” with the current month and year after it. Leave it, change it to say who the copy is for and why, or tap a line under “Suggested wording”. Under “Customise your watermark” you can choose the layout (All over, Diagonal or Horizontal) and change the size, opacity, font, colour and angle; “Reset settings” puts them back. Drag the watermark to move it.
3. Download the watermarked copy
As PNG, JPG or PDF, with the watermark burned into the pixels and no metadata from the original photo. If the back is needed too, add it under “Back” and use “Download both sides as PDF”: front and back go into one file. A photo straight off your phone carries hidden metadata such as its GPS position, which is why you send this file instead.
What to write on a Passport Card copy
The card is small, so a short line works best: recipient, reason, month.
For gym membership use only · October 2026
For payroll set-up use only · October 2026
For Mill Lane tenancy use only · October 2026
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the card is only for Irish citizens who already hold a valid passport book, its personal details must match the book, and it lasts five years at most. In other words, a photo of the card gives away as much as a photo of your passport, plus a number of its own. It deserves the same watermark.
All over, Diagonal or Horizontal on a wallet-size card
All over repeats your line across the whole card, over the photo and every detail. On something this size there is no margin left to crop, which makes it the right choice for an app, an agency or anyone you won’t deal with again.
Diagonal and Horizontal place a single line, which you can drag clear of the card number and size to fit. Use one of them where someone must read every character cleanly, such as a credit union or a solicitor checking your identity, but keep the line across the photo so it can’t be trimmed off.
No layout hides a detail, so the check still works. If the copy is of your passport book rather than the card, watermarking a passport copy walks through the data page, and for a licence there’s the guide to a copy of your Irish driving licence. If you hold an Irish Residence Permit, the same three steps work for a watermark on your IRP card.
Common questions
What should the watermark on a passport card copy say?
Who the copy is for, what for and the month, for example: For gym membership use only, followed by the month and year. On a card this small, keep the line short so it stays readable when repeated. A specific line makes the copy worthless for anything else, and anyone who sees it somewhere it doesn't belong can tell straight away. If you're stuck, the line the tool starts with, "For this application only", followed by the month and year, will do, or tap another under "Suggested wording", such as "For identification purposes only".
Where should the watermark go on the card?
Across the photo and the details, not in a corner. A card photo is easy to crop, so a line along the edge disappears with one trim. The All over layout repeats the text across the whole card, which leaves no clean area to cut out, and that is the one to use when you don't know the recipient.
Do I need to send both sides of my Passport Card?
Only if they ask for both. The front carries your photo, name, card number and dates, which is what most checks need. The back holds the machine-readable lines that repeat your details. If both sides are wanted, add the back in the tool and it puts the two sides, each watermarked, into one PDF.
Is the passport card number the same as my passport number?
No. The card has its own number, printed at the top of the front, separate from the number in your passport book. The Department of Foreign Affairs says the personal details on the card must match the book, so a copy of the card identifies you just as fully as the data page would.
Can I use a Passport Card copy instead of my passport book?
Often, where the recipient accepts it. The Department of Foreign Affairs issues it as an official travel document, valid for travel to EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, with details that must match your book. Ask before you send it, though, because each bank, agency or employer decides for itself which documents its check accepts.
Can I watermark my Passport Card on my phone?
Yes. The tool runs in your phone's browser: choose Photos or Camera when you add the card, and HEIC photos from an iPhone work. Crop and straighten the picture if the card is at an angle, type the line, pick a layout, drag the watermark into place with your finger and download, with nothing to install.
Does the watermark hide any of my details?
No, and that is the point: the recipient can still read the card and check who you are. The original photo on your phone stays exactly as it was.
Is my Passport Card photo uploaded to Nonimo?
No. The card is read and watermarked in your browser and the image never leaves your device. The file you download, as PNG, JPG or PDF, has the watermark burned into the pixels and carries no metadata from the original, so there is no GPS position, no time stamp from the camera and no phone model.