Is it safe to send a picture of your ID in the UK?
Send a passport or driving licence copy only after verifying the recipient, purpose and submission route. Share the minimum required information; if accepted, mark the copy for that recipient and date. No channel or watermark guarantees safety.
Verify the request before sending a document
A photo of your driving licence or passport reveals details that can be used in identity fraud. A familiar business name or a professional-looking rental advert does not prove who is asking. Contact the organisation through a number or website you find independently, then confirm which document and fields are needed.
Prepare a safer copy, free. Once you have verified a legitimate request, hide unnecessary details and add the recipient and date as a watermark, only if the recipient accepts an edited copy. Both tools run in your browser without uploading your document. Keep every field required for the check readable.
Right to rent checks apply in England, not throughout the UK. Right to work checks have their own UK-wide process. Follow the GOV.UK route that applies: an online share code, an eligible identity service or an original-document check. A watermarked or redacted scan you email is not a substitute for the required check.
Prepare a copy for one purpose
- Use the organisation’s verified upload service where possible. Open it independently and treat unexpected chat links and urgent requests cautiously. An official channel does not eliminate the risk of a breach or misuse after delivery.
- Send only the requested document and sides, rather than the whole wallet.
- If accepted, watermark the copy for its recipient, purpose and date. For example: “For Oak Lettings Ltd. only, rental application, 18 October 2026.”
- Ask whether unnecessary fields can be redacted. If the passport number is not needed, cover its repetition in the machine-readable lines too, as the fictional example shows. Do not cover details that an official check requires.
- Ask how the copy will be stored, who can access it and when it will be deleted.
A watermark makes the intended use visible and can discourage reuse, but it can be edited or removed and does not prevent identity fraud. A document photo also does not guarantee that a verification check will succeed. Encryption in transit does not control what the recipient does with an attachment after delivery.
Requests that deserve another check
- A rental contact asks for a full passport pack before explaining who they are or what it is for.
- A supposed recruiter asks for identity documents or a selfie before any credible hiring process.
- A buyer asks you for a licence photograph to “prove you are real”.
- Someone sends a new upload link and demands immediate action to avoid losing a booking.
Stop and verify through an independent route. Do not send another document merely because someone already has the first one.
If you already sent a copy to a scammer
Tell your bank if financial information may be affected, preserve the messages and use the current Report Fraud service for reports in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, follow Police Scotland’s identity-theft reporting guidance. Contact the document issuer about compromised details and check your credit reports for unfamiliar activity.
Changing a password does not recall an image already delivered. Keep a record of what you sent and when, watch for suspicious account activity and distrust anyone charging to “recover” or erase the copy.
Where Dokus helps
Dokus protects the copies on your device and can make a recipient-specific share from the original. It cannot validate the person asking, recall a sent attachment or guarantee that identity fraud will not occur. Read document storage on iPhone to reduce the loose copies left in Photos and Downloads.
Common questions
Is email safe for a passport copy?
Verify the recipient and prefer its official upload service. Email attachments can remain in inboxes and backups; if a marked copy is accepted, name its recipient and purpose.
What if I sent my driving licence to a scammer?
Tell your bank if financial information may be affected, preserve the messages and use the current Report Fraud service for reports in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, follow Police Scotland’s identity-theft reporting guidance. Contact the document issuer about compromised details and check your credit reports for unfamiliar activity.
Should I send a health or travel card as extra proof?
Only when the verified service requires that specific document. More documents expose more information and do not make an unverified request trustworthy.
Does a watermark prevent identity fraud?
No. It shows the intended recipient, purpose and date, but someone can edit the image or copy details that remain visible. Verify the request and confirm which fields are required and whether a marked copy is accepted. Some official checks need an unaltered document.