Watermark the copy with who it is for, what it is for and the date, so a copy sent to a letting agent or a hotel cannot quietly be reused anywhere else. The tool on this page does it in your browser: choose the scan or photo, finish the line that starts “Exclusive use of…”, and save the watermarked copy.
How to watermark a copy of your ID
- Choose a photo, scan or PDF of your passport, ID card or driver's license. Add the back if the recipient needs both sides. If the photo is crooked or sideways, use Crop and Rotate above the preview.
- The Watermark field already reads "Exclusive use of…": finish it with who the copy is for and why, or replace it with any text up to 60 characters. The preview follows as you type, and today's date is added for you. The Intensity slider makes the watermark subtler or stronger, starting at Balanced.
- Choose Download: the copy lands in your downloads (Files > Downloads on an iPhone). The watermark is part of the image, and the location data your camera saved is removed.
What to write on the watermark
A useful watermark answers three questions: who received the copy, what for, and when. The Watermark field starts with "Exclusive use of…" and you finish it, as in "Exclusive use of Acme Lettings, tenancy". The tool writes that text large across the middle of the document and repeats it with the date in fine print across the whole page, so cropping a corner does not remove it. The field holds 60 characters, the opening words included, so keep it to a few words; if you run out of room, replace the whole line with your own.
- Landlord or letting agent: the agency's name and "tenancy application".
- Hotel: the hotel's name and "check-in".
- Bank: the bank's name and "account opening", or "KYC".
- Employer: the company's name and "right to work check" or "onboarding".
- Marketplace: the platform's name and "seller verification", sent through the platform's own form rather than a chat.
Leave every detail the recipient checks readable. If they do not need a field at all, such as your passport number, choose Blur above the preview and drag across it before you save.
United Kingdom
For a right to rent check in England, GOV.UK gives landlords three routes: your original document checked with you present, a registered Digital Verification Service, or your status viewed online with a share code. The copy the landlord keeps comes from that check. A scan a letting agent asks for by email, ahead of a viewing or for referencing, is none of those, so it can carry your watermark. Right to work checks follow the same pattern.
Australia
No Australian authority we found tells renters to watermark their ID, so take this as our suggestion, in the spirit of the OAIC's guidance: a real estate agent may only collect what is reasonably necessary, and when one needs a copy of an identity document, the OAIC suggests blanking out what they do not need. Watermark "rental application" with the agency's name, and cover your license or Medicare number: when an agent copies a document that carries one, the OAIC says they must generally blank it out anyway.
Singapore
PDPC guidelines say organizations generally may not collect NRIC numbers or copies of the NRIC, unless the law requires it (hotel check-in is one of the PDPC's own cases) or they must verify your identity to a high degree of fidelity. When someone asks for a copy, ask which of those applies. When one does, the copy can still say who it is for.
India
Copies of an Aadhaar or PAN card commonly carry a line such as "For KYC purpose only" with the name of the bank or company and the date. Where the full Aadhaar number is not needed, UIDAI's masked Aadhaar shows only the last four digits.
United States
The FTC suggests asking an organization why it needs your Social Security number, how it will protect it, and whether something else would do. The same questions work before you send a copy of your driver's license. When it has to go, watermark it with the company and the purpose.
Common questions
Is watermarking a copy the same as a passport's watermark?
No. A passport's own watermark is a security feature built into its paper. This page adds a visible mark to a copy of your passport or ID, naming who it was given to.
Does a watermark make my ID copy invalid?
Not by itself: every detail stays readable, so the recipient can still check your name, photo and dates. A legal check made on your original document, such as a right to rent check in England, does not rely on a copy you send.
Can someone remove the watermark?
Any image can be edited. What a watermark does is make reuse visible: the recipient's name and the date run across the whole document, over the photo and the text, so cleaning them off means repainting the document itself.
What should I write on a watermark for KYC?
Finish the line with the name of the bank, broker or company and "KYC", as in "Exclusive use of Acme Bank, KYC", or replace it with "For KYC purpose only, Acme Bank". The tool adds the date for you, and the same text runs in the fine print across the page.
Can I watermark a PDF?
Yes. Choose the PDF and the tool watermarks its pages, the first ten of a longer file. The PDF it gives back holds an image of each page, so its text can no longer be selected or copied.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
No. The watermark is drawn in your browser, on your device. Once the page has loaded, it works with Wi-Fi and mobile data turned off.
