Director Identification Number

As part of a strategy to reduce illegal phoenix activity and improve traceability of company directors, all directors will be required to hold a ‘Director Identification Number’ (DIN).  The DIN will be a single, unique 15-digit identifier.  The DIN will not change and will remain attached to the director forever.

 Who needs a Director ID

You need a Director ID if you’re an eligible officer of:

• a company, a registered Australian body, or a registered foreign company under the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act)
• Any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act).

An eligible officer is a person who is appointed as:

• a director
• an alternate director who is acting in that capacity.

You must apply for your own director ID to verify your identity. No one can apply on your behalf.

Applications open this month.

Most directors will have until 30 November to apply for a DIN. Directors appointed after 1 November 2021 will only have 28 days to apply from the date of their appointment, and from April 2022 directors must already hold a director’s ID before being appointed.

There are the steps in applying for your director ID:

Step 1

Australian directors need to ensure they have a myGovID, (please note this is different to a myGov account).  The application for MyGovID involves verifying your identity so that no one else can act on your behalf.

The app can be easily downloaded onto your phone or tablet from the app store/google play.  The following link –  MyGovID will help assist you through the process.

To apply for MyGovID:

• You will need a smart device and an email address (ideally not a shared email).
• Enter your name as it appears on the identity documents that you choose to use.
• You should setup a ‘Standard myGovID’ rather than ‘Basic’ to ensure that you can access more services, including those for the directors ID.  This involves providing details from at least two (2) of the following identity documents:

• Driver’s licence
• Passport (no more than three years expired)
• Birth certificate
• Visa
• Citizenship certificate
• ImmiCard
• Medicare Card

 Step 2

Login to the Australian Business Registry Services website to register for your director ID.  You will need:

• Tax File Number
• Residential address (as recorded by the ATO)
• Details from two (2) documents that the ATO can check, such as bank account details, superannuation account details, dividend statements, ATO Notice of Assessment & PAYG or Centrelink payment summary.

Please note that foreign directors must also apply for a director ID and this will be done via a paper form, available from the Australian Business Registry Services website from November 2021.

When you need to apply

You can apply for a director ID now. If you’re planning on becoming a director, you can apply before you’re appointed.

When you must apply for your director ID depends on the date you become a director.

What you need to do next:

If you are a director of a company, you need to apply for a Director Identification Number before 30 November 2021. We request that you advise us of your Director Identification Number once you have it.

If you are not a director of a company, you do not need to do anything.

Please contact Advisory One if you would like to make an appointment for someone to assist you with this.