Be prepared for Director ID
Effective 1st November 2021, the Government has introduced a new requirement for directors to provide traceability of a director's profile and assist in preventing the use of false or fraudulent director identities. If you are a director of a company, you will need a director identification number (director ID). The ID is a unique identifier which is kept permanently.
WHO NEEDS A DIRECTOR ID?
You will need a Director ID if you are an eligible officer of:
a company, a registered Australian body or a registered foreign company under the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act)
an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act).
An eligible officer is a person who is appointed as a director or an alternate director who is acting in that capacity.
WHEN DO YOU NEED TO APPLY:
HOW TO APPLY:
There are three different ways to apply
MyGov ID* – your myGovID will need to have a Standard or Strong identity strength to apply for your director ID online. When completing the application, you will need access to the following:
your tax file number (TFN)
your residential address as held by the ATO
information from two documents to verify your identity (this could be bank account details, ATO notice of assessment, super account details, centrelink payment summary or dividend statement)
Phone – if you chose to apply via phone, the following information is required
your tax file number (TFN)
your residential address as held by the ATO
answers to two questions based on details we know about you
One primary Australian identity documents ie. Australian birth certificate, Australian Passport, Australian citizenship certificate or extract from a Register of Citizenship by Descent etc)
One secondary Australian identity documents ie. Medicare card or drivers licence
Paper Application – you can access the paper application forms from https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number/apply-director-identification-number. In additional to completing the information requested on the application form, you will need to provide:
One certified primary document – Australian birth certificate, Australian Passport, foreign birth certificate or foreign passport.
One certified secondary document – National photo identification card, foreign government identification, driver’s licence or marriage certificate
You must apply for your own director ID to verify your identity. If you need assistance when applying, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.
*HOW TO SET UP MYGOV ID (if you don’t have one set up already):
Download the myGovID app
Enter your details
Choose your identity strength and complete the requirements
a. Standard Identity
Verify at least two of the following Australian identity documents (your name must match on both):
driver’s licence or learner’s permit
passport (not more than three years expired)
birth certificate
visa (using your foreign passport)
citizenship certificate
ImmiCard
Medicare card.
b. Strong Identity
Verify the following Australian identity documents (your name must match on all):
passport (not more than three years expired)
one of the following - birth certificate, citizenship certificate, driver’s licence (including learner’s permit) or Medicare card.
Verify your photo – you also need to complete a face verification check. This is a one-off scan that checks that you’re a real person, the right person and verifying in real-time. It’s like a selfie which is compared to the photograph on your passport.
Sources
https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number/about-director-id
https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/news-and-analysis/news/be-prepared-for-director-id