BGLiD accepts some identity documents but not others. This article lists which documents your contact can use for a BGLiD identity verification request sent from Firm Verify, how foreign passports are checked, and what to do if your contact has no supported document.
Contents
Which documents does BGLiD accept?
| Document | Accepted? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australian passport | ✔ Yes | Must be current (not expired). |
| Australian driver's licence (physical card) | ✔ Yes | Car licence (class C). Your contact needs to enter both the licence number and the card number. See Where to find the numbers on an Australian driver's licence. |
| Heavy vehicle licence (HR, HC, MC) | ✔ Yes | Heavy Rigid, Heavy Combination and Multi-combination licences (physical card). Your contact needs to enter both the licence number and the card number. |
| Australian Medicare card | ✔ Yes* | *Only as a secondary document, with an Australian passport or driver's licence. It can't be used on its own. See How a Medicare card works as a secondary document. |
| Passports of other countries registered with the Australian Government | ✔ Yes* | *Only if the contact holds a visa in a supported category, and the passport details match the Department of Home Affairs record. Not every current visa qualifies. See How are foreign passports checked?. |
| New Zealand passport | ✔ Yes* | *Checked the same way as other foreign passports. New Zealand citizens are verified through subclass 444, which is a supported visa. |
| New Zealand driver's licence | [CHECK: Yes or No] | [CHECK: awaiting Firm Verify team. The request form lets contacts choose New Zealand.] |
| Digital driver's licence (app-based, for example NSW or VIC) | ✘ No | Your contact must use their physical card. |
| Other overseas driver's licences (US, UK, EU and so on) | ✘ No | Not supported. Only Australian and New Zealand licences can be selected. |
| Expired documents | ✘ No | Any expired document fails the check. |
How a Medicare card works as a secondary document
A Medicare card is a secondary document only. You can add it to a BGLiD request, but it must be paired with a primary document: an Australian passport or driver's licence.
| Combination | Accepted? |
|---|---|
| Medicare card + Australian passport | ✔ Yes |
| Medicare card + Australian driver's licence | ✔ Yes |
| Medicare card only (no primary document) | ✘ No |
For more on the Medicare step, see the CAS 360 Help Centre article Medicare Australia.
How are foreign passports checked?
Conditions for acceptance
A non-Australian passport only passes if all three of these are true:
- The contact holds an Australian visa in a supported category (see the table below). A current visa in an unsupported category still fails.
- The visa is current and matches the entitlement record held by the Department of Home Affairs.
- The passport details (number, name and date of birth) match the visa grant record held by the Department of Home Affairs.
Visitors, people on expired or unsupported visas, and anyone whose passport details don't match the Home Affairs record will fail. A supported visa doesn't guarantee a pass: the details must match exactly.
Supported visa categories
| Visa category | Example subclasses | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Partner & Family | 100, 101, 102, 103, 143, 804, 835–838 | ✔ Supported |
| Skilled & Work | 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 482, 491, 494 | ✔ Supported |
| Business & Investor | 132, 188, 888 | ✔ Supported |
| Humanitarian | 200–204, 866 | ✔ Supported |
| Resident Return & Bridging | 155, 157, 444 | ✔ Supported. Subclass 444 is how New Zealand citizens are verified. |
| Legacy (historical) subclasses | 175, 176, 885, 886, 808, 814 and others | ✔ Supported if still held (no longer issued to new applicants) |
| Visitor visas | 600 | ✘ Not supported |
| Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) | 601 | ✘ Not supported |
| eVisitor | 651 | ✘ Not supported |
| Student visas | 500 | ✘ Not supported |
| Working Holiday / Work and Holiday | 417, 462 | ✘ Not supported |
| Temporary Graduate | 485 | ✘ Not supported |
If a contact's visa is in an unsupported category, the check fails however current the visa is or however well the details match.
Why do foreign passports involve more steps?
Australian passports are checked directly against the Australian Government's Document Verification Service (DVS), which returns a result in seconds. Foreign passports need more checks:
- Document capture. The contact uploads a photo of their passport. The system reads the details and checks that the document is genuine.
- Biometric liveness check. The contact takes a live selfie, which is matched against the passport photo.
- Visa check. The system checks the contact's visa status, conditions and category with the Department of Home Affairs' Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service.
Because there are three checks instead of one, foreign passport verifications take longer and are more likely to fail, either on photo or selfie quality, or because the visa subclass isn't supported.
Can my contact use a foreign passport?
| Contact type | Can they use a foreign passport? |
|---|---|
| Foreign national on a supported visa category | Possibly. It depends on whether their passport details match the Home Affairs visa record. |
| New Zealand citizen on subclass 444 | Possibly. It depends on whether their passport details match the Home Affairs visa record. |
| Foreign national on a visa category that isn't supported | No. |
| Visitor or tourist (subclass 600, 601, 651) | No. |
| Student visa holder (subclass 500) | No. |
| Working Holiday / Work and Holiday visa holder (subclass 417, 462) | No. |
| Expired visa holder | No. |
| Person who lives overseas and has no Australian visa | No. See What to do if your contact has no supported document. |
What to do if your contact has no supported document
BGLiD can't verify every contact. If your contact can't provide a supported document, verify their identity another way under your firm's AML/CTF program, then record the outcome at the Identity Verification step of the client's Initial CDD. For the steps, see Initial Client Due Diligence.
Where to find the numbers on an Australian driver's licence
Every Australian driver's licence has a Licence Number and a Card Number. BGLiD needs both. They're easy to mix up, so ask your contact to check each one carefully.
| Field | Where it appears | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Licence Number | Front of the card, labelled "Licence No." (the label varies by state) | The unique licence identifier. It stays the same when the licence is renewed. |
| Card Number | Front or back of the card, labelled "Card No." (the location varies by state) | Changes each time a new card is issued. BGLiD uses it to confirm the card is current. |
Example: Queensland driver's licence (sample card). For where the numbers are on each state's licence, see the CAS 360 Help Centre article Supported Identification - BGLiD Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Can my contact upload a photo of a foreign passport?
Yes. BGLiD reads the passport details from the uploaded photo, so your contact doesn't need to type them in. The passport still needs a supported visa to pass.
My client lives overseas and has no Australian ID or visa. Can BGLiD verify them?
No. BGLiD can only verify Australian documents and foreign passports linked to a supported Australian visa. Verify the client another way under your AML/CTF program, then record it in their Initial CDD. See What to do if your contact has no supported document.