Help: Proving your identity

The government online service you’re wanting to use determines the identity strength required to access it (Basic, Standard or Strong). Find out what identity strength the online service you want to access requires.

If you’re unable to achieve the identity strength required, you should contact the relevant service you want to access to find out about alternative options.

You can find support for verifying your identity documents or photo.

If you're experiencing issues verifying any of your identity documents, you can find support at Verifying your identity.

Verifying your photo is optional, it can help protect your identity, and when used to set up a Strong myGovID allows you to access more services online.

Due to current legislation requirements, you must have an Australian passport to verify your photo to reach a Strong identity strength. In future, we hope to expand the identity documents you can use to verify your photo.

With a Strong myGovID, you can access services from the convenience of your own home – anywhere, anytime. But you still have the choice to call or visit a government shopfront in person.

To verify your photo, you need to take a photo of yourself (a selfie) in the myGovID app. The technology scans your face while taking the photo. This on-off process checks that you’re:

• a real person – the technology checks for impersonation attempts, for example wearing masks
• the right person – it compares your image to the photograph on your passport
• verifying in real-time – that you’re present and taking the photo, for example check that a video isn't being scanned.

It is like an in-person identification check, but it’s completed in your app. After this one-off process, your photo is deleted. This is different to the built-in technology in your device, for example Face ID, which stores your image to compare your face each time you use it to unlock your device or log in to your apps.

If you’re experiencing issues verifying your photo, you can find support at Verifying your identity

If you receive an error code while verifying your photo, see ‘Error codes or messages’.

You can help us improve the myGovID app by providing your feedback.

Due to current legislation requirements, you need an Australian passport to verify your photo to reach a Strong identity strength. In future, we hope to expand the identity documents you can use to verify your photo. Verifying your photo is optional.

To successfully verify your photo, check that you:

• have granted access to your device’s camera
• are in a well-lit area
• remove anything that obscures your face, such as glasses
• have your eyes open and are looking at your camera
• hold your phone still during the scanning process
• are close enough to your phone – the screen will go from orange toned to green once you’re in the right position.

If you continue to experience issues during the face verification process, force quit the app, wait 5 minutes and try again.

If you receive a specific error code while verifying your photo, see Error codes or messages.

Where you’re a dual citizen with both an Australian and foreign passport, you can only verify your identity using your Australian passport. The visa on your foreign passport was revoked when you became an Australian citizen.

Where you're a dual citizen with two foreign passports, you will need to verify the passport that you used to enter Australia.

Compromised documents are personal identity documents that have been disclosed without your consent or authorisation, for example as the result of a data breach incident or theft. There are steps you can take to ensure your myGovID remains secure.

It’s important to remember that you don’t need to re-verify existing documents or delete the myGovID app, as there has been no data compromised in myGovID.

If you:

• already have a Strong myGovID and your passport has been compromised, you can continue to use your myGovID
• have a new or re-issued identity document, we recommended you verify it in myGovID. To do this, select Reset app within your myGovID app’s Settings and set up your myGovID again using the new identity document
• can’t achieve the required identity strength due to a compromised document, contact the relevant service you want to access to find out about alternative options
• are setting up your myGovID for the first time, use alternative documents to verify your identity. This includes re-issued identity documents.

In the instance a compromised document is used to set up a myGovID, the system may not verify due to added security measures.

Learn more about protecting your myGovID.