· Written and maintained by Nonimo
A Georgia 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 a Georgia 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 a Georgia 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 can’t.
For Maple Avenue 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 a Georgia license shows on the copy
Georgia DDS says all Georgia driver’s licenses and IDs issued after 2012 are REAL ID compliant and carry a gold or black star in the upper right corner, under what it calls its Secure ID initiative. Either color is accepted: DDS says it only changed with a card redesign. Since federal enforcement began on May 7, 2025, that star gets the card through airport security.
The current card design dates from June 2019. A DDS overview of the new credentials describes a polycarbonate card body, raised laser engraving, multiple laser images, a guilloche background and data printed over the photograph, with an optional veteran designation and American flag. DDS said older credentials stay valid until they expire, so either design may be in your wallet. Teen drivers on a Class D provisional license carry a vertical card that clearly shows they are under 21.
None of that changes with a watermark: your name, photo, license number and the star all stay readable under the line.
A DDS guide for businesses explains that the PDF-417 barcode on the back holds all the information printed on the front, including your name, address and date of birth, plus your residential address when it differs from your mailing one. On cards issued after November 2009 it is not encrypted. Send the back only when asked.
Georgia also has a rule about scanning that barcode. DDS notes that scanning it must conform to O.C.G.A. section 40-5-120, and the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division says no one may scan your license without your knowledge or consent, a business can only use the information for legitimate purposes, and for an age-restricted purchase the relevant information is limited to name and birthdate. That rule covers scanning the card, not a photo you email.
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 a Georgia 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 a copy went to the wrong person, contact Georgia DDS. Its replacement page lists a stolen license or identity theft as one of the conditions under which it can change your license number. A plain replacement can be requested online, in the DDS 2 GO app or at a Customer Service Center, but a new number is handled in person at a Customer Service Center. The Attorney General’s advice for identity theft victims also suggests reporting the crime to your local police, and 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, North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Tennessee, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota, South Carolina, Alabama, 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 Georgia driver's license?
Who the copy is for, what it's for, and the month and year, for example: For Maple Avenue 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 star on my Georgia license?
No. A watermark hides nothing; it is text laid across the card, and everything under it stays readable. Georgia DDS marks REAL ID cards with a gold or black star in the upper right corner, and both colors count. Someone checking your copy will still see it, along with your name, photo and license number. Lower the Opacity if you want the line lighter.
Can a Georgia business scan my license without asking?
No. The Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division says no one may scan your license without your knowledge or consent, and a business can only use the information for legitimate purposes. That rule is about scanning the card, not a photo you email, so a copy you send relies on the watermark and on who you send it to.
Do I need to send the back of my Georgia license?
Only if they asked for both sides. Georgia DDS says the barcode on the back holds all the information printed on the front, address included. 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia license copy went to a scammer?
Contact Georgia DDS. It lists a stolen license or identity theft as one of the conditions under which it can change your license number, which is done in person at a Customer Service Center. The Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division suggests reporting the crime to your local police, reviewing your credit reports and closing any accounts you think were compromised. If your details are already being misused, report it at IdentityTheft.gov.