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Providing proof of identity
Verifying your identity before accessing benefits or changing your details
Retire couple laughing
Keeping your account secure is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. 

Identifying all our members is also an important part of our obligation to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing in Australia. This is why you need to provide documents which prove your identity before we can change your personal details or pay any benefits. This includes:

  • applying for a benefit payment or transfer
  • applying to open an income stream account
  • asking us to change your name in our records, and
  • asking us to change the bank account you nominate for payments and withdrawals.
Acceptable identity documents

A current Australian driver's license, Australian passport or a current Australian proof of age card containing your photo (issued under a state or territory law) are all acceptable forms of identification.

We can also accept a current driver's license, passport or similar travel document issued by a foreign government, if it contains your photo and signature. Any documents not in English must be accompanied by an English translation prepared by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NAATI).

If you’re unable to produce one of the identity documents listed above, you have the option to provide two documents: one from each of lists A and B below.

Lady smiling at letter
  • An Australian birth certificate or extract issued by a State or Territory.
  • A birth certificate issued by a foreign government, the United Nations or an agency of the United Nations.
  • A citizenship certificate issued by the Commonwealth or a foreign government.
  • A current Centrelink pension card that entitles you to receive financial benefits.
  • A notice issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) within the last 12 months that shows your name and current residential address and records an amount payable to or by you e.g. your last tax return.
  • A notice issued by a local council or utilities provider in the last three months showing the provision of services to you and your current residential address e.g. rates notice, electricity or water bill.
  • A notice issued by the Commonwealth or a state or territory government within the last 12 months showing your name and current residential address and the provision of financial benefits to you e.g. Centrelink letter.
  • If you’re under 18, you can provide:
    • a student card, or
    • a letter from a school principal that includes the person’s name, residential address and the dates they attended the school. The letter must be dated and issued within three months of providing proof of ID.
Providing proof of ID electronically
Some of our forms allow you to provide your proof of identity electronically, using two government-issued identification documents. These can include your Australian Passport, Driver's License and/or Medicare Card.
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The information we need to verify your documents
Your full name and either your date of birth or your residential address on the documents you provide must match the details we have for you in our records. If the details don’t match, or the documents you provide are out-of-date, we won’t be able to use the documents to verify your identity. You will need to provide a certified copy of your current documents.
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If you change your name

If you have changed your name, you must provide a certified copy of one of the following name change documents:

  • Marriage certificate or certificate of registration (if you are on a relationship register) issued by the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Office (ceremonial certificates cannot be accepted).
  • Deed poll or change of name certificate from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Office. If you have reverted to your maiden name, we will require your marriage certificate (from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Office) showing your original maiden name and your married name.
  • We will accept a reissued or amended Australian birth certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages, where it clearly shows both your previous and current name.

 

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Changing your bank account details
You need to provide proof of ID documents when setting up or updating the bank account you’re nominating to receive payments from your super account.
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How to get copies of your documents certified

While we don’t require original identity documents, all photocopies must be certified by an authorised person.

This authorised person must sight the original and the copy to ensure they are identical.

Each page must then be formally certified with the following text:

“I certify that this document is a true copy of the original.”, followed by their signature, printed name, qualification (e.g. Justice of the Peace, Australia Post employee, etc.), registration number (if applicable) and date.

  • police officer
  • Australia Post employee in charge of an office providing postal services (charges may apply)
  • Officer or an authorised representative of an Australian Financial Services Licensee (AFSL) with two or more years of continuous service
  • medical practitioner
  • legal practitioner
  • pharmacist
  • justice of the Peace
  • magistrate
  • nurse
  • optometrist
  • dentist
  • chiropractor
  • physiotherapist
  • psychologist
  • veterinary surgeon
  • full-time teacher employed at a school or tertiary institution.

If you are outside Australia, you can still have copies of your documents certified by consular staff at an Australian Embassy, High Commission, or Consulate. If you are unable to reach an Australian Embassy, High Commission, or Consulate, your documents can be certified by a notary public. 

If none of these certifiers are available in your community, please contact our service centre to explore other options.

What is the Driver’s Licence ‘card number’?

The card number is a unique number attributed to a Driver’s Licence in Australia.

The card number is a mandatory requirement for all Australian states and territories.

See below for sample images on where to locate the card number.

 

FAQs

Generally, if you have already provided certified copies of your identity documents, you won’t need to provide them again as long as you don’t change your name, or the bank account you’ve nominated to receive payments and withdrawals.

However, because verifying our members’ identities is an important security measure in protecting our members’ benefits, we may ask you to provide additional proof of identity documents at any time.

The section above - If you change your name – outlines the documents you’ll need to support this change.

If you hold a Power of attorney for one of our members, and you are seeking access to their benefits or requesting a change to their details, you must provide certified copies of proof of identity documents for both yourself and the member.