Driver licences will now have the card holder's date of birth embossed over their photo.
New Zealand Transport Agency said the new security feature will be issued on new cards from today.
The embossed date of birth is a commonly used security feature overseas, it said, which provides a secondary verification of the date of birth already printed beside the photo.
NZTA head of driving regulation Chris Rodley said embossing is difficult to replicate, which makes it an effective way to reduce the opportunity for fraud.
"It also means the photo on the card can’t be easily modified and it provides an extra verification of the driver’s date of birth."
Rodley said people don't need to do anything with their existing licenses, which are still valid until their expiry date.
"The change simply means that if you renew your licence or get a new licence from today, your licence card will include the new feature."
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