Verify your identity

Use a bank account:

• you receive an income tax refund in, or
• that has earned interest in the last two years.

You will need the:

• BSB number – do not use spaces or symbols
• account number – do not use spaces.

You can usually find this information:

• by logging in to your bank's mobile app or online banking
• on your bank statement.

If you haven’t given the ATO any bank account details or you don’t have a bank account that has earned interest, you will need to select a different document.

Use a notice of assessment (NOA) if it was issued by the ATO in the last five years.

You will need both the:

• date of issue – enter the date in the format dd/mm/yyyy
• reference number – do not use spaces.

You can find these details in the top right-hand corner of your NOA.

If you have previously had a myGov account linked to the ATO, your NOA would have been sent to your ATO online services account, available via myGov.

If you don't have a copy, you will need to select a different document.

Use a superannuation account statement from the last five years.

You will need your:

• member account number (it may be up to 16 characters)
• super fund's Australian business number (ABN).

If you don't have access to your super account statement, you can find these details on:

• an email or letter from your fund
• a membership card.

If the super fund's ABN is not on one of these items, you can look them up at Super Fund Lookup.

If no money has been contributed to your super account in the last 12 months, you will need to select a different document.

Use a dividend statement from the last two years.

You will need your investment reference number. Include all numbers but don’t use spaces.

If you don't have a dividend statement, you may be able to find these details on an email or letter from your investment body.

If you don’t have this information, you will need to select a different document.

Use a Centrelink payment summary issued in the last two years.

You will need your taxable income in whole dollars. Do not show cents, a $ symbol or spaces.

If your myGov account is linked to Services Australia, you can log in and access the details online.

If your taxable income is zero – or if you don’t have a copy or don't know your taxable income – you will need to select a different document.

Use a PAYG payment summary issued in the last two years.

You will need your gross income in whole dollars. Do not show cents, a $ symbol or spaces.

From 2018–19 and onwards your employer will have provided your tax and payment information as an income statement. The income statement is sent to your ATO online services account accessed via myGov.

If you don't have a copy or don’t know your gross income, you will need to select a different document.

Primary documents

• Australian full birth certificate (extracts and commemorative certificates are not acceptable)
• Australian passport (including passports that have expired in the past two years)
• Australian citizenship certificate or extract from a Register of Citizenship by Descent
• ImmiCard
• visa (if you are using a foreign passport but you are still in Australia).

Secondary documents

• Medicare card
• Australian driver’s licence or learner’s permit. This must show your photo and signature, and the address on the card must match your details on the form.

If your name on the Australian identity document doesn’t match your ATO record, you may be able to verify the document using a change of name certificate (from Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory only) or a marriage certificate.

Primary documents

• Australian full birth certificate (extracts and commemorative certificates are not acceptable)
• Australian passport (including passports that have expired in the past two years)
• Australian citizenship certificate or extract from a Register of Citizenship by Descent
• Foreign passport

Secondary documents

• Medicare card
• Australian driver's licence or Australian learner's permit. This must show your photo and signature, and the address on the card must match the details on your application.

The following people can certify copies of your original identity documents as true and correct:

• Barrister
• Solicitor
• Medical practitioner
• Judge
• Justice of the Peace (JP)
• Minister of religion (who is authorised to celebrate marriage)
• Police officer
• Bank, building society or credit union officer with at least five years of service
• Sheriff's officer
• Commissioner of Declarations (in Queensland only).

Primary documents

• Foreign birth certificate
• Foreign passport
• Australian full birth certificate (extracts and commemorative certificates are not acceptable)
• Australian passport (including passports that have expired in the past two years).

Secondary documents

• National photo identification card
• Foreign government identification
• Driver’s licence, as long as the licence address matches the address details on your application
• Marriage certificate, but if you use this document to verify your change of name, you can’t use it as a secondary document.

If you have changed your name, you must provide another document showing the change, such as a:

• marriage certificate
• deed poll
• change of name certificate.

We know that many businesses and communities are being heavily affected by the challenging economic conditions created by continuing COVID-19 outbreaks and restrictions. We will continue to adopt a flexible approach to responding to the impact of the pandemic. If you are having difficulties certifying your documents, you will be able to contact us from November 2021 for help and support.

The following people are authorised to certify your identity documents outside Australia:

• notary publics
• staff at your nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, including consulates headed by Austrade honorary consuls.

An authorised certifier must, in the presence of the applicant, certify that each copy is a true and correct copy of the original document. This involves:

• sighting the original document
• stamping, signing and annotating the copy of the identity document to state, ‘I have sighted the original document and certify this to be a true and correct copy of the original document sighted'
• initialling each page
• listing their name, date of certification, phone number and position.

For a list of Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates by country, go to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

If you can’t provide certified copies of your paper identity documents with your application form, contact us from November 2021 to discuss your circumstances.

Copies bearing an apostille

If your country is party to the Hague Apostille Convention, you can ask the competent authority in your country to certify a copy of your documents by using an apostille.

An apostille is a type of certification that is designated by the state in which a document was issued. A notary public can certify public documents, such birth and marriage certificates, from outside Australia by way of an apostille.

To send your certified documents bearing an apostille, make sure the apostille certification is firmly attached to the copies of your identification documents accompanying your application form.

Documents in languages other than English

If your identity documents are not written in English, you must arrange for them to be translated into English.

Translations must be completed by an approved translation service and certified as a true and correct copy. It should display an official stamp (or similar) that shows the certifier’s accreditation.

Translations should also be accompanied by a certified copy of the original document in the language of origin. The certifier must sign and stamp the original copy of the document as a true and correct copy.

Contact your closest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate to find out more about an authorised translation service in your country.

For a list of Australian embassies, high commissions and consulates by country, go to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.