Identity verification services in Australia: how they work
Australia’s identity verification services, run by the Attorney-General’s Department, check a person’s details against government records. Businesses use the Document Verification Service through a gateway service provider, under the Identity Verification Services Act 2023. Digital ID is a separate, voluntary system under the Digital ID Act 2024.
This guide is for businesses that check customers’ identity in Australia, such as AML/CTF reporting entities, tax practitioners and real estate agents. For the basics of checking who someone is, see what identity verification is.
What are Australia’s identity verification services?
Australia’s DVS, FVS and Digital ID compared
| Document Verification Service | Face Verification Service | Digital ID | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Attorney-General’s Department | Attorney-General’s Department | Accredited providers, such as the government’s myID, regulated by the ACCC |
| What it checks | Details on 14 Australian document types against the issuer’s record. No photos | Details plus a face photo, against a passport or a WA driver licence | A verified identity the person shares, with their consent, each time |
| Who can use it now | More than 3,500 approved government and private organisations in Australia and New Zealand | Approved government agencies only; private access is planned | Businesses that accept an accredited provider. Private businesses can apply to join the government system from December 2026 |
| How a business connects | Through a gateway service provider, under a participation agreement | Not yet open to businesses | As a relying party, through an accredited provider |
| Law | Identity Verification Services Act 2023 | Identity Verification Services Act 2023 | Digital ID Act 2024 |
Sources: IDMatch, About our services; Australia’s Digital ID System, How the system works; Australia’s Digital ID System, The Australian Government Digital ID System Reviewed
They are government systems that check a person’s details against the record held by the agency that issued their ID. The Attorney-General’s Department runs them through secure hubs that pass each request to the issuing agency.
Two of them are relevant here. The Document Verification Service checks the details on an ID document. The Face Verification Service also compares a person’s photo with the photo on their passport or licence.
Digital ID is a separate system with its own law and regulators. It lets a person prove who they are once, then reuse that Digital ID with services that accept it.
How does the Document Verification Service work?
You send the details from a customer’s ID document, such as name, date of birth and document number. The DVS checks them against the issuing agency’s record and usually answers simply yes or no.
The DVS does not check photos, and it never sends you the record itself. It can verify 14 document types, including passports, driver licences, Medicare cards, birth certificates and visas.
The hubs run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They do not store anyone’s identity information, and keep only transaction data about requests, for a limited time, for audits.
How does a business connect to the DVS?
Unless you become a gateway yourself, you connect to the DVS through a gateway service provider (GSP), a private company with its own direct connection.
Before you apply, decide which role fits. The department lists three ways a private organisation can connect, and each has its own participation agreement.
| Role | What you can do | How you connect |
|---|---|---|
| Business user | Check documents for your own business, such as banking, telecommunications or property rental | Through a GSP you nominate |
| Identity service provider | Run checks for clients and give them an identity opinion, not the DVS result | Through a GSP you nominate |
| Gateway service provider | Pass checks between your authorised clients and the DVS | Direct connection you build |
A business user nominates a GSP, then completes the DVS Online Registration Form. The department says you should get a decision in 2 to 3 weeks, then sign the participation agreement.
What does the DVS cost?
- Request fee
- A$0.40 per requestFor non-government users, billed monthly to the connected entity
- Direct connection
- About A$24,600, one-offBase fee for a non-government entity, excluding GST
- Document type fee
- A$454.55 per document typePaid once for each type you connect, such as passports
- Build time
- 3 to 6 months on averageFor a gateway service provider’s direct connection
- Application decision
- 2 to 3 weeks for a business user4 to 6 weeks for a gateway service provider
Sources: IDMatch, Identity Verification Services Fees; IDMatch, Gateway service provider; IDMatch, Business user Reviewed
The government publishes its fees under the Identity Verification Services Rules 2024. If you connect through a GSP, you pay the GSP, which may charge you directly and pays the department each month.
An organisation that builds its own direct connection pays a one-off connection fee plus a fee for each document type. Every request from a non-government user then costs A$0.40, excluding GST.
What rules does the Identity Verification Services Act set?
The Identity Verification Services Act 2023 authorises the department to run the hubs. Each organisation that uses them must sign a participation agreement, and the Act sets what that agreement must contain.
Every party must be covered by the Privacy Act 1988, or agree to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles. The agreement must also require privacy impact assessments, limits on how results are used, and annual compliance reports.
Key point
Under Australia’s Identity Verification Services Act 2023, you must get a person’s express consent before sending their details for a check.
Your use must also be reasonable, necessary and proportionate to your activities. The Information Commissioner assesses the hubs every year, and annual reports are tabled in Parliament.
How does Australia’s Digital ID system work?
The Digital ID Act 2024 sets up two parts. A voluntary accreditation scheme covers Digital ID providers across the economy. The Australian Government Digital ID System connects accredited providers to the services that accept them.
myID is the Australian Government’s Digital ID provider. A person picks a strength: Basic, Standard or Strong. Standard needs at least two Australian ID documents, and Strong adds a selfie matched to their passport photo.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the Digital ID Regulator. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) oversees the extra privacy safeguards, such as limits on biometrics and a ban on disclosing information for marketing.
A business that accepts a Digital ID is a relying party. It does not need to be accredited, but its usual privacy obligations still apply.
Key point
Under Australia’s Digital ID Act 2024, a business in the government system must not make Digital ID the only way to use its service.
When did the rules start?
Key dates for Australia’s identity verification laws
Identity verification services and Digital ID
- 15 December 2023
IVS Act starts
The first provisions of the Identity Verification Services Act 2023 commence.
- 14 June 2024
IVS Rules start
The rules and the Act’s main provisions, including the fee framework, commence.
- 30 November 2024
Digital ID Act starts
The accreditation scheme moves into law. Government entities can apply to join the government system.
- December 2026
Private sector can apply
Businesses can apply to the Digital ID Regulator to join the Australian Government Digital ID System.
Sources: Identity Verification Services Act 2023 (s 2); Digital ID Act 2024 (ss 2, 61); Australia’s Digital ID System, The Australian Government Digital ID System Reviewed
The two laws came in stages over three years. The last stage, private sector access to the government Digital ID system, opens in December 2026.
Until then, a private business can still accept a Digital ID from an accredited provider outside the government system. Check the Digital ID registers to confirm a provider is accredited.
Which option should your business use?
For a business today, the DVS through a GSP or an identity service provider is the route that is open. It confirms the details match the issuing agency’s record, but not that the person presenting them owns the document.
Face matching closes that gap, which is why the FVS and a Strong Digital ID compare a selfie with the document photo. See biometric verification.
Your obligations decide how far you go, such as customer due diligence under the AML/CTF Act or verification of identity for property.
Whichever route you choose, collect only what you need. Keep the result and your audit trail, not copies of documents you do not have to hold.
Frequently asked questions
Can a private business use the Face Verification Service?
Not yet. The FVS is open to approved Australian Government agencies and state and territory governments. The department says private organisations will be able to use it in future under a participation agreement, and businesses can register their interest at idmatch.gov.au.
Does the DVS check a person’s photo?
No. The DVS checks only biographic details, such as name and date of birth, against the issuing agency’s record. Photo matching is the job of the FVS, which can verify passports and Western Australian driver licences.
Is Digital ID compulsory?
No. Creating and using a Digital ID is voluntary under the Digital ID Act 2024. A service in the government system must offer another way in that is reasonably accessible.
What is IDLock?
A coming service that will let you block your own eligible documents from being verified through the DVS. It will start with an early access program, then roll out nationally in 2027.
Next steps
Compare types of identity verification and the online methods providers use, then see how checks fit the Verify workflow.
StackGo’s IdentityCheck runs know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) identity checks inside the customer relationship management (CRM) or practice management software your team already uses. Results are written back to the client record. See how IdentityCheck supports accountants.
Sources
The facts on this page come from these sources, checked on 21 October 2026.
- Identity Verification Services Act 2023 (ss 2, 4, 9, 40)
- Digital ID Act 2024 (ss 2, 4, 61, 74)
- IDMatch, About our services
- IDMatch, Business user and Gateway service provider
- IDMatch, Identity Verification Services Fees
- Australia’s Digital ID System, How the system works
- Australia’s Digital ID System, The Australian Government Digital ID System