You must apply for a Director Identification Number (DIN) effective from 1 November 2021
From November 2021, every Director of a Company will need to apply for a Direct Identification Number (DIN). A director ID is a 15-digit identifier given to a director or someone who intends to become a director, who has verified their identity with ABRS (Australian Business Registry Services). It will help to prevent the use of false or fraudulent director identities.
Directors will only ever have one Director ID, it will be kept forever even if:
- Change companies
- Stop being a director
- Change their name
- Move interstate or overseas
Directors need to apply for their own Director ID using proof of their Identification. It’s free to apply, and when you must apply depends on when you were appointed as Director:
- Existing Directors have until 30 November 2022 to apply
- Directors appointed between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022 must apply within 28 days of their appointment
- From 5 April 2022, intending Directors must apply before being appointed
We cannot obtain the Director ID on your behalf, as Director you will need to action this yourself before the relevant deadline that applies to you above.
Once you receive your DIN retain a copy of the document for your records and advise your Tax Agent or record holder of your company records.
OPTION 1 – APPLY ONLINE
From 1 November 2021 you can apply online provided you have a MyGovID. Instructions to set up MyGov https://www.mygovid.gov.au/set-up
Once created, you will be able to login into the ABRS Website https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number
For this process you will need the required documentation to verify your identity:
- Your Tax File Number
- Your residential address as held by the ATO
- Information from two documents to verify your identity
Examples of the two documents you can use to verify your identity include:
- Bank account details
- An ATO notice of assessment
- Super account details
- A dividend statement
- A Centrelink payment summary
- PAYG payment summary
OPTION 2 – LODGING BY PAPER – APPLICANTS WITHIN AUSTRALIA
If lodging by Paper a downloadable form will be available on the ABRS website in November. In addition to completing the form, you will also need to provide certified copies of one primary and one secondary identity document (do not send Originals as these will not be returned). Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
Primary documents
- Australian full birth certificate
- 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 using a foreign passport but are still in Australia)
Secondary documents
- Medicare Card
- Australian driver’s license (must show photo and signature, and address must match details on the form)
OPTION 3 – LODGING BY PAPER – APPLICANTS OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA
If lodging by Paper a downloadable form will be available on the ABRS website in November. In addition to completing the form, you will also need to provide certified copies of one primary and one secondary identity document (do not send Originals as these will not be returned). Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
Primary documents
- Foreign birth certificate
- Foreign passport
- Australian full birth certificate
- Australian passport (including passports that have expired in the past two years)
Secondary documents
- National photo identification card
- Foreign government identification
- Driver’s license (address must match the address on the application)
- Marriage certificate
- If you have changed your name, you must provide another document showing the change
- Marriage certificate (can only be used to verify name change or as a secondary document, not both)
- Deed poll
- Change of name certificate
Certifying foreign documents
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.
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. Each translation 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.
- To find out more about an authorised translation service in your country, contact your closest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate.
OPTION 4 – BY PHONE
You can phone between 8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday (AEST)
- If you are in Australia, phone 13 62 50.
- If you are calling from overseas, phone +61 2 6216 3440
To apply by phone from 1 November 2021, you will need:-
- An individual TFN (Tax File Number). Providing your TFN is optional but it speeds up the process
- Your residential address as held by the ATO
- Answers to two questions
- Two Australian identity documents – one primary and one secondary (see above)
What happens if I don’t apply?
If you don’t apply for a Director Identification Number during the required timeframe, civil or criminal penalties apply and you will be issued with an infringement notice.