What identification documents do I need?

There may be times when we need to check your ID to confirm your identity (it’s a security thing). Use our handy guide to see what documents we’ll accept.

Confirming your identity online

Applying for a home loan

As part of your home loan application, you may be able to confirm your identity online using digital verification (Biometric ID) on your mobile phone.

For digital verification, you’ll need at least two forms of the following identification:

  • Australian driver's licence
  • Medicare card
  • Passport (all countries).

Foreign Passports must be current. Australian Passports must be Commonwealth-issued and can be current or expired within the last two years.

If you need help or choose not to continue with digital verification, contact your broker or lender.

Applying for an account online

Our electronic ID check is available when you apply for an account online.

You’ll need at least two forms of the following identification:

Australian driver's licence

You'll need to provide all the information below:

  • State of issue
  • Licence number
  • Expiry date
  • Card number for licences issued in NSW, ACT, SA, TAS, NT or WA.

From 1 September 2022, we'll need to see your card number if you're confirming your identity online. Learn where to find your driver's licence information.

Medicare card

You’ll need to provide all the information below:

  • Medicare number (10 digit number on top of your card)
  • Individual card reference number (this is the 1 digit number to the left of your name)
  • Name as it appears on your card
  • Card colour
  • Card’s valid date.

Passport (all countries)

Foreign Passports must be current.

Australian Passports must be issued by the Commonwealth and not expired more than two years ago.

You’ll need to provide some or all of the information below:

  • Country of issue
  • Passport number
  • Expiry date
  • Place of birth as stated on your passport
  • Country of birth
  • Family name at birth (Australian passports only)
  • Family name at citizenship (if you’re using an Australian passport but you were born overseas).

Some general things to know about the ID check...

Confirming your identity via Australia Post

Visit a participating Australia Post outlet. Please note not all outlets provide this service.

Use the locator to find your nearest outlet and bring with you sufficient original ID documents and the relevant identity verification form from the following list:

Check the relevant form to see what ID documents you’ll need to provide. Note that the ID documents Australia Post will accept as verification is more limited than what we accept directly at Bankwest.

Confirming your identity in person

To be electronically identified in person, visit a Bankwest branch and provide two originals of the following ID documents:

  • Current Australian Drivers Licence​
  • Current Medicare Card​
  • Passport (if an Australian Passport, it must be issued by the Commonwealth and either in date or not expired by more than 2 years. If a foreign Passport, it must be in date)​

If you are unable to provide two of the above documents, please provide originals of…

One of the following photo ID documents:​

  • Australian passport issued by the Commonwealth (current or less than two years expired)​
  • Current foreign passport​
  • Current Australian or New Zealand driver’s licence, including Australian photographic learner’s permit​
  • Current Australian government-issued proof of age card​
  • NSW photo card and birth card​
  • WA photo card.​

OR​

TWO of the following non-photo ID documents:​

  • Australian or foreign birth certificate​
  • Australian or foreign citizenship certificate​
  • Current Australian driver’s licence that does not contain a photograph​
  • Current pension card or health care card issued by Centrelink that entitles you to financial benefits​
  • Australian Veterans card which contains your name and residential address or date of birth.​

OR​

One item from the non-photo ID documents listed above AND one from the following secondary ID documents list (a total of two items):​

  • ​Current foreign driver’s licence​
  • Current notice that was issued to you by a local government body or utility provider (e.g. gas, electricity, water, rates) within the last three months that:​
    • Contains your name and residential address​
    • Records the provision of services by the local government body or utility provider to you at that address​
  • Australian Taxation Office notice issued within the last 12 months that contains your name and residential address and records a debt payable to you, or by you, to the Commonwealth​
  • Current Commonwealth, State or Territory issued security guard/crowd safety officer ID card​.

If you are under 18 and cannot provide the documents outlined above, provide one of the following:​

  • Birth Certificate or the birth extract issued by an Australian state or territory;​
  • Birth Certificate issued by a foreign government, the United Nations (UN) or an agency of the UN;​
  • Citizenship Certificate issued by the Commonwealth;​
  • Citizenship Certificate issued by a foreign government.​

​If you are attending Australia Post to be identified, you will also need to provide a notice issued and signed within the last three months by a School Principal that contains your full name, any other names you’re known by, residential address and how long you’ve attended the school.​

Some general things to know about the ID check...

Are you currently overseas?

If you’ll be signing and executing your documents outside of Australia, you’ll need to have your identity verified for mortgage purposes. Please speak to your lender for more information.

How to certify your documents

We'll need officially certified documents when you apply for some accounts and loans.

See our Customer Document Certification Guide (PDF) to make sure that your documents are certified correctly.

Special provisions

We may accept alternative documents from remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples, refugees or people who've recently been released from an Australian Correctional Centre. Call us on 13 17 19 to find out what you can bring with you.

Why we need to check your ID

Bankwest is required under the AML/CTF Act 2006 to identify you prior to providing you with a designated service, such as:

  • When you’re opening a new account
  • When you’re becoming a signatory to an existing account
  • When we take out a Mortgage as security for your loan. This is called Mortgagor Identity Verification
  • When you are reclaiming funds from an inactive account which has been closed
  • When reclaiming funds from ASIC for a closed inactive account
  • When depositing cash at a Bankwest branch.

Make sure your ID documents are in the same name you provide to Bankwest

Also, ID documents that you provide need to list your full name and date of birth and/or residential address.

What if your documents aren’t in English?

An English translation from an accredited translator (NAATI translation) is required.

What if I’m overseas?

If you’re signing and executing documents overseas, you’ll need to verify your ID. To do this, you’ll need to take one of the following to an Australian Embassy or Consulate.

For more information, refer to the Instructions to Complete Overseas Document Witnessing and Verification of Identity Requirements (PDF).

I’ve been contacted by Bankwest. How do I know it’s genuine?

KYC Collect

You might receive a call from our Know Your Customer (KYC) Collect team to verify your identity, check your tax residency, or ask you to visit a branch or participating Australia Post outlet with your ID. This is to meet our regulatory obligations.

We know it can be uncomfortable to give your personal details over the phone, so you can call us on the number below to check the call you’ve received is from Bankwest, and to verify your details. Remember, we will never ask you to transfer funds or reveal your passwords or log in details. We will never include a link to login directly from an email or SMS or ask you to share your screen.

To contact our KYC Collect team, please call us on:
1300 380 679 (in Australia)
+61 1300 380 679 (from overseas).

You can contact our KYC Collect team from 9am – 5pm local Australian state time, Monday to Friday.

Data Improvements

Our Data Improvements team may get in touch to verify your identity, check your tax residency, or ask you to visit a branch with your ID. If you would like to verify the call, you can contact our Data Improvements team on the following number:

1300 001 036 (in Australia)
+61 8 9369 3455 (from overseas)

You can contact our Data Improvements team from 9am – 5pm local Australian Western Standard time, Monday to Friday.

Need more help?

You can message us in the Bankwest App or online banking, or call us – we're here 24/7.