You are here

Categories of Proof of Identity

Document

 

The following table provides a list of acceptable standard proof of identity (POI) documents

by category.    

More →

 

 

Category A documents

These documents provide evidence of commencement of identity in Australia.

  • Australian passport (current) – not to be recognised concurrently as a

    Category B document *
  • full Australian birth certificate
  • record of immigration status
  • foreign passport and current Australian visa
  • travel document and current Australian visa
  • certificate of evidence of residential status
  • Australian citizenship certificate

Category B documents

These documents provide evidence of a linkage between identity and person. For example, by providing a link between a photo and a person, or a signature and a person.

These documents also provide evidence of an identity operating in the community.

  • Australian driver's licence (current and original)    More →
  • Australian passport (current) – not to be recognised concurrently as a Category A document
  • firearms licence (current and original)    More →
  • current overseas passport with valid entry stamp or visa
  • Medicare card
  • change of name certificate (for marriage or legal name change – showing link with previous name/s)
  • credit or bank account card
  • DVA card
  • security guard / crowd control licence
  • ceremonial marriage certificate
  • Australian marriage certificate issued by a government department
  • tertiary identification card
  • Australian Defence Force (ADF) identification (ID) card**

Category C documents

These documents provide evidence of residential address.

  • utilities notice, eg. gas, electricity or telephone accounts
  • rental details
  • document from nursing home or residential care facility that provides evidence of residence

 

In most cases, at least three different documents are needed to establish POI – one document from category A and two documents from category B.

If the documents produced to satisfy category A or B do not provide evidence of the current residential address, then a document from category C must also be produced (i.e. four different documents).

The above list is instructive rather than exhaustive. For POI documents not listed above, the Delegate may need to determine whether the POI documents provided are considered as non-standard, which will require approval at the EL1 level or above. See CLIK Policy Library Non-Standard Proof of Identity for further information.
 

 

* Use of the Australian passport as a POI document

A full birth certificate is preferred to a current Australian passport as a category A document. This would then allow the passport to be used as a category B document.

However, a current Australian passport can be accepted as a category A document if other category A documents are not available, or are difficult for the person to access. Not available can be taken to mean that the person does not have the other category A documents with them, or that they were not provided with the claim.

An Australian passport may only be used as a category A OR a category B document.  It cannot be used for proof of identity purposes in both categories concurrently.

 

** Use of the ADF ID card as a POI document

As well as its use as a category B document, current serving members, reservists and trainees who hold a current, valid ADF ID card are able to fully satisfy DVA's POI requirements by presenting their purple (for current serving members and reservists) or orange (for trainees) ADF ID card.

The DVA staff member will then authenticate the photo ID on the card and copy the card to send along with the client's claim.  If a delegate is satisfied that the information on the card aligns with personal information obtained from their ADF PMKEYS record, then this ID card is to be accepted as full POI for DVA purposes and the POI check marked as complete for that client.

This single document is all that is required for these eligible clients to fully prove their identity to DVA, unless the delegate or frontline staff member cannot be reasonably satisfied that the person claiming is the person to whom the card belongs and the claim refers.  In this case, the delegate or staff member can request that the client supply full POI by the regular method.

 Proof of Identity (POI) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) Identification Cards

 TRIM Ref: 14316822E (accessible to DVA staff)