· Written and maintained by Nonimo
An Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Elm Street 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 is the exception. Form I-9 is completed with your original, unexpired documents: your employer generally examines them in your physical presence, or, if it is enrolled in E-Verify, over a live video call under the DHS alternative procedure, where you first send clear, unaltered copies and then show the same originals on camera. The employer may make its own copies of what it reviewed, and a watermarked picture has no place in any of it. The line is for the copies that simply get emailed and stored: a landlord, an insurer, a car rental desk, a medical office, or an employer’s onboarding file when HR asks for one. 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.
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 Indiana license shows on the copy
The Indiana BMV says a Real ID compliant driver’s license or ID card has a star in the top right corner, and a card that is not compliant reads NOT FOR REAL ID PURPOSES at the top. Since federal enforcement began on May 7, 2025, that star is what gets the card through airport security.
The star doesn’t look the same on every card. The BMV’s security and authenticity guide shows the current design with a black outline of a star in the upper right corner and the previous design with a gold star. The BMV issues a Real ID only after verifying the holder’s identity, Social Security number, lawful status and Indiana residency.
The current card arrived in early summer 2019. The BMV’s 2019 annual report lists tactile lettering for quick authentication, a black and white laser engraved photo and Indiana focused imagery, which on the card means a blue Indy car on a driver’s license and a red cardinal on an ID card. The security guide adds a ghost image on the front and back that shifts from grey to gold as the card turns. A BMV notice about the new design said older cards stay valid until the expiration date printed on them, so either design may be in your wallet.
The security guide adds that a learner permit, license or ID card issued to a minor is printed in a vertical format and shows when the holder turns 18 and 21. None of that changes with a watermark: your name, photo, license number and the star all stay readable under the line.
The back matters too. The security guide says the date of birth on the front must match the one at the top left corner of the back, where the ghost image appears again, and when Indiana first added a 2D barcode on the back in 2007, the state described it as carrying redundant data from the front of the card. Send the back only when asked.
Indiana also treats the license number as sensitive. The Attorney General’s security breach FAQ for businesses explains that the state’s disclosure law counts a driver’s license number, together with your name, as personal information, so a business holding it must tell you if it is breached. A photo you email relies on the watermark and on who you send it to.
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 Indiana license copy safely
Check who is asking first. The FTC’s warning about rental listing scams describes fake landlords who ask for a picture of your driver’s license along with paystubs and other details, and then use them to steal identities. If the request came through a listing or a text, reach the landlord or company through a website you found yourself, and prefer the company’s own upload portal over email or a chat app.
If a copy went to the wrong person and your details start turning up where they shouldn’t, the Attorney General’s identity theft victim guide says Indiana law requires the police agency where you live to take an official report and give you a copy, and that its Identity Theft Unit takes complaints. If the card itself was stolen, the office’s 2009 identity theft victim kit advised notifying the Indiana BMV and requesting a replacement, and requesting an investigation if a thief had already obtained a license in your name. 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, 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 Indiana driver's license?
Who the copy is for, what it's for, and the month and year, for example: For Elm Street 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 Indiana license?
No. A watermark hides nothing; it is text laid across the card, and everything under it stays readable. The Indiana BMV marks a Real ID with a star in the upper right corner: a black outline of a star on the current design, a gold star on the older one. Your name, photo and license number stay visible too. Lower the Opacity if you want the line lighter.
Do I need to send the back of my Indiana license?
Only if they asked for both sides. The back repeats your date of birth and a ghost image of your photo, and the 2D barcode there carries data from the front. 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 Indiana license on my phone?
Yes. The tool runs in your phone's browser. Tap Camera or Photos in the Front zone; HEIC pictures from an iPhone work as they are. Write the line, drag the watermark into place with your finger and download a PDF, PNG or JPG without installing anything.
Is my Indiana 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.
Can I send a copy of the paper interim license from the BMV?
Check first whether it will be accepted. The Indiana BMV prints permanent cards at a central, secure location and mails them, and you leave the branch with a temporary paper credential. For a new resident or a first license, the BMV says that interim license lets you drive but cannot be used for identification. If you renewed, you keep your current card, which is the better thing to watermark.
Will a landlord or employer in Indiana 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: your employer examines the original card, in person or on a live video call, not a copy. The watermark only makes the copy hard to pass off for some other purpose.
What do I do if my Indiana license copy went to a scammer?
Report it. The Indiana Attorney General's identity theft victim guide says Indiana law requires the police agency where you live to take an official report, and the office's Identity Theft Unit takes complaints. If the card itself was stolen, the office's 2009 victim kit advised notifying the Indiana BMV, asking for a replacement and requesting an investigation if a thief had already obtained a license in your name. If your details are already being misused, report it at IdentityTheft.gov.