How to share a copy of your driver's license safely
Landlords, employers and rental companies ask for a copy of your US driver's license. What each one needs, what to hide, and what to do about the barcode.
Updated · 2 min read
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Open Driver's license (US)The short answer
Send a copy with your license number, date of birth, address and document discriminator covered, unless the recipient tells you they need them. Keep your name and photo visible so the copy still proves who you are. Cover the barcode on the back too: it encodes your details, and Blur Document doesn't detect it automatically, so draw a box over it.
What's on a US license
Layouts vary by state, but most licenses and state IDs show:
- License number and often a document discriminator (DD), a number that identifies that specific card.
- Date of birth, plus issue and expiry dates.
- Home address, which may be out of date.
- Height, weight, eye color and sometimes sex.
- Photo and signature.
- A barcode on the back that holds much of the same information in machine-readable form.
Match the copy to who's asking
| Who's asking | Likely needs | Usually safe to hide |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord or property manager | Name, photo | License number, DD, barcode, physical details |
| Car rental or car-share | Name, license number, expiry | Address, physical details |
| Employer or background check | Ask what they verify | Physical details, barcode |
| Online marketplace or event | Name, photo | Almost everything else |
Some checks genuinely need the full card, and some will ask you to upload it through their own app. If a business asks for an unredacted copy by email or text, ask why and whether there's a secure upload option.
Redact the copy
- Photograph or scan both sides. Open Blur driver's license and add the images.
- The license number, DD, date of birth and address are covered automatically. Tick expiry dates or height, weight and eye color if you want those hidden too.
- Drag a solid box over the barcode on the back and over your signature.
- Download. Photo location data is stripped, and the result is checked again for readable text.
Use a solid box, not blur, on the license number and DD. Short codes are the easiest kind of text to recover from a blur.
If the license is part of a larger packet, such as a rental application PDF, Redact PDF handles the whole file. For other IDs, see How to redact SSN on documents.
Questions
Should I cover the barcode on the back of my license?
Yes, unless the recipient will scan it in person. It isn't detected automatically, so draw a box over it.
What is the DD number on a driver's license?
The document discriminator identifies that particular card. It isn't needed to show who you are, so it's covered by default.