Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - Proof of identity
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Proof of identity

Everyone applying for registration must go through an identity check. We do this using InstaID+, a secure independent provider.

You must complete your proof of identity check within 30 days. If you don’t complete it within 30 days, we will withdraw your application and refund your registration fee.

After you apply for registration, InstaID+ will email you a link to complete your proof of identity check online. You can do the check from your desktop with a web camera or using your mobile phone.

As part of the check, you be asked to take a selfie photo of your face with your photo ID and take photos of your identity documents. If you have changed your name, you will also need to provide evidence of this.

InstaID+ will check your documents in real-time for authenticity and tampering. Facial recognition and liveness test are completed, and your identity details are checked for validity against the databases held by the authorities that issued your documents.

If there are any follow up questions needed for your identity check, InstaID+ Customer Support will contact you directly.

Before you start your proof of identity check with InstaID+, make sure you have the right identity documents ready. You can find which documents you can use on this page.

Applying for registration from Australia

If you are applying for registration from within Australia, you will need:

  • One ‘commencement of identity’ document
  • One ‘primary use in the community’ document
  • Two ‘secondary use in the community’ documents
  • Evidence of a change of name or name variation (if needed)

Unless you give us a change of name document, we will register you using the name on your ‘commencement of identity’ document. This will also be the name published on the Register of practitioners.

  • Australian birth certificate
  • Australian passport (cannot be expired)
  • Australian citizenship certificate
  • Current Australian visa with a foreign passport
  • ImmiCard
  • Document of Identity issued by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Certificate of Identity issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to refugees and non-Australian citizens for entry into Australia
  • Evidence of Residence status
  • Australian driver’s licence
  • Australian marriage certificate
  • Overseas passport – cannot be expired
  • Proof of Age or Photo ID – issued by the Australian Government and must be current, showing your name, date of birth and your signature
  • Medicare card
  • Bank card – the system automatically masks your card number for privacy
  • Credit card or debit card – the system automatically masks your card number for privacy
  • Enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission
  • Tertiary student photo ID – must be issued from an Australian institution
  • Document of Identity issued by DFAT
  • Foreign government issued documents – such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, driver’s licence or identity card. If it has been uploaded as ID in another section of the application, it cannot be used again. If it is in a foreign language, then you must also upload an official English translation.
  • Australian government issued occupational license photo ID
  • Security guard/crowd control licence
  • High risk license photo ID card (government issued)
  • NDIS worker screening photo ID card (government issued)
  • Evidence of right to an Australian government benefit
  • Australian government issued seniors card including DVA.
  • ATO issued tax document – such as a notice of assessment or confirmation letter of tax file number. These documents must be from the Australian Tax Office and include your name and address.
  • Consular photo identity card
  • Police officer photo identity card
  • Australian Defence Force photo ID card
  • Australian Government photo ID card
  • Trusted referees report
  • Aviation security identification card
  • Maritime security identification card
  • Credit reference check
  • Certified academic transcript from an Australian university
  • Convention travel document secondary
  • Certificate of identity issued by DFAT.
 

Applying for registration from outside Australia

If you are applying for registration from outside of Australia, you will need:

  • Passport (an EU card is not acceptable)
  • At least two of the following documents:
    • Current Australian visa (Australian visa current at time of entry to Australia. This must be provided along with your foreign passport)
    • Driver’s licence (Current driver’s licence issued by a country other than Australia with photo and signature)
    • Birth certificate (Full birth certificate, not an extract or birth card).
    • Marriage certificate (government issued by the relevant agency)
    • Identity card issued by a country other than Australia
  • Evidence of a change of name or name variation (if required)

Unless you give us a change of name document, we will register you using the name on your passport. This will also be the name published on the Register of practitioners.

 

Proof of identity for applicants from outside Australia – FAQs

Yes. So long as you have the right identity documents, you can go through the proof of identity check with InstaID from anywhere in the world. If you pass the proof of identity check, meet all the other registration requirements and are considered suitable for registration, you can be registered while you are outside of Australia.

We no longer require applicants to present in person in Australia to do their identity check.

You do not need to have a visa to receive registration. You can use a visa as a form of identity to meet the proof of identity requirements. Overseas applicants who wish to work in Australia will need to obtain the relevant documents as outlined on the Australian Border Force website.

Yes, please let your Regulatory Officer know if you want to delay your registration start date and they will advise you if this is possible.

Your registration start date cannot be:

  • backdated to a time before your registration is granted, or
  • more than 90 days in the future.

No, to be eligible for registration, you must either meet the proof of identity requirements for outside or within Australia, as outlined in the fact sheets.

 
 
 
Page reviewed 16/03/2025