Create your Digital Identity once, reuse it from anywhere, at anytime
We need to prove our identity repeatedly to access a range of government services.
It can take time and effort to collect your important documents and visit a government shop front or office each time you need to prove who you are.
Having a Digital Identity with the Australian Government Digital Identity System helps you to do your business with government entirely online.
It reduces the need to take ID documents to a government shop front and replaces using multiple logins to access different government services.
Your Digital Identity allows you to prove who you are online for work, education and personal use, and you can re-use your Digital Identity.
myGovID is the Australian Government’s Digital Identity app available through the Australian Government Digital Identity System.
Why Digital Identity?
We’re all engaging online more than ever before. With more transactions shifting to digital, we need to establish “who we are” in a trusted and safe environment when accessing services online.
Accessing services with a secure digital identity:
- means there are less copies of your identity data and documents out in the world
- limits the risks of identity theft and fraud
- restricts the oversharing of personal information
- puts you back in control of your personal information.
Private and secure
The Australian Government Digital Identity System has been designed to protect your privacy and security.
It offers safeguards to stop your personal information being collected, profiled, used or sold for other purposes, such as direct marketing.
Identity providers in the system need to ensure they have security features that undergo rigorous assessment and testing.
Your personal information
The Australian Government Digital Identity System is designed so you can control your personal information. It protects a person’s privacy by only sharing the minimum amount of personal data needed during transactions – rather than sharing your whole ID documents. You can see what information services are asking for and you’ll be asked for your express consent to share the information.
Basic, Standard or Strong - Identity proofing levels
When accessing or applying for services, you may be asked to verify more ID documents and in some cases, taking a scan of your face. This is because some services have a higher level of risk of incorrectly verifying you, or providing the service to the wrong person.
The documents you need to create your Digital Identity vary depending on what strength Digital Identity you need to create and the identity app you use to create it.
Find out more about the identity proofing levels the Australian Government uses.
Age requirements
Currently, the Australian Government's identity app, myGovID, requires people to be 15 years or older to create a Digital Identity.
Can’t get a Digital Identity?
If you can’t use Digital Identity, or don’t want to, you can usually keep accessing government services on the phone or in person at government shop fronts across the country. Some services for businesses may require a Digital Identity.
If you are unable to access the service you want because you don’t have a Digital Identity or the right strength Digital Identity, contact them, they will usually have other support channels available.
