Identification documents

You must provide one of the following options for yourself and any representative. If you are the customer's representative, provide the documents below for both yourself and your customer.

Primary photographic identification documents

• Australian passport
• Australian proof of age card
• Australian driver's licence
• Foreign passport
• Foreign identity card

Primary non-photographic identification documents

• Australian birth certificate or birth extract
• Australian citizenship certificate
• Australian concession card (pensioner concession card, health care card, senior's health card)
• Medicare card
• Veteran card
• Change of name certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Foreign birth certificate
• Foreign citizenship certificate

Secondary identification documents

• Utility notice issued in the last 3 months
• Council rates notice issued in the last 3 months
• Australian bank statement issued in the last 3 months
• Notices issued by a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body issued in the last 3 months
• Income tax assessment notice issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in the last 12 months
• Payslip or letter from employer containing the individual's name issued in the last 3 months

Authority for a representative to act

If you are acting on behalf of the customer, evidence of authority to act may include:

• for any general appointment: a letter, agency agreement or other authorisation document from the customer establishing that you have authority to act
• written confirmation from a reliable third party such as a legal practitioner, accountant or other professional, that you have authority to act
• written confirmation from your employer that you are authorised to act, if authority to act arises from your employment
• the document granting you power of attorney, if authority to act arises from a power of attorney
• an extract of the legislation giving you authority to act, if authority to act arises from legislation.

Alternative identification

You can prove your identity in alternative ways if you:

• can't get standard identification information or evidence
• can't access standard identification information or evidence due to circumstances beyond your control
• have inconsistent details across your identification documents.

This may be appropriate if you are:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
• affected by natural disasters
• affected by family and domestic violence
• experiencing homelessness
• in prison or recently released from prison
• a refugee, asylum seeker or recent migrant to Australia from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
• intersex, transgender or gender diverse
• living in a remote area
• an older Australian
• living in a hospital setting for lengthy periods
• not registered at birth
• raised in institutional or foster care
• experiencing digital exclusion or inaccessibility.

Other documents that can verify your identity could include, but aren't limited to, any of the following:

• a reference from another individual (see requirements below)
• government correspondence, including documents from state or territory corrective services
• confirming your identity with reputable organisations or bodies known to you - for example, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations or community health organisations
• a community ID or organisation membership card for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• recently expired identification
• a self-attestation of your identity.

References

If you use a reference, the referee must be someone who both:

• holds a position of trust in the community
• has an existing relationship with you.

They don't need to have a relationship with you because of their position of trust - for example, the referee may be a teacher, but they don't need to have been your teacher.

Suitable referees

Suitable referees may include a:

• school principal, teacher or counsellor
• current or former employer or manager
• medical practitioner (for example, doctor, nurse, midwife, dentist, community health professional, psychologist)
• minister of religion
• police officer
• financial counsellor, adviser, planner or capability worker
• community leader, such as an Elder
• official from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation, or a board member of a Local Aboriginal Land Council
• legal aid or community lawyer
• Services Australia (Centrelink) staff
• correctional services staff
• manager or warden of a refuge or shelter
• accommodation or homeless shelter manager
• manager of an aged care facility or hospital
• an individual who is able to witness a statutory declaration.

What the reference could contain

The reference could contain the:

• date of the reference
• referee's name, signature, position, contact details and relationship to you
• referee's knowledge of your full name, residential address (if known) and date of birth (actual or approximate)
• approximate period the referee has known you.

If known by the referee, it could also include:

• other addresses where you have recently lived
• other names you have been or are known by
• a recent photo of you
• your circumstances that have resulted in limited access to identification documents
• a brief explanation of the reasons why you have inconsistent details on your identification.