How to give someone a copy of your ID without risking identity theft

A copy of your ID card or passport is one of the most useful things a fraudster can get. With a clear scan and a few personal details, people have opened bank accounts, rented flats and taken out phone contracts in someone else's name.

Yet you're asked for a copy all the time: by a letting agent, a new employer, a car rental desk, a visa agent. You often can't refuse. What you can do is make the copy less useful to anyone other than the person you meant it for.

Ask whether a copy is really needed

Sometimes it isn't. A shop or hotel might only need to see the ID, not keep it. If you're asked for a copy, it's fair to ask what it's for and how long they'll keep it. In much of the world, including the EU under the GDPR, organisations are only supposed to collect the personal data they actually need.

Watermark it with the purpose and date

This is the single most effective step. Across the copy, add a line such as:

Copy for Greenfield Lettings, rental application only, 8 October 2026

A copy marked like that is awkward to reuse. A bank or phone company receiving it would see straight away that it was made for someone else. Put the watermark over the card itself, not just in the margin, where it could be cropped off. Keep it light enough that the details are still readable; a copy nobody can read gets rejected.

Black out what they don't need

Look at what's on the card and what the receiver actually checks. Usually that's your name, photo, date of birth and the expiry date. Depending on the country, you can often hide:

• the document number, unless they specifically need it
• a national identification or tax number printed on the card
• the machine-readable lines at the bottom
• your signature, if it isn't required

Some organisations, such as banks checking identity by law, do need the full document. Ask before you black something out. The Netherlands even has an official government app, KopieID, built for exactly this: it lets you cover the citizen service number and add a purpose watermark.

Make it a proper copy

A blurry photo taken at an angle on a kitchen table gets rejected and you end up sending a second, better one, so now two copies exist. Do it once, properly:

• Photograph the card from straight above, on a surface that contrasts with it, with no glare on the photo.
• Straighten and crop it so only the card shows.
• If both sides are needed, put them on one page.
• For printing, keep it at real size. ID cards and driving licences are 85.6 × 54 mm; a copy printed at "fit to page" comes out oversized and looks odd.

Send it carefully

Before you send anything, make sure the request is genuine. Scammers pose as landlords, recruiters and visa agents precisely to collect ID copies. Check the company exists, use contact details from its official website rather than the message you received, and be wary of anyone who wants your ID before you've seen a flat or had an interview.

Then think about where the copy will live. An email attachment sits in two mailboxes indefinitely. A "share with anyone who has the link" cloud folder can be opened by anyone the link reaches. If you're sending several documents, put them in a password-protected file and tell the password by phone.

Keep track of who has a copy

It sounds fussy, but a short note of who you gave copies to, and when, is very useful if your ID is ever misused. You'll know which leak to ask about, and you can ask organisations to delete copies once they no longer need them. If you lose the card itself, report it straight away so it's cancelled, and keep the police or report reference in case someone later uses it.