Verifying your identity when you’re signing up for something new can be a real pain. I have a driver’s licence, a Medicare card and bank cards. Even with those, it can be a difficult task to navigate the path through identity verification.
As painful as it is, in today’s world of high-tech scamming, it’s not a bad thing that impersonation isn’t easy. But for some people, the process can be far more frustrating than what I’ve been through. I’m talking about those without a driver’s licence or a passport. Or, more challenging still, those without either of those documents.
One of the things I’ve never really thought about is that there will probably come a time in my life when I have to give up driving. I’m fit and healthy now, but I’ll be 60 next year. Statistics tell me I’ll probably still be fine to drive in 10 years’ time, but what if I am not? And what if the theoretical health condition preventing me from driving also precludes me from travelling?
Should that happen, I’ll not only lose two important parts of my life, but also two forms of identification. My licence and my passport. In terms of identity verification rankings, these two are at the top of the table.
Just how will I verify my identity if that happens?
Falling off the identity verification cliff
Being of sound mind and body (for now at least), I decided to jump online to find the answer. And I have to say, it was not easy. Surely the federal government has a web page devoted to guiding me through this process?
My confidence was somewhat misplaced. There are indeed several government websites that provide details regarding identity verification. There’s AusCheck, although this appears to focus on what’s required to attain ‘identity assurance’. It’s perhaps more relevant for those applying for a job requiring high level security clearance.
Then there’s IDMatch. This was set up as a result of The Identity Verification Services Act 2023, passed by the parliament last December. Its purpose is to “help organisations to verify your identity in a way that is secure, fast and private”.
That sounded promising, even more so when I found the tab that read: “For Individuals: Find out more about what the Identity Verification Services (IVS) mean for you including how to get help for failed identity verification attempts.” However, when clicking through to that page I found it to be heavy on detail about what IVS can and can’t be used for, rather than how to achieve it.
Even the promised “help for failed identity verification attempts” was highly dubious, relevant to my quest or not. It said if there was some form of mismatch, “contact the organisation that performed the check”. Well thanks very much, IDMatch!
myGovID
Next up I tried the myGovID site. It bills itself on its home page as: “An easy and secure way to prove who you are online.” Ah! This will be the right place!
Or so I thought. The first requirement is to set up the myGovID app. That’s easier for some than others but I let that slide as I followed the instructions. The next step is to choose your identity strength. You can have ‘basic’, ‘standard’ or ‘strong’ identity strength, which determines your level of access. For the standard strength, alternatives to a licence and passport included birth certificate, citizenship certificate, ‘ImmiCard’ and Medicare card.
Okay, well that’s something at least. The site also advised: “You can find support if you’re unable to achieve a Standard myGovID.” It even provided a link. Excellent. And what did that link tell me? “If you’re unable to achieve the identity strength required, you should contact the relevant service you want to access to find out about alternative options.”
It would be funny if it wasn’t so frustrating.
Identity verification exasperation
In desperation, I contacted my son. He’s an adult but he does not drive and no longer has a valid passport. “How do you verify your identity?” I asked. Luckily for him, he has a ‘Working With Children’ card, provided through the Victorian state government. Generally, though, his Medicare card and his birth certificate prove adequate.
The states and territories also offer ‘Proof of Age’ cards, which may help in some instances.
My takeaway lesson from this exercise is that I should make sure I know where my birth certificate and Medicare card are. They may become vital in years to come.
I also learnt a second lesson. It is not easy to find out through government websites how to verify your identity without a passport or licence. And, given Australia’s ageing population, which means more Aussies without either, it should be.
Have you tried to verify your identity without a passport or driver’s licence? How difficult was it? Have you found a website that helps you through the process? Let us know via the comments section below.
Also read: Branch closures and bank scams – is there a link?
Excellent article Andrew,, but many people I know are either computer illiterate ate, have no online presence, but or have medical conditions which preclude their use of electronic resources.
For these people it becomes difficult to even access any resource.
I concur with both Andrew and his comments and those of 45er – particularly with the comments about the literacy and abilities of people, particularly the elderly, on line. This is a bracket I fall into. I am afraid I don’t speak computer very well at all – it’s a new language to me.
I looked at this problem some time ago with the wife and I both being well up in years now and it would appear the only photo I.D.s which are acceptable are a driver’s licence and a passport. They must also both be current.
A licence is a privilege, not a right, so we can have that taken off us at any time for a number of reasons while a passport is available to every Australian citizen.
I would recommend that you keep a licence current for as long as possible and make sure you have a current passport for the rest of your life and renew it as required.
If you haven’t got a passport make the application now as it takes time to be produced through the system and only takes a little bit of paperwork and a visit to the Post Office to get it done. It is worth the few dollars it costs and will save a lot of problems in the future.
Thanks for raising this issue Andrew.
State and territory governments issue Personal Identification Cards at a cost, which are accepted for identification everywhere Driver’s Licences are.
Generally speaking – if you give up your licence most (if not all) will give you the opportunity to change over to a “Proof of Age” card (or equivalent eg 18+ card) usually for the remaining period of your existing licence (usually at no costs) but be aware we are sadly seeing costs introduced by some states for licence changeover eg from NSW to QLD etc
Anyway these cards are almost identical to a drivers licence card with name, DOB and address and I understand the card number is still verifiable like a drivers licence as it’s issued by the state motor vehicle/drivers licence registry
Alternatively, maybe you have a Boat or Marine licence that could be issued as a stand alone
Yes. The drivers license has become our defacto ID
I volunteer for Uniting AgeWell, and I need a police check. This outsourced to a company called Equifax who run Fit2Work. I have a passport, Concession Card, Medicare Card, Working With Children Check, Seniors Card, Bankcard. I do not have a Drivers Licence.
This is not enough for this company.
They want a birth certificate as well. I had a flood last year and lost a lot of documents.
Yet the amount of items I have would exceed the 100 points system.
I’m fortunate in that I have relevant paperwork, birth certificate. My passport had expired but apparently will be recognised within 2 years of that date. Drivers licence was expiring . Am in the ACT, was able to get Proof of ID card by making an appointment at Access Canberra – although the online booking ,and making a change to the booking, wasn’t particularly user friendly. I think it cost me $8.
I attempted to setup a myGovID, it reported that it had been successful, but on the first attempt to use it, it refused to accept the credentials that I had set it up with, and exited !!!!!
I have not tried again, but I do not think that it will work.
I found Charles Hunt’s comments the best & easiest on how to get an ID. As for cost. It is free for Seniors, Pensioners, Vets Ect. in NSW. Also, I don’t understand why we cannot upload our birth certificate to mygov, as they have everything else? And then it would always be available.
NSW link below for an ID card.
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-a-nsw-photo-card#:~:text=A%20NSW%20Photo%20Card%20may,of%20the%20same%20security%20features.
Hi all – the latest thing ( or whatever ) in Victora is to reissue your drivers licence, by what appears to be a photocopy of your expiring licence. My renewal recently was of my licence issued 10years ago – if that is how I looked 10 years ago, no wonder my wife likes me again !!!!!, but, what a stupid idea, people change as they get older, yet the idiotic, useless Victorian Government do this. No hope for us.