myGovID is your Digital Identity and makes it easier to prove who you are online. You can use your myGovID to access participating government online services.
Now don’t get confused between myGov and myGovID. myGov is where you can securely access government services online in one place including Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support, and more. Whereas myGovID is effectively two factor authentication (2FA) to access certain government online services.
Three easy steps to set up your myGovID
You can set up your myGovID in three each steps.
- Download the myGovID app to your digital device from the App Store or Google Play.
- Open the app on your smart device and follow the prompts. You need to enter your full name, date of birth and personal email address.
- Choose your identity strength – basic, standard or strong.
About your identity strength
The government service you want to access determines the minimum identity strength you need. You can find out what identity strength you need for the online service you want to access. While you may be asked to verify an Australian passport and other documents in the app, this is not required if you’ve achieved the identity strength you need.
Basic identity strength allows access to limited participating government online services. For a Basic identity strength, you need to enter your personal details. Your identity strength will still be Basic if you verify one identity document.
Standard identity strength allows access to most participating government online services. For a Standard identity strength, you need to enter your personal details and verify at least two of the following Australian identity documents (your name must match on both):
- driver’s licence or learner’s permit
- passport (not more than three years expired)
- birth certificate
- visa (using your foreign passport)
- citizenship certificate
- ImmiCard
- Medicare card.
You can find support if you’re unable to achieve a Standard myGovID.
Strong identity strength allows access to all participating government online services. For a Strong identity strength, you need to enter your personal details and verify the following Australian identity documents (your name must match on all):
- passport (not more than three years expired), and
- one of the following – birth certificate, citizenship certificate, driver’s licence (including learner’s permit) or Medicare card.
Verify your photo – you also need to complete a face verification check. This is a one-off scan that checks that you’re a real person, the right person and verifying in real-time. It’s like a selfie which is compared to the photograph on your passport.
You can find support if you’re unable to achieve a Strong myGovID.
A tip on entering your details and identity documents
For best results, ensure that all the documentation you’re submitting matches the details you’re entered in step 2 above. For example, if your identity documents include a middle name then make sure they all do and that you use your middle name when setting up. If your identity documents don’t include your middle name, don’t use it. If all of your identity documents don’t match you may still be able to verify, there are just a few more hoops to jump through.
myGovID and director ID
You need to set up your director ID by 30 November 2022 and to do so you’ll need to have a myGovID established. So if for no other reason, now is the time to set up myGovID.
Read more: What you need to know about Australia’s director ID rules
Final thoughts
While administrative tasks such as this can be a hassle, it’s very important to ensure your online information is secure. Two factor authorisation is one of the best ways to keep your information secure.
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