· Written and maintained by Nonimo
An Alabama driver’s license gets copied far more often than it gets shown: a landlord, a new employer, an insurance agent, a car rental desk or a medical office may all want one. Each copy then sits in an inbox or a chat for years. A watermark across the card names the person or company you sent it to and the month you sent it, so a copy that shows up anywhere else gives itself away.
The tool above adds that watermark in your browser: add the front of your license, and the back if they asked for it, write who the copy is for and download it. The photo of your license never leaves your device.
How to watermark an Alabama driver’s license
1. Add the front, and the back only if it was requested
The tool has two zones, Front and Back. In each one, choose Photos to pick a picture you already took or Camera to take one now; on a computer you can also drop the file in. JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC (the iPhone’s photo format) and PDF all work. Lay the card flat on a dark surface for the picture. Leave the Back zone empty unless the request mentions both sides.
2. Write who the copy is for
The Watermark text field comes prefilled with a complete line, “For this application only”, followed by the current month and year. Keep it as is, or edit it to say who gets the copy and why. The Suggested text buttons offer COPY, Not valid as ID, For verification only or Do not copy or distribute, though a specific line protects more.
The panel called Customize your watermark holds the rest: Layout (Tiled, Diagonal or Horizontal), Font, Color, Opacity, Size and Angle. Reset settings puts everything back. To move the watermark, drag it on the card.
3. Download the watermarked copy
Each side has its own Download button, as PDF, PNG or JPG. With both sides in, Download both sides as PDF gives you a single page with the front above and the back below, each with its watermark. The text is burned into the image, and the new file carries no EXIF or GPS metadata, the hidden detail explained in removing metadata from PDFs and photos.
What to write on an Alabama license copy
Three things: who it’s for, what for, and the month. A line that names one apartment or one job exposes any other use of the copy; a generic COPY proves nothing.
For Pine Hollow apartment lease use only · October 2026
For new patient registration use only · October 2026
For auto policy quote use only · October 2026
For airport car rental pickup use only · October 2026
A new job works differently. Form I-9 is completed with your original, unexpired documents: the employer examines them in person or, if it uses E-Verify and offers the DHS alternative procedure, on a live video call after you send clear, unaltered copies. The employer may photocopy the card itself, but a watermarked copy stands in for none of that. On the USCIS list of acceptable Form I-9 documents, a driver’s license issued by a state is a List B document: it proves identity, and it goes with a List C document such as a Social Security card. The watermark is for the copies that simply get emailed and stored, like the ones above, or an employer’s own onboarding file when they ask for one.
Put the month, not just the year. If a copy you sent for an October lease shows up on a car loan in March, the date alone tells you it was reused.
What an Alabama license shows on the copy
Alabama licenses are issued by the Driver License Division of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA. Alabama’s REAL ID is called STAR ID, short for “Secure, Trusted, And Reliable,” and the ALEA STAR ID FAQ says it carries a gold star in the upper left corner. ALEA has issued it statewide since early 2012.
The other card shows its status too. ALEA’s STAR ID page says any Alabama license or ID issued on or after April 25, 2022 that is not a STAR ID displays “Not for Federal Identification” across the top. The same week, ALEA reopened its offices on a new driver license system, LEADS, as it announced on April 26, 2022. An ALEA flyer calls STAR ID optional, but since federal enforcement began on May 7, 2025, you need the star, a passport or another accepted document to board a domestic flight.
The FAQ adds that a STAR ID is available only at ALEA Driver License examining offices, not at a county probate or license commissioner’s office, and the ALEA driver manual says a license expires four years after it is issued.
None of that changes with a watermark: your name, photo, license number, the gold star or the “Not for Federal Identification” line all stay readable under it. Send the back only when asked.
What Alabama law says about license data
The Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018 counts a non-truncated driver’s license number, together with your first name or initial and last name, as sensitive personally identifying information. Any business, nonprofit or government office that acquires or uses it has to implement and maintain reasonable security measures to protect it, and when records are no longer needed, dispose of them by shredding, erasing or otherwise making them unreadable. If a breach is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm, the entity must notify you, generally within 45 days.
Alabama’s identity theft article also lists a driver’s license number as identifying information, and identity theft is a Class B felony.
Those rules govern what happens after a business holds your copy. A watermark works earlier: it ties each copy to the one place you sent it.
Where the watermark goes: Tiled, Diagonal or Horizontal
Across the data, never in a corner. A line along the edge can be cropped off in a second, and the copy is clean again.
Tiled repeats your line diagonally over the whole card, across the photo, the name and the license number. It leaves no clean strip to cut away, so use it for a landlord you haven’t met or anyone you won’t deal with again.
Diagonal and Horizontal place a single line, quieter and easier to read around. They suit an office you already know, such as your employer’s HR team. Drag the line until it crosses your name and license number, not the margin.
Sending an Alabama license copy safely
Check who is asking first. The FTC’s warning about rental listing scams describes fake landlords who collect a picture of your driver’s license along with paystubs and other details, and then use them to steal identities. When a request arrives through a listing site or a text from a number you don’t know, look up the landlord or the company on your own and reach them that way before you send anything.
Prefer the company’s own upload portal over email or a chat app, where the photo stays in both phones for good.
If the card itself is lost, destroyed or no longer legible, the ALEA driver manual says to apply for a duplicate at your county Probate Judge or License Commissioner office, with proof of identity such as a certified birth certificate. If a copy went to the wrong person and your details are being used, report it to your local police. Under Alabama’s Consumer Identity Protection Act, a victim can ask the agency that issued an identification document used in the crime to reissue it, and the agency may require proof such as a police report. IdentityTheft.gov builds a report and a recovery plan if your details are already being misused.
A license from another state works the same way, with its own details: see the pages to watermark a driver’s license from California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Tennessee, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota, South Carolina, Kentucky, Oregon, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Utah, Iowa, Nevada, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Idaho, West Virginia, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, Wyoming or DC. If you’d rather send a document without your home address, a watermarked passport card copy is the other option.
For the rest of what Nonimo does, including a desktop app that redacts client names and ID numbers before text reaches an AI tool, start at the Nonimo homepage.
Common questions
What should I write on a copy of my Alabama driver's license?
Who the copy is for, what it's for, and the month and year, for example: For Pine Hollow apartment lease use only, October 2026. If the copy turns up on a different application, that line shows it doesn't belong there. A plain COPY fits any use, so it proves nothing.
Will a watermark hide the gold star on my Alabama STAR ID?
No. A watermark hides nothing; it is text laid across the card, and everything under it stays readable. ALEA marks a STAR ID, Alabama's REAL ID compliant license, with a gold star in the upper left corner, and a standard card issued on or after April 25, 2022 reads Not for Federal Identification across the top. Someone checking your copy will still see either one, along with your name, photo and license number. Lower the Opacity if you want the line lighter.
Does an Alabama business have to protect the license copy it keeps?
Yes, once your license number sits in its files next to your name. Under the Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018, a non-truncated driver's license number paired with your name is sensitive personally identifying information. A business that holds it must protect it and, once the records are no longer needed, shred, erase or otherwise make them unreadable. That law governs what the business does with the copy; the watermark shows where the copy was meant to go.
Do I need to send the back of my Alabama license?
Only if they asked for both sides. The front already shows your name, photo, license number and STAR ID status. If the back is requested, add it in the Back zone and use Download both sides as PDF: one page, front above back, each side watermarked.
Can I watermark my Alabama license on my phone?
Yes. The tool runs in your phone's browser. In the Front zone, tap Camera to take the picture or Photos to choose one, and HEIC pictures from an iPhone work as they are. Write the line, choose a layout, drag the watermark into place with your finger and download a PDF, PNG or JPG without installing anything.
Is my Alabama license uploaded anywhere when I use the tool?
No. Your license never leaves your device: the photo is read and watermarked in your browser, and nothing is sent to our servers or anyone else's. The file you download is a new image, re-encoded without EXIF or GPS metadata, so it doesn't carry your phone model or the place where you took the picture.
Will a landlord or employer in Alabama accept a watermarked license copy?
They should, because every detail on the card stays readable under the line. A property manager can check your name against the rental application. Form I-9 is a different matter: it's done with the original card, not a copy. The watermark only makes the copy hard to pass off for some other purpose.
What do I do if my Alabama license copy went to a scammer?
If the card itself is lost or destroyed, ALEA's driver manual says to apply for a duplicate at your county Probate Judge or License Commissioner office, with proof of identity. If someone is using your details, report it to your local police: under Alabama law, a victim can ask the issuing agency to reissue an identification document used in the crime, and the agency may ask for a police report as proof. If your details are already being misused, report it at IdentityTheft.gov.