If you apply to register for an Australian business number, a tax file number or the goods and services tax, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will need to see certain identification documents.
You must arrange for documents in another language to be translated into English and certified as a true and correct copy by an authorised translation service.
To lodge these documents, you may:
- send us current, certified copies of your identification documents
- send us copies bearing an apostille if the issuing country is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention
- send us the original documents - we will return these to you by registered mail, or
- if the identification documents are in Australia, or you are travelling to Australia soon, you may present the original documents in person to an ATO shopfront.
The staff of your nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate can certify photocopies of documents as true and correct copies of the original for a small fee. They can also give you the name of an authorised translation service.
Visit the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website at www.dfat.gov.au for a listing of its offices by country.
Consulates headed by honorary consuls are not able to perform notarial acts and cannot certify documents. Those listed as honorary consuls in the list of consulate offices on www.dfat.gov.au are not able to certify copies of documents for you.
We will accept another way of supplying copies of public documents, including birth and marriage certificates, from outside Australia. This option may be more suitable if you are not within a reasonable distance of an Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.
If your document was issued in a signatory country, you can arrange for a copy to be certified following the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Hague Apostille Convention).
An apostille is a type of certification issued by a 'competent authority' designated by the state in which your document was issued.
You can establish if your country is one of the over 90 countries party to the convention by referring to the Hague Convention website. The list of signatory countries can be found at www.hcch.net. To navigate to the list, go to:
- the column headed International legal co-operation and litigation
- click on the link to Apostille Section
- click on the link to Competent Authorities (contact details, practical information).
You can also find out who or what the competent authority is in your country by clicking on your country name to open the link with this information.
You will need to check with the competent authority in your country whether they will require
- the original document
- a notarised copy, or
- both.
The competent authority will confirm the authenticity of the signature on the document and, where appropriate, the stamp or seal on the document. They will then certify that the government authority or notary that has signed is authorised to do so by placing an apostille on your document.
Once the competent authority has returned your document with the apostille to you, please forward it to us at the appropriate address in the table below:
If the application is being made by
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the address for mail is
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and telephone enquiries should be directed to
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an individual
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Australian Taxation Office
PO Box 9942
Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
Australia
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+61 2 6216 1111 between 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Ask to be transferred to Personal tax enquiries.
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a company,
a partnership,
a trust, or
other organisation
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Australian Taxation Office
Non Resident Registrations Team
PO Box 9977
Newcastle NSW 2300
Australia
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+61 2 6216 1111 between 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Ask to be transferred to Business tax enquiries.
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If you are travelling to Australia, you may take your original identification documents to one of our offices, together with any letter we have sent you.
If you do not have your letter with you, you will need to have the details of the original application you lodged, including:
- the name of the entity or business applying
- what you have applied for, and
- when you sent your application.
Our staff can sight your documents, note the details and return them to you immediately.
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Refer to In person for information about our shopfronts, including addresses and hours of operation.
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Last Modified: Monday, 24 January 2011