What evidence of identity is
We ask for evidence of your identity when we meet you for the first time. You’ll need to share documents with us that tell us who you are.
These documents should include information like your name, address, date of birth and a photo of you.
What we need to see
We need to see 3 different identity documents
Your NDIS partner can help you work out what documents you need, or to find another way to prove your identity.
We need one birth or arrival document
This is a document that shows when you were born or arrived in Australia. This might be your full birth certificate, your passport or your Australian citizenship certificate.
We need 2 documents you use in the community
These are documents that show you live in the community. They might be a Medicare card, a bank card with your name on it or a utility account with your name and current address.
What we can’t accept
We need to make sure we have documents from the right person and can verify your evidence of identity.
We can’t accept:
- a document that has been changed, or corrected and initialled
- a scan or photocopy which is unclear, unreadable or incomplete
- a document which is expired, cancelled or no longer valid. The only exception to this is an Australian passport, which may be expired within the last 2 years, but not cancelled.
What evidence of identity is for
We need to make sure the people who apply for the NDIS are who they say they are and meet the eligibility requirements.
We also need to make sure the participants and representatives we talk to are who they say they are and they have the authority to access and make decisions about NDIS plans.
We’ll always confirm your identity
Every time you contact us, we’ll ask you to confirm your identity. This helps us check we’re speaking to the right person.
Confirming your identity is one of the most important ways we protect your privacy.
When you call our National Contact Centre or your NDIS partner’s office, we’ll send a one-time code to the contact details on your record. We’ll ask you to confirm this code with us.
We’ll also ask you some security questions.
What it is like when we ask for your evidence of identity
We usually only need to check your evidence of identity once.
We check your identity documents in 2 ways
We need to check you’re the person the identity documents belong to. To do this, we complete a face-to-face identity check.
We also need to make sure your identity documents are real. The quickest way to do this is to give us consent to use the Document Verification Service (DVS).
Tip: We need evidence if you change your legal name.
We need evidence to confirm this change if you change your legal name.
After we do that, we can update your record with your new legal name.
Learn more about how to change your name, pronouns or gender.
You can request restricted access to your documents
You can ask to restrict access to your documents, if you want, by contacting us.
Only NDIA staff and NDIS partners who have permission to access your information can help you and answer your questions once you have restricted access.
Contact us
You can contact us by:
- calling 1800 800 110.
- submitting an enquiry through our service hub .
- talking to your my NDIS contact or visit your local NDIA office in person.
Easy Read
Download confirming your identity in Easy Read:
- Confirming your identity (PDF 5.99MB)
- Confirming your identity (DOCX 65.36KB)