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How to watermark ID copies “For KYC only” before you send them

By the Fusion Office team · Updated

Quick answer

Open Watermark PDF, choose your ID copy, type a line such as “For ABC Bank KYC only – 4 Nov 2026”, set it semi-transparent at 45° across the page, and press Add watermark. Anyone who receives a leaked copy can see what it was meant for, which makes it much harder to reuse.

Add the watermark step by step

  1. 1If your ID is a photo, turn it into a PDF with JPG to PDF.
  2. 2Open Watermark PDF and choose the file.
  3. 3Pick Text and type who it's for, why, and the date.
  4. 4Set transparency to around 30–40% and rotation to 45°, or turn on tiling to repeat it across the page.
  5. 5Press Add watermark and download the marked copy.

What to write

  • “For XYZ Bank account opening only – 04/11/2026”
  • “Submitted to ABC Telecom for SIM KYC – not valid for any other use”
  • “Copy for rental agreement with Mr. Sharma only”

Place it so it crosses the photo or details partly but leaves the number and name readable; the copy still has to do its job.

Make it harder to remove

A text watermark is added to the PDF as its own layer, so a determined person could remove it. To bake it into the image, convert the watermarked PDF to images with PDF to JPG and back into a PDF with JPG to PDF: the watermark becomes part of the picture.

Combining a watermark with a masked number is stronger still: remove the first eight digits of an Aadhaar with Auto-redact personal data or the editor's Redact tool before watermarking.

Frequently asked questions

Will the bank accept a watermarked copy?

Most do, as long as the details are readable. If they ask for a clean copy, that's their requirement to state.

Is the ID uploaded to add the watermark?

No. Watermark PDF runs in your browser.