Is it safe to send my driving licence to a car rental company?
Showing your licence at the desk is normal and necessary. If you send a copy in advance, cover unnecessary details and mark the company name and date on the image.
- Published:
- Reviewed:
- Editorial responsibility:
- Ofuska
- Jurisdiction:
- Spain
Why they ask for it
To rent a car you need to prove your identity and your right to drive. Many companies, especially brokers and small local firms, ask for your ID and licence in advance to prepare the contract.
Those copies end up in booking systems, local-office inboxes and employees' phones, and outlive the return of the car by a long way.
The real risk
Your ID and licence together form a detailed identity record that could be misused for rentals, services or basic verification checks if exposed.
How to send it with Ofuska
- 1
Store
Your DNI and driving licence, both encrypted on your phone as separate documents with front and back.
- 2
Redact
Use the brush, rectangles or a mask to cover what the booking does not need. Leave your name, licence number and categories visible.
- 3
Trace
Add a "Rental company X, booking, date" mosaic. If the required pixels and local history survive, Verify Copy can link the image to that send.
Verify Copy can link a PNG or JPEG to a copy stored on this phone if the image still contains the watermark. The app tells you whether it found a current watermark, an older one or none it can verify. PDFs cannot be checked directly.
Safer sharing guide →
What to show and what to hide on your licence
Royal Decree 933/2021 (RD 933/2021), Annex II, requires the rental company to register the driver's identity and licence details: type, number, expiry date and support number.
Your photo is checked at the desk against your face with the original document: the copy you send doesn't need it.
Show
- Full name (fields 1-2)
- Date of birth (3)
- Licence number (5)
- Support number
- Expiry date (4b)
- Categories (9)
Hide
- Photo
- Signature
- Place of birth
If they also ask for your DNI, follow the same guideline as for hotels: show the registration data and hide the photo, signature, CAN, expiry date and MRZ.
Legal basis and sources
Frequently asked questions
- Does the rental company need my licence before I arrive?
- Not to book: your name and a card are enough. The licence is checked at the desk. If a broker insists on copies in advance, send them redacted and marked with their name and the booking date.
- I rented months ago and now my ID is out there. What can I do?
- If you sent the copy with Ofuska, import the PNG or JPEG into Verify Copy. If the required pixels survive, it can link the image to the locally recorded send.