myGovID and your myGov account are different. Use your myGov account to access services like Medicare (COVID-19 vaccine certificate).

Verifying your identity

Guidance to verify your identity documents or photo.

When verifying your identity, your details are checked against existing government records to prove your identity. When using government online services, your personal information won’t be shared without your permission - putting you in control.

Set up your myGovID

Before you can access participating online services using your myGovID, you need to:

  • set up your myGovID
  • meet the minimum identity strength of the service that you want to access.

Find out what identity strength you need for the online service you want to access.

Help verifying your identity  

Use the links below for guidance on verifying your identity:

For help with verifying a name change, see:

Australian passport

You can verify your Australian passport by scanning it with your smart device or entering the details manually. When scanning, check:

  • all edges of your passport are visible in the image
  • there is no blur, shadow or glare
  • your details are correct – if edits are required, select Edit in your myGovID app (located in the top right-hand corner).

Enter your given name (or names) and family name as listed on your passport.

The Given names field is limited to 31 characters. So, if your given name (or names) as listed on your passport contain more than 31 characters:

  • enter as many full names that fit
  • then use initials for those that can’t be included in their entirety.

The Family name field is limited to 31 characters. So, if your family name as listed on your passport is more than 31 characters, enter as many characters as possible.

If you have only a single name on your passport, enter the name in the Family name field and leave the Given names field blank

Your passport cannot be verified online if it has been cancelled (replaced, reported lost or stolen) or expired for more than 3 years. If you have renewed your passport, you need to verify the new passport.

Verify your photo

You have the option to verify your photo after you’ve verified your passport. To verify your photo, you need to grant access to your device’s camera.

When the process starts, the screen will be orange toned, once you’re in the frame it will go green. If it doesn’t go green, you may need to move your phone closer.

To ensure your photo verifies successfully, ensure you:

  • are in a well-lit area 
  • remove anything that obscures your face, such as glasses
  • have your eyes open and look at your camera
  • hold your phone still during the scanning process.

Driver’s licence

Enter your name as it appears on your licence up to the character limits (even if it only shows part of your name):

  • first name – up to 20 characters
  • middle name – up to 20 characters and enter it in full. If this doesn’t work and it
    • is not on your licence – leave the field blank
    • appears as an initial – enter only the initial
    • appears as 2 initials – enter the full name of the first initial only
  • family name – up to 40 characters.

If you only have a single name on your licence (either your first or family name), enter it in the Family name field.

Your licence cannot be verified online if:

  • it’s been cancelled, refused or is no longer active (this is when it’s held in another state or territory or has expired in ACT, TAS or SA)
  • you’re using a WA extraordinary licence issued by a magistrate to allow limited use of your vehicle.

If you had a change of name (resulting from marriage) in NSW before 2006, you will need to contact your document provider to update your details.

For examples of Australian driver’s licences see Verifying your driver’s licence.

Birth certificate

Enter your details exactly as they appear on your birth certificate.

In the Registration number field – make sure you exclude any characters, such as a slash or the year. For example if your registration number is formatted as 1234 / 1900, only enter 1234.

If you’ve changed your name, check that your document provider has updated your birth record. For example, if you changed your name in a different state to what you were born in, your birth record may not have been updated.

Your birth certificate cannot be verified online if it was issued in:

  • NSW before 1952 and does not have a registration number
  • QLD or TAS and only a single name appears on your certificate (either your given or family name)
  • NSW, ACT, NT, SA or VIC and only your given name appears on your certificate
  • certain SA districts.

For examples of Australian birth certificates and information specific to the state or territory that issued it see Verifying your birth certificate.

Visa (using your foreign passport)

You can use your Australian visa (including electronic visas) to set up your myGovID if you’re a permanent or temporary resident of Australia.

If you receive the error ‘could not verify’ check you’ve:

  • entered the details exactly as they appear on your foreign passport
  • entered the details from the passport you used to enter Australia
  • converted any non-standard characters correctly
  • entered your date of birth in the order day/month/year (DD/MM/YYYY).

Your Australian visa cannot be verified online if:

  • it was issued before 1 July 1990
  • it’s expired, cancelled or has been re-issued
  • it doesn’t display your full date of birth (day, month and year)
  • you recently received Australian citizenship
  • you’re a temporary resident not currently in Australia.

You can check your visa details online through the Department of Home Affairs.

ImmiCard

You can use your ImmiCard to set up your myGovID, this includes:

  • Evidence of Immigration Status (EIS) ImmiCard
  • Australian Migration Status (AMS) ImmiCard
  • Permanent Resident Evidence (PRE) ImmiCard
  • Residence Determination ImmiCard (RDI) ImmiCard.

If you receive the error ‘could not verify’, check:

  • your ImmiCard displays your full date of birth - if it doesn’t, you will not be able to verify your document online
  • you’ve entered your name exactly as it appears on your ImmiCard
  • you’ve entered your date of birth in the order day/month/year (DD/MM/YYYY)
  • you haven’t used any spaces when entering your ImmiCard number – you should only use the 3 letters and 6 numbers, for example ABC123456.

Citizenship certificate

You can use your Australian citizenship certificate to set up your myGovID, this includes:

  • declaratory certificate of citizenship
  • citizenship by descent extract (issued from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2021)
  • citizenship by adoption extract (issued from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2021)
  • extract from register of citizenship by descent (issued from 23 November 1984 to 30 June 2007)
  • extract from Register of Births (issued from 26 January 1949 to 22 November 1984).

If you receive the error ‘could not verify’, check:

  • your certificate displays your full date of birth – if it doesn’t, you will not be able to verify your document online
  • you’ve entered your name exactly as it appears on your certificate
  • you’ve entered your date of birth in the order day/month/year (DD/MM/YYYY)
  • you’ve entered the correct Document ID – if there is an ID on the back, you should try that first. Some certificates may title this differently for example Stock number, CAS number, Evidence number, Client ID, Extract number and Entry number or have no title (this number can be found either on the back of the certificate, or on the front of the certificate in the top right-hand corner or bottom left-hand corner).
  • you haven’t used any spaces, brackets, full stops or the abbreviations ‘No’ or ‘Vol’ when entering your Document ID. For example, if your Document ID was E.F.(2)No12345, you would enter it as EF212345.
  • you’ve joined the Extract number and Entry number (extract from Register of Births, citizenship by descent extract and citizenship by adoption extract only) with a ‘/’when entering your Document ID. For example, if your Extract number was 123 and Entry number 456, you would enter it as 123/456.

Medicare card

Ensure your Medicare details, including your date of birth, are up to date.

When verifying your Medicare card, check:

  • you’ve entered your details as they appear on your physical Medicare card – you can add an extra name field if required
  • you’ve selected the correct individual reference number, this is the number located on the left-hand side of your name
  • you’ve selected the relevant card colour – there are 3 colours you can choose from green (default), blue or yellow
  • you’re using the current version of your card. For example, you may have received a new card as the result of a new family member.

Your Medicare card cannot be verified online if it has been reported as lost or stolen.