How to get a PDF of your driver licence on iPhone in Australia
It depends on your state. Queensland’s Digital Licence app has a Share PDF Copy option that sends a file called credential.pdf with every detail of the licence, while VicRoads says its digital licence cannot currently be shared as a PDF, email or print. Without an export, scan the plastic card front and back in the Files app and save one PDF.
Queensland: Share PDF Copy
Queensland’s Digital Licence app shares in three ways: a QR code the verifier scans, your screen shown to them, or a PDF copy for a business that needs a copy of your physical licence.
- In the app, select the credential you want to share.
- Select Share PDF Copy and give your consent.
- Send the file, named credential.pdf, by SMS, email or a messaging app, or print it.
The PDF carries every detail of that credential, and you cannot choose which fields appear. Queensland calls the QR scan the safest and most secure way for a business to verify you, so offer that first.
Victoria, NSW and the other states
VicRoads says there is currently no way to share a copy of a digital licence as a PDF, email or print, and tells businesses not to hold on to copies of customer details unless a regulation requires it. The NSW Government describes checking its digital licence by its visible features or by scanning its QR code. In Victoria, and wherever your issuer offers no export, a file has to come from the plastic card.
Make the PDF from the plastic card
- Open Files, tap More, then Scan Documents.
- In Auto mode the iPhone captures the licence by itself; otherwise tap the shutter or press a volume button.
- Drag the corners to the card’s edges and tap Keep Scan.
- Scan the back, tap Done, choose a folder and tap Save.
You get one PDF with two pages. When both sides must share one A4 page at real size, use the licence to PDF tool.
What the agent may keep
In Queensland you can prove your identity by giving a copy or by letting the property manager see the original. Keeping a copy needs your consent; when they only see the original, they may note that it was sighted, the document type and its number.
The OAIC adds that an agent who copies a document carrying a government-related identifier, such as a licence number, must generally blank that number out. You can do that before sending: hide the licence number or mark the copy with the agency’s name. Dokus keeps the scan encrypted on your iPhone for the next request, but nothing it exports is a verified digital licence.
Common questions
Is the Queensland PDF the same as showing my Digital Licence?
No. The Queensland Government calls a QR code scan the safest and most secure way for a business to verify you. The PDF is for when someone needs a copy, and it contains every field of the credential.
Can a Queensland property manager keep a copy of my licence?
Only with your consent. The Residential Tenancies Authority says you can give a copy or let them see the original, and keeping a copy without consent is an offence. If they only see it, they may note that it was sighted, its type and its number.
Why does my Victorian digital licence have no share button?
VicRoads says there is currently no way to share a copy of a digital licence as a PDF, email or print. Show the screen or let the checker scan the QR code, and scan your plastic licence when someone needs a file.
