All foreign directors of Australian companies are required to apply for their director ID using the paper form.
Application form
The Director identification application form is accessible here:
Identification requirements
The application form will need to be accompanied by copies of one primary and one secondary form of identification that have been certified by a notary public or by staff at the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, including consulates headed by Austrade honorary consuls.
These include:
| Primary identification | · Foreign birth certificate
· Foreign passport · Australian full birth certificate (extracts and commemorative certificates are not acceptable) · Australian passport (including passports that have expired in the past two years) |
| Secondary identification | · National photo identification card
· Foreign government identification · Driver’s licence, as long as the licence address matches the address details on your application · Marriage certificate, but if you use this document to verify your change of name, you can’t use it as a secondary document |
If you have changed your name, you must also provide another document showing the change such as a marriage certificate, deed poll or change of name certificate.
Certifying your identification documents
In your presence, the authorised certifier must:
- Certify that each copy is a true and correct copy of the original document by sighting the original document;
- Stamp, sign and annotate the copy of the identity document stating, ‘I have sighted the original document and certify this to be a true and correct copy of the original document sighted’;
- Initial each page listing their name, date of certification, phone number and position.
If your country is party to the Hague Apostille Convention, you can ask the competent authority in your country to certify a copy of your documents by using an apostille.
The list of Australian embassy and consulates is available here:
https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locations/missions/our-embassies-and-consulates-overseas
Translations required for identity documents not in English
If your identification documents are not in English, they will need to be accompanied by a translation. 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.
Once completed, the identification application form and the accompanying certified copies of your identification documents need to be sent by mail to ABRS using the details provided on the form.
If we can assist you with any information on this matter or can assist you in any other way, please do not hesitate to contact us by phoning 07 3286 1322 or via e-mail to team@hfbgroup.com.au.
