· Written and maintained by Nonimo
In Texas, a copy of your driver’s license is part of renting an apartment, starting a job, buying a car or setting up an account. The copy you send stays in somebody’s email, a property management system or a group chat long after the reason for sending it is over. A watermark across the card says who that copy was for and in which month, so it can’t be quietly reused for something else.
The tool above does that in your browser. Add the front of your license, and the back if they asked for both sides, write who the copy is for and download one page with everything on it. Your license never leaves your device.
How to watermark a Texas driver’s license
1. Add the front, then the back if they want it
The tool shows two zones, Front and Back. In the Front zone, tap Photos to choose a picture you already have or Camera to take one now; on a computer, drop the file in. It accepts JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC and PDF. Fill the Back zone only if the request mentions the back.
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. Suggested text offers quick options, COPY, Not valid as ID, For verification only with the month, and Do not copy or distribute, but a line that names the recipient does more.
Open Customize your watermark for the Layout (Tiled, Diagonal or Horizontal), the Font, Color, Opacity, Size and Angle. Reset settings undoes your changes. Drag the watermark on the card to place it.
3. Download one side or both
Each side has its own Download, as PDF, PNG or JPG. With front and back added, Download both sides as PDF puts them on one page, front above back, each carrying its watermark. The line is burned into the image, and the file comes out without EXIF or GPS metadata; removing metadata from PDFs and photos shows what that metadata can reveal.
What to write on a Texas license copy
Name the recipient, the reason and the month. The more specific the line, the more it protects: one that names a single apartment application gives away any other use of the copy.
For Live Oak Lane rental application use only · October 2026
For new patient registration use only · October 2026
For used pickup truck purchase use only · October 2026
For credit union account opening use only · October 2026
A new job’s Form I-9 works differently. The employer examines your original, unexpired license, either in person or, if it uses E-Verify and the DHS alternative procedure, over a live video call once you’ve sent clear, unaltered copies; for an in-person check, the USCIS Handbook for Employers says copies are not acceptable. Any photocopy the employer keeps with the form is made by the employer from the original. A watermark belongs on the copies that just get emailed and filed: a landlord, an insurance agent, a car rental counter, a doctor’s office, or an employer’s onboarding file when one asks for it. 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.
What a Texas license looks like now
Texas changed its card recently. Texas DPS began issuing a redesigned driver license and ID card on August 18, 2025, made of tamper-resistant polycarbonate and with personal information reorganized for easier reading. The REAL ID marking changed with it: the new cards carry a black, laser-engraved star in the upper right corner instead of the gold star of the older design. Cards in the old design remain valid until they expire, so either one may be the card in your wallet.
Drivers under 21 get a card laid out vertically, so it can’t be mistaken for an adult’s license. The watermark goes on any of these the same way, and under it the star, the name, the photo and the license number stay readable.
Texas also has a law about the data on the card. Transportation Code section 521.126 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to access or use the electronically readable information from a license, or to compile a database of it, outside listed exceptions such as police, age checks under the state’s alcohol laws, financial institutions and merchants verifying identity, and health care providers. The section is about reading the card electronically. A photo you email is not covered by it, which is why the line on the copy matters.
The business that keeps your copy has duties of its own, and if it pastes your details into an AI tool, Texas privacy law and its AI rules set the limits.
Where the watermark goes: Tiled, Diagonal or Horizontal
Across your details, not in a corner. A corner is cropped off in a second and the copy is clean again.
Tiled repeats the line diagonally across the whole card, over the photo, the name, the license number and the star. With no clean strip left, it is the right choice for a landlord you found online, a private car seller or anyone you won’t hear from again.
Diagonal and Horizontal give you a single line that leaves the rest easy to read, fine for your employer’s HR team or a bank you already use. Drag it so it runs through the name and the license number.
Sending a Texas license copy safely
Make sure the request is real before you send anything. The FTC’s page on rental listing scams describes fake landlords asking for a picture of your driver’s license to steal identities. Call or write back through a number or website you found yourself, not the one in the message.
Use the company’s upload portal when there is one. A copy sent by text or a chat app stays in the conversation and in both camera rolls; delete it when the process is over and ask the other side to do the same.
If a copy reached the wrong hands, contact Texas DPS: the FTC’s identity theft recovery plan says a motor vehicles office might flag your license number or suggest a replacement. IdentityTheft.gov builds a report and a plan if your details are already being used.
Moving between states, or helping someone who is? There are matching pages to watermark a driver’s license from California, 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, 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 and DC, and a passport card copy gets the same kind of line, as does a Green Card copy.
Everything else Nonimo makes for US users, from the other ID tools to the desktop app that keeps client data out of AI chats, is on the Nonimo homepage.
Common questions
What should I write on a copy of my Texas driver's license?
The recipient, the reason and the month, for example: For Live Oak Lane rental application use only, October 2026. If that copy later shows up on an account or a loan you never opened, the line says it was meant for one apartment and nothing else. A word like COPY can't do that, because it fits any use at all.
My Texas license has a black star, not a gold one. Is that a REAL ID?
Yes. Texas DPS began issuing a new card design on August 18, 2025, with a black, laser-engraved star in the upper right corner in place of the old gold star. Both mark a REAL ID compliant card, and cards in the older design stay valid until they expire. The watermark goes on either design the same way.
Do I need to send both sides of my Texas license?
Only when the request says so. The front carries your photo, name, license number and dates, and that is what most landlords and employers check. If they want the back too, add it in the Back zone and use Download both sides as PDF, which puts the front above the back on one page, each side watermarked.
Is it legal for a Texas business to scan my license barcode?
Only in specific cases. Texas Transportation Code section 521.126 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to access or use the electronically readable information from a license or compile a database of it, with exceptions such as police, age checks under the state's alcohol laws, financial institutions and merchants verifying identity, and health care providers. The section covers reading the card electronically, not a photo you send.
Will a watermark make my Texas license copy unreadable?
No. A watermark hides nothing: your name, photo, license number and the REAL ID star stay readable under the line, so the person receiving it can still check who you are. If the text feels too heavy, lower the Opacity or the Size in Customize your watermark, or switch from Tiled to a single Diagonal line.
Can I watermark my Texas license on my phone?
Yes. Open this page in your phone's browser, tap Camera in the Front zone to photograph the card or Photos to choose a picture you already took, and HEIC files from an iPhone work as they are. Write the line, move the watermark with your finger and download the copy without installing an app.
Does the photo of my Texas license get uploaded?
No. The license never leaves your device: it is read and watermarked right in your browser, and nothing goes to our servers or anyone else's. The download is a freshly encoded image or PDF with no EXIF or GPS metadata, so it doesn't reveal the phone you used or where you took the picture.
What if I already sent my Texas license to someone I don't trust?
Contact Texas DPS, which issues the license. The FTC's identity theft recovery plan says a motor vehicles office might flag your license number in case someone tries to use it, or suggest a replacement. If your information is already being misused, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and place a fraud alert with one of the three credit bureaus.