· Written and maintained by Nonimo
A Vermont 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 Vermont 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, with your finger on a phone.
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 Vermont license copy
Three things: who it’s for, what for, and the month, not just the year. A line that names one apartment or one job exposes any other use of the copy, and 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.
For Birch Lane 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
Form I-9 for a new job is different. You show the employer your original, unexpired license, in person or, at an E-Verify employer using the DHS alternative procedure, on a live video call after sending clear, unaltered copies of it; the USCIS Handbook for Employers says copies are not acceptable when documents are examined in person. If the employer keeps a photocopy for its records, it makes that copy itself from the original. A watermark 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 own 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. A Green Card is List A and covers both at once; for the copies a landlord or an insurer asks for, here’s how to watermark a Green Card.
Three Vermont cards and what each one shows
Vermont licenses are issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, part of the Agency of Transportation. Its REAL ID page says a license with a circle with a star in it in the upper right corner is REAL ID compliant. Since May 7, 2025, domestic flights and certain federal facilities require a REAL ID compliant card, a passport or another accepted document.
The DMV’s comparison sheet of license types, dated July 2022 and covering cards issued since mid June 2019, shows a sample of each of three cards:
| Card | What the sample front shows | REAL ID? |
|---|---|---|
| Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) | Enhanced Driver’s License heading, US flag and star, upper right | Yes |
| REAL ID compliant license | Driver’s License heading, star in a circle, upper right | Yes |
| Driver’s Privilege Card (DPC) | Driver’s Privilege Card heading and Not for Real ID purposes | No |
The same sheet says a Driver’s Privilege Card is available to any Vermont resident without proof of legal presence or US citizenship, while an Enhanced license requires proof of US citizenship.
On the back, federal REAL ID rules require a PDF417 barcode that holds, among other data, your full legal name, date of birth, address and license number. Send the back only when asked.
A copy of a Vermont Enhanced license
Vermont is one of five states DHS lists as issuing an Enhanced license. The DMV’s Enhanced license page says US citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda by land or sea must present a US passport, a passport card or an EDL, and that an EDL is not for international flights.
Under 23 V.S.A. section 7, the face of an Enhanced license shows your citizenship along with the usual details, the back has a machine-readable zone, and a radio frequency identification chip is embedded in the card. DHS says the chip stores no personal information, only a number linked to a secure DHS database. A photo copies everything printed on the card, the machine-readable zone included if you send the back, so a card that stands in for a passport deserves an equally specific line. The watermark goes on your photo, not on the card, and does nothing to the chip.
What Vermont law says about license data
Subsection (c) of the same statute reaches every Vermont card, not just the Enhanced one: no person may compile or maintain a database of electronically readable information derived from an operator’s license, junior operator’s license, Enhanced license, learner permit or nondriver ID card. The ban does not apply to a database kept for law enforcement or governmental purposes or to prevent fraud, abuse or other criminal conduct. The text is about databases of electronically readable information; it says nothing about photocopies.
Two consumer protection laws cover your license number once someone holds it. Under 9 V.S.A. section 2445, most businesses must take all reasonable steps to destroy customer records with a driver’s license number they no longer keep, by shredding, erasing or otherwise making them unreadable. Under the Security Breach Notice Act, a data collector, which section 2430 defines to include businesses and the State alike, must notify you, no later than 45 days after discovering it, of a breach involving your name together with an unencrypted, unredacted license number that it owns or licenses in computerized form.
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 Vermont 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. On March 2, 2026, the Vermont DMV also warned drivers about fake texts, emails and calls claiming unpaid tolls or tickets, meant to steal money or personal information. Before you send anything, look up the landlord or company on your own and reach them that way.
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 and your license number was acquired fraudulently, the DMV’s compromised license number page lets you ask for your record to be marked as compromised. It takes two letters: one from you, signed and dated, with your name and license number at the top, and a copy of the letter you received confirming the number was compromised. Expect to show extra identification at future license transactions or if an officer stops you. A lost, stolen or destroyed card can be replaced online, by mail or at any DMV office.
The Attorney General’s identity theft page suggests a fraud alert or freeze with the three credit bureaus and a police report, and IdentityTheft.gov builds 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, 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, Wyoming or DC. If you’d rather send a document without your home address, a watermarked passport card copy is the other option. If a landlord asks for your Social Security card along with the license, watermark the Social Security card copy too.
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 Vermont driver's license?
Who the copy is for, what it's for, and the month and year, for example: For Birch Lane 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.
How do I tell if my Vermont card is a REAL ID, an Enhanced license or a privilege card?
Look at the top of the front. The Vermont DMV says a circle with a star in the upper right corner means REAL ID. On the sample cards in its July 2022 comparison sheet, the Enhanced license adds a US flag and its own heading, and the privilege card reads Not for Real ID purposes.
Will a watermark hide the star or the flag on my Vermont license?
No. A watermark hides nothing: the star, the flag or the privilege card heading stays readable under it, along with your name, photo and license number. Lower the Opacity if you want the line lighter.
Can a Vermont business build a database from my license?
Generally not. Under 23 V.S.A. section 7(c), no person may compile or maintain a database of electronically readable information derived from a Vermont license, junior license, Enhanced license, learner permit or nondriver ID. The ban does not apply to a database kept for law enforcement or governmental purposes or to prevent fraud, abuse or other criminal conduct.
Do I need to send the back of my Vermont license?
Only if they asked for both sides. The back carries a barcode with your name, date of birth, address and license number, and an Enhanced license adds a machine-readable zone. 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.
Is my Vermont 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 Vermont accept a watermarked license copy?
They should, because every detail on the card stays readable under the line. A property manager can still check your name against the rental application. Form I-9 is different: an employer completes it with your 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 Vermont license copy went to a scammer?
If your license number was acquired fraudulently, ask the Vermont DMV to mark your record as compromised; it needs a signed letter from you and a copy of the letter confirming the number was compromised. The Vermont Attorney General also suggests a police report and a complaint with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov.