Registering for an Access Card

See also information on People Under 18 Years of Age; Transition; and Carers and Dependants.

Registration for the access card will be conducted over a two year period. In the lead up to registration a comprehensive communication campaign will inform Australian residents about the process, what they need to do, and where they can register. The campaign will also provide information about the documentation that will be required to register.

Registration locations

The registration process will occur at Centrelink, Medicare and Department of Veterans’ Affairs offices, as well as at selected Australia Post outlets.

The process

When people apply for an access card at a designated location, they will need to:

• provide proof of identity documents;
• have their signature recorded; and
• have their photograph taken.

Information collected

Information will be collected as part of the registration process, including:

• the person’s name;
• their date of birth and sex;
• residential, postal and email addresses, and contact information;
• citizenship or residency status (to establish eligibility for Medicare or entitlement to reciprocal health benefit);
• their existing relationship with participating agencies; and
• details of any concession status.

Documentation/proof of identity

Proof of identity documents will be required in two categories – Commencement of Identity and Use of Identity. To register, people will be required to present one of the following Commencement of Identity documents:

• Australian birth certificate;
• Australian passport;
• evidence of Australian citizenship; or
• foreign passport and a current Australian visa.

People will also be required to provide two Use of Identity documents, which include, but are not limited to:

• driver’s licence;
• tertiary identification card;
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card;
• an account statement from an Australian financial institution;
• rates notice detailing person’s name and current address;
• proof of age card; or
• firearms licence.

There will be procedures in place to cater for customers who genuinely cannot meet the proof of identity requirements for registration. Staff will work with these people to assist them to prove their identity under similar arrangements currently followed by Centrelink and Medicare Australia, where community representatives, health or government officials known to the person can provide a reference. This will ensure that people who have difficulty providing such documents will be able to register for an access card and will not be disadvantaged.

Retention of proof of identity documentation

It is proposed that scanned images of proof of identity documents will not be retained when a Commencement of Identity document has been verified. Where the document cannot be verified, or where the Department of Human Services Secretary is not satisfied that the person has met the requirements, a scanned copy will be retained. Scanned copies of documentation will be deleted once the documents are verified, or when the requirements are met.

The attributes for each proof of identity document tendered (for example, a birth certificate number, the state and date of issue) will be retained in order to protect the card holder’s identity by ensuring those documents cannot be used by another person to fraudulently register for an access card.

Streamlined registration for Veterans

A streamlined registration process will be available for Department of Veterans’ Affairs customers through their offices.

Card distribution and activation

The access cards will on most occasions be sent out in the mail following the registration process, but in some circumstances people will be able to collect them. The access card will be activated the first time it is used.

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