If you’re like me, you might be researching as much as you can online to prepare for your upcoming move to Australia. During your frantic Googling sessions, you may come across the term ‘100 points of ID’. Wondering what that actually means? I’ve got you covered – read on!
What is the 100 points of ID system in Australia?
The system of 100 points of ID was introduced by the Australian government to combat fraud.
It’s a personal identification system that ensures people are who they claim to be, by producing a set amount of evidence to prove their identity.
Different values of points are allocated depending on the type of ID document you produce. Your points must add up to at least 100 in order to open the account you are seeking.
What do I need 100 points of ID for?
Generally, you need to provide 100 points of ID when you open a new financial account or government account.
These could include:
Opening a bank account
Applying for a local driver’s licence
Credit cards
Phone contracts
Car loan
Personal loan
Home loan
Joining the library
Applying for Centrelink or Medicare
Transferring your superannuation funds
This is why when you open a bank account in Australia from overseas, it will only be activated once you present yourself in person at a branch with your supporting ID documents.
How many points are each kind of document worth?
This varies from state to state but generally you get 2 categories of ID documents – primary and secondary.
Documents from the primary category are worth 70 points.
Documents from the secondary category are worth 40 points.
A second document from the secondary category can get you an extra 25 points.
A second document from the primary category does not get you any extra points.
100 Points of ID – Primary Category Documents
70 points for your first document:
Australian birth certificate
Australian passport
Australian citizenship certificate
International passport (linked to a current valid visa)
Registration of descent
As a new arrival, the only one you’re likely to have is the international passport on this list.
100 Points of ID – Secondary Category Documents
40 points for your first document, and 25 points for any second document from this list:
Licence or Permit issued under Australia law
State or Federal Government Employee Identity
Tertiary Education Institution Identity
Australian Learner’s Permit
Department of Veterans Affairs Card
Centrelink or Social Security Card
WA Photo Card
ImmiCard
Dangerous Goods Security Card
Working With Children’s Card
Consular Photo Identity Card
Maritime Security Identification Card
25 points only for each document:
Proof of Age Card
Medicare Card
Council Rates Notice
Property Lease/Rental Agreement
Property Insurance Papers
Motor Vehicle Registration or Insurance Documents
Professional or Trade Association Card
Utility Bills (e.g. Telephone, Gas, Electricity, Water)
Credit/Account Card
Bank Statement/Passbook
Health Care Card
As a new arrival, to start with you may only have documents from the 25 point only list – bank statements are the easiest to provide as most migrants have a bank account set up before they move. You can go into your branch and ask for a recent statement from them to use as ID, if you aren’t able to get statements via the post.
Once you’ve converted your overseas driver’s licence to an Australian one, you can use that and get 40 points for that ID document.
If you’ve bought a car, you’ll also be able to use your motor vehicle registration and insurance documents to get your points over the 100 points line.
As you can see, the more admin you do – applying for Medicare, converting your driver’s licence, activating your bank account – in the early days of arriving, the quicker you can build up your 100 points of ID to use for your bigger purchases (e.g. getting finance for a car or home).
Read my post here on 7 things to do in your first week in Australia to get you off on the right foot!
Please Note: Make sure you check the list of documents from the provider you are dealing with – whether it’s a bank, a government body, or a private company, their list of acceptable documents may vary slightly between each other as to what points are worth and what documents they will accept. This is a guide for the kind of documents you can use, but is not applicable to all cases where 100 points of ID needs to be provided.
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