--- title: "Watermarking photos and ID copies on iPhone: a guide for Canada" description: "Add a text watermark in Photos with Markup, then word one for a passport or licence copy so it names the Canadian landlord, employer or agent it is for." canonical: "https://dokus.app/en-ca/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" lang: "en-CA" reviewed: "2026-10-06" app_store: "https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/dokus-private-id-wallet/id6781915709" translations: en: "https://dokus.app/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" en-GB: "https://dokus.app/en-gb/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" en-CA: "https://dokus.app/en-ca/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" en-AU: "https://dokus.app/en-au/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" pt-BR: "https://dokus.app/pt/marca-dagua-no-iphone/" pt-PT: "https://dokus.app/pt-pt/marca-agua-fotografias-iphone/" es: "https://dokus.app/es/marca-de-agua-fotos-iphone/" es-MX: "https://dokus.app/es-mx/marca-de-agua-fotos-iphone/" fr: "https://dokus.app/fr/filigrane-photos-iphone/" de: "https://dokus.app/de/wasserzeichen-fotos-iphone/" he: "https://dokus.app/he/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" ar: "https://dokus.app/ar/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" hi: "https://dokus.app/hi/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" ja: "https://dokus.app/ja/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" zh-Hans: "https://dokus.app/zh/watermark-photos-on-iphone/" --- # Watermarking photos and ID copies on iPhone: a guide for Canada In Photos, open the picture, tap Edit, then Markup, and use Add Text to type your mark. On a Canadian passport or licence copy, write who it is for, why and the date, across the details rather than in a corner, and ask first whether the recipient accepts a marked copy. Dokus stamps every copy you share with the recipient’s name and the date, while your original stays clean. [Free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/dokus-private-id-wallet/id6781915709) ![Fictional Canadian passport specimen. Mark your own copy for one recipient before it leaves your phone.](https://dokus.app/assets/specimens/en-CA/hero/passport.b77ace55.webp) Fictional Canadian passport specimen. Mark your own copy for one recipient before it leaves your phone. ## Text on a photo with Markup 1. Open the picture in Photos, tap Edit, then Markup. 2. In the Markup toolbar, tap Add (+) and choose Add Text. 3. Tap the text box and type the mark. The toolbar sets font, size, style and colour. 4. Drag the text where you want it, tap outside the box, then tap Done. Markup can also add a shape with its own fill colour and opacity. A solid, fully opaque rectangle hides a field on the image; a translucent one only tints it. Photos keeps what you started from. Open the edited picture, tap More and choose Revert to Original to remove the mark from your library. With iCloud Photos, edits apply on all your devices. Neither step touches a copy you already sent. ## Write the purpose, not your name A signature in a corner suits a photograph you post. A copy of a passport, driver’s licence or PR card needs a different mark: who receives it, what it is for and the date, running across the details so it cannot be cropped off. Canada’s private-sector privacy law gives you the wording. Under PIPEDA’s fair information principles, an organization must identify why it collects personal information before or at the time it does, and collect only what that purpose needs. Ask the landlord, employer or agent for that purpose and write their answer on the copy, for instance: “Only for Maple Property Ltd., rental application, October 13, 2026.” British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec have their own private-sector laws, according to the Privacy Commissioner, but asking why is fair everywhere. ## Check whether a copy is needed first A watermark helps only once you have decided to send something. The Privacy Commissioner says a landlord who only needs to confirm your identity likely does not need to copy your ID, and its guide for retailers says photocopying or scanning a licence generally goes too far. For passports, IRCC’s advice is to give a photocopy only when you are sure it is going to a trusted organization or person, because you are responsible for what the recipient does with it. Government applications set their own rules. Follow the instructions of the service you are applying to before altering anything it asks you to upload. ## A faster route for ID copies The free [document watermark tool](/en-ca/watermark-id-copy/) runs in Safari and never uploads the file. You type the recipient after “Exclusive use of”, and it draws a pattern over the whole card whose fine print repeats your words with today’s date, at one of five intensities. It accepts photos and PDFs. If a field is not needed, [hide it on the same copy](/en-ca/redact-id/), and read [the Canadian checklist for sending ID](/en-ca/is-it-safe-to-send-a-picture-of-your-id/) before you attach anything. In the Dokus app, you name the recipient as you share, and the copy carries a repeated diagonal mark with that name and the date. The stored original stays unmarked for the next request. ## Watermark questions ### Can I remove a Markup watermark later? From your own library, yes: open the photo in Photos, tap More and choose Revert to Original. That does not recall or change a copy you have already sent. ### What should the watermark say on a rental application? Name the landlord or agency, the purpose and the date, for example “Only for Maple Property Ltd., rental application, October 13, 2026”. Organizations covered by PIPEDA must identify why they collect personal information, so ask and use their answer. ### Can I watermark a PDF scan on iPhone? Yes. The free document watermark tool on this site accepts PDFs and saves the marked copy as an image-based PDF or JPG, so the text is no longer selectable. ### Does a watermark make it safe to send my passport? No. It records who the copy was for and can discourage reuse, but it cannot stop misuse. Verify the request and send only what is required. ## Sources Reviewed on October 6, 2026 - [Add text, shapes, stickers and more with Markup on iPhone (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/iphone/iphcdb1d0bc7/ios) - [Undo and revert photo edits on iPhone (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/iphone/iph2413db0ab/ios) - [PIPEDA fair information principles (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)](https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/privacy-laws-in-canada/the-personal-information-protection-and-electronic-documents-act-pipeda/p_principle/) - [Privacy in the landlord and tenant relationship (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)](https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/landlords-and-tenants/privacy-in-the-landlord-and-tenant-relationship/) - [Collection of driver’s licence numbers under private sector privacy legislation (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)](https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/sins-and-drivers-licences/drivers-licences/guide_edl/) - [Protect yourself from passport and other travel document fraud (IRCC)](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/protect-fraud.html)