Find out how to prove your identity for a product or service, such as a driver licence.
There is a different process if you're an organisation or company.
When you need to prove your identity
You'll need to provide proof of identity to apply for:
- a South Australian driver’s licence, learner's permit or boat licence
- transferring an interstate or overseas licence
- a change of name
- registration of a vehicle or vessel for the first time
- a proof of age card
- boat code agent or examiner.
What you'll need to provide
You'll need to provide at least 1 primary document and 2 additional primary or secondary documents.
Together these documents must show:
- Your full name and date of birth
- This document must be an original primary document.
- Proof of signature
- This can be a primary or secondary document.
- Your address
- This can be a primary or secondary document.
- The document must show proof of your current South Australian residential address.
- Proof of an interstate residential address may be accepted in specific scenarios
The following will not be accepted:
- photocopies and certified extracts of original documents
- commemorative certificates that do not include a registration number.
Primary document list
All primary evidence of identity documents must be in hard copy/physical format or presented with a hard copy/physical document:
- Australian passport that is current or expired up to 3 years
- New Zealand passport that is current
- Australian full birth certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages. A commemorative birth certificate may also be accepted if it contains the required registration number.
- Overseas passport plus an Australian visa plus a visa grant notice that are current
- Overseas passport plus an electronic travel authority that are current
- UK passport plus a United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Status Certificate - travel to Australia that are current
- USA passport plus a letter under the US Status of Forces Agreement that are current
- Australian Government ImmiCards that are current or expired, issued by the Department of Home Affairs:
- Evidence of Immigration Status
- Australian Migration Status
- Permanent Resident Evidence
- Residence Determination
- Australian naturalisation or citizenship document (various)
- Document for Travel to Australia issued by the Department of Home Affairs
- Certificate of Identity or a United Nations Convention Travel Document (Titre de Voyage) issued by the Australian Passport Office (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
- Photograph and signature stored on the Registrar of Motor Vehicles’ database
- South Australian proof of age card issued after 9 October 2006
- South Australian police officer identity card
- Federal police officer identity card
- Interstate photo driver’s licence or learner’s permit that is current.
- Aboriginal Population Record Certificate issued by the Northern Territory Government.
Secondary document list
Secondary documents can be presented in either physical or digital format.
Acceptable digital formats include electronic documents accessed on your mobile device, apps, or email attachments e.g. a digital card or PDF version of a bank statement.
- New Zealand passport expired (no limit) where the Australian visa can't be verified
- Medicare card that is current and shows your name (may include other persons’ names and your name does not need to be the primary name)
- Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card that is current and shows your name (may include other persons’ names and your name does not need to be the primary name)
- Centrelink Health Care Card that is current and shows your name (may include other persons’ names and your name does not need to be the primary name)
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs entitlement card that is current and shows your name (may include other persons’ names and your name does not need to be the primary name)
- Interstate proof of age card issued by an interstate government authority within the previous 10 years
- Employee photo identity card issued by a state, territory or Australian government agency within the previous 5 years
- Credit, debit or account card from a financial institution that is current and shows your name and signature. Digital cards can be accepted if all relevant details are included.
- Account statement or letter from a financial institution on letterhead or with the institution’s stamp up to 12 months old.
- Your address details section from a digital bank app can be presented. You'll need to show the details through the app and can't provide a screenshot.
- Letter from the Australian Taxation Office (which includes your tax file number) or Centrelink or Medicare on the institution’s letterhead or with the institution’s stamp, up to 12 months old
- Australia Post issued Keypass ID Card that's current
- Phone, internet, gas, electricity or water bill on the institution’s letterhead or with the institution’s stamp, up to 12 months old
- Council rates or land valuation notice up to 12 months old
- Contract of sale, lease arrangement or rental receipt for your place of residence up to 2 years old
- Australian Defence Force photo identity card excluding civilian staff and family
- Defence Housing Agreement that is current
- Evidence of enrolment to vote from the Australian Electoral Commission up to 2 years old
- Australian Taxation Office tax assessment that is for the previous or current financial year
- Student identity document from an Australian educational institution with photograph and/or signature that is current or expired up to 12 months
- Certificate or statement of enrolment from an educational institution up to 12 months old
- Letter signed by the principal, deputy principal or head of school, or a person with authority to sign for the principal, deputy principal or head of school of a recognised educational institution, on the institution’s letterhead, up to 12 months old
- School report, certificate of accomplishment or enrolment issued by a secondary school in South Australia up to 6 months old
- Occupational licence issued by SafeWork SA or Consumer and Business Services showing your photograph
- Armed services discharge document up to 12 months old
- Australian-issued security guard or crowd controller licence showing your photograph
- Australian-issued firearms licence showing your photograph
- Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) or Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC) issued after September 2018.
If your name has changed
If your name has changed since your identity documents were issued or your name differs between documents, you'll need to provide another primary document. This document needs to show the link between your current name and any previous names.
Change of name documents
All change of name evidence of identity documents must be in hard copy/physical format or presented with a hard copy/physical document.
You will need to complete an advice of change of name/address (121.0 KB PDF) and provide full evidence of identity that links your former and current name, as well as one of the following documents:
- birth certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages showing name at birth and the new name
- marriage certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages
- change of name certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages
- divorce papers Decree Nisi or Absolute issued by an Australian Court, indicating the name being reverted to
- adoption paper issued by an Australian Court
- Australian Government ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs indicating the previous name on the back of the card.
Other supporting documents you may need
You'll also need to provide another primary document in the following scenarios:
- One of your primary documents lists your middle name as an initial
- Your documents are not in English. A translation from an approved Australia based translator must be provided.
What you need to do next
Once you have all your documents together, you must attend a Service SA centre in person.
