Is it safe to send my driver's license to a car rental company?
Showing your license at the desk is normal and necessary. Sending copies in advance — by email or WhatsApp to "speed up the booking" — is only reasonable if the copy has the unneeded data covered and the company's name and the date marked on the image.
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 license 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 license together are a complete identity pack: with them, someone can rent in your name, sign up for services or pass basic verification checks. Car rental chains have suffered massive leaks of customer documents.
How to send it with Ofuska
- 1
Store
Your DNI and driver's license, both encrypted on your phone as separate documents with front and back.
- 2
Redact
License quick zones: cover what the booking doesn't need. Leave visible your name, license number and categories.
- 3
Trace
A "Rental company X — booking — date" mosaic on every copy. If the copy resurfaces in another booking or another country, "Verify copy" tells you where it came from.
What to show and what to hide on your license
Royal Decree 933/2021 (RD 933/2021), Annex II, requires the rental company to register the driver's identity and the license 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)
- License 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 license before I arrive?
- Not to book: your name and a card are enough. The license 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 it into "Verify copy": the invisible signature will tell you which company you gave it to and when. With that you can complain and report it with hard details.