Macquarie client identity verification FAQs

Under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act) we’re required to verify your identity before providing you with any financial services. It’s an offence under the AML/CTF Act to provide false or misleading information about your identity.

If we’re unable to verify your identity either electronically, or through alternate methods, we’ll not be able to provide you with one of our products or services.

Your identity may be verified electronically using government sources (such as the identification document issuer or official records holder) and information held by credit reporting agencies such as Equifax.

We’ll use the details you’ve provided on your application to electronically verify your identity. We may request additional information, such as a driver's licence and/or your passport details to identify you.

Your information will be disclosed to our selected credit reporting agency and/or our electronic verification service providers, who will attempt to match your information against public and government sources and/or against personal information held by the credit reporting agency and/or our electronic verification service providers. This may involve matching your information against information held by the credit reporting agency on your credit file (Credit Header Information).

The result of the matching attempt will be sent back to us to help determine whether we’re able to verify your identity electronically.

The credit reporting agency or any electronic verification service provider we use is obligated to use your information for identity verification only and must keep your information confidential. This identity verification process may involve the use of vetted external organisations which may have their own privacy policies in place.

You can contact the relevant credit reporting agency for further information on how your personal information is used.

You can also access your details held by our credit reporting agency below: 

Equifax
For credit header information: www.mycreditfile.com.au
Privacy Policy: www.equifax.com.au/privacy

If you don’t want your identity to be verified electronically, please call us on 133 174 to discuss alternate verification options.

If you proceed with an alternate verification option, you may be required to provide identification documents which could increase your application processing time.

If you’re new to Macquarie and we haven’t verified you electronically, you’ll need to provide certified copies of your identification documents. It’s important to have your identification certified correctly. Please carefully read the instructions below on verifying your identity.

Certified copies of your identification documents are to be no more than 12 months old at the time of acceptance by Macquarie. If a mandatory element is missing from a certification, newly certified documents are required. Missing elements can’t be added to an existing certification. We can’t accept re-certified copies of previously certified documents.

If you’re required to provide identification documents, you’ll have to provide certified copies of the following:

• one primary identification document, or
• two secondary identification documents: one document from Category A AND one from Category B.

To confirm your identity, the documents you provide need to match exactly with the details you have provided in your application form, including:

• your full name (no initials)
• your residential address
• your date of birth.

Files can be uploaded or emailed as jpg, tiff, png or pdf.

Primary identification documents

• Australian Drivers Licence or Learner Permit (current)
• Australian Passport (valid or expired within the last 2 years)
• International Passport (current)
• Proof of Age Card/NSW Photo Card (current and government-issued)
• For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a statement from a referee is acceptable (see requirements below)

Secondary identification documents

Category A

• Australian Birth Certificate
• Australian Citizen Certificate
• Centrelink pension card (current and must show current address)

Category B

• Utility Bill (less than 3 months old)
• Council Rates Notice (less than 3 months old)
• Taxation Notice (less than 12 months old)
• Centrelink Statement (less than 12 months old)
• Notice from school principal (if you are under 18 years old, must be less than 3 months old and must show your name, current residential address and period of time attended at the school).

*Secondary identification documents must display your name and residential address.

For documents to meet the certification requirements, the document must clearly be certified as a true copy of the original by an appropriate person. Each certified copy document must be certified separately and must show clearly:

• the date of Certification (which is to be no more than 12 months old at the time of acceptance by Macquarie),
• the words "I certify that this is a true copy of the original document which I have sighted",
• the signature of the certifying officer,
• the full name of the certifying officer,
• the certifying officer’s provider/registration number (if applicable), and
• the certifying officer’s profession/qualification and years of service (required if specified for the profession/qualification below), legibly printed below the signature.

Document certifiers must be independent from the customer. Examples of certifiers who would not be permitted to certify a customer’s documents include:

• Related party to an individual customer (e.g. parent, child, sibling, spouse etc.);
• Related party to a non-individual customer (e.g. beneficial owner, authorised signatory, director, trustee etc.);
• The applicant.

Persons who can certify documents include:

• Architect
• Chiropractor
• Dentist
• Financial adviser or financial planner
• Legal practitioner
• Medical practitioner
• Midwife
• Migration agent registered under Division 3 of Part 3 of the Migration Act 1958
• Nurse
• Occupational therapist
• Optometrist
• Patent attorney
• Pharmacist
• Physiotherapist
• Psychologist
• Trade marks attorney
• Veterinary surgeon

An individual who currently holds one of the following roles in Australia:

• An officer with, or authorised representative of, a holder of an Australian financial services licence, having 2 or more years of continuous service with one or more licensees
• An officer with, or a credit representative of, a holder of an Australian credit licence, having 2 or more years of continuous service with one or more licensees
• Accountant who is:
  • a fellow of the National Tax Accountants’ Association; or
  • a member of:
  • Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand;
  • the Association of Taxation and Management Accountants;
  • the Chartered Practicing Accountants Australia; or
  • the Institute of Public Accountants
• Agent of the Australian Postal Corporation who is in charge of an office supplying postal services to the public
• Permanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 2 or more years of continuous service who is employed in an office providing postal services to the public
• Australian Public service employee engaged on an ongoing basis with 2 or more years of continuous service who is not otherwise included in this list
• Bailiff
• Bank officer with 2 or more continuous years of service
• Building society officer with 2 or more years of continuous service
• Chief executive officer of a Commonwealth court
• Clerk of a court
• Commissioner for Affidavits
• Commissioner for Declarations
• Credit union officer with 2 or more years of continuous service
• Employee of a Commonwealth authority engaged on a permanent basis with 2 or more years of continuous service who is not otherwise included in this list
• Engineer who is:
  • member of Engineers Australia, other than at the grade of student; or
  • a Registered Professional Engineer of Professionals Australia; or
  • registered as an engineer under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory; or
  • registered on the National Engineering Register by Engineers Australia

Holder of a statutory office who is not otherwise included in this list:

• Judge
• Justice of the Peace
• Magistrate
• Marriage celebrant registered under Subdivision C of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961
• Master of a court
• Member of the Australian Defence Force who is:
  • an officer of the Australian Navy, Australian Army or Australian Air Force; or
  • a non‑commissioned officer with 2 or more years of continuous service, being one of the following:
    • a sailor holding a rank not higher than the rank of chief petty officer and not lower than the rank of leading seaman; or
    • a soldier holding a rank not higher than the rank of staff sergeant and not lower than the rank of lance‑corporal; or
    • an airman holding a rank not higher than the rank of flight sergeant and not lower than the rank of corporal; or
    • a sailor, soldier or airman who holds the rank of warrant officer
• Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
• Member of the Governance Institute of Australia Ltd
• Member of:
  • the Parliament of the Commonwealth; or
  • the Parliament of a State; or
  • a Territory legislature; or
  • a local government authority
• Minister of religion registered under Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961
• Notary public
• Permanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 2 or more years of continuous service who is employed in an office providing postal services to the public
• Permanent employee of one of the following authorities with 2 or more years of continuous service who is not otherwise included in this list:
  • a State or Territory or a State or Territory authority; or
  • a local government authority.
• Police officer
• Registrar, or Deputy Registrar, of a court
• Senior executive employee of a Commonwealth authority
• Senior executive employee of a State or Territory
• Senior Executive Service employee of the Commonwealth*
• Sheriff
• Sheriff’s officer
• Teacher employed on a permanent full time or part time basis at a school or tertiary education institution.

* Senior Executive Service employee of the Commonwealth: A person who is in an Australian Public service leadership role and are classed as such under the Public Service Act 1999.

Macquarie may apply alternative procedures to verify your identity in circumstances where you’re unable to confirm your identity through our standard identification procedures and:

• identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• are experiencing family and domestic violence
• are a person who is elderly residing in an aged care facility
• are a person with a disability residing in a long-term care facility

If the above circumstances apply, our alternative verification procedures requires that you provide us with a statement by a referee and one of the following:

• Clear photograph of the applicant which must be referenced in and included with the referee statement;
• Certified copy of correspondence (less than 12 months old) from a government authority that shows your name
• Certified copy of a valid card issued by a government authority that shows your name, or
• Certified copy of a valid Indigenous community identity card that shows your name
• Certified copy of a valid passport or valid driver’s licence for the referee.

The statement by a referee must include:

• The referee’s knowledge of your full name(s)
• The referee’s knowledge of your other known names
• The referee’s knowledge of your birth date
• The referee’s knowledge of your residential address
• The referee's relationship to you and how long they've known you
• The referee’s knowledge of your reason for limited access to identification documents
• The referee’s full name, capacity in which to sign, date and signature.

Persons who may qualify as a referee include:

• Board member of a local Aboriginal Land Council or Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander organisation
• School principal or school counsellor
• Religious leader
• Medical practitioner or other health professional
• Police officer
• Lawyer
• Qualified accountant
• Community leader or recognised Elder (who is not a parent, sibling, or child of the applicant)
• Senior management of an aged care facility or long-term care facility
• Manager or warden of shelter accommodation, or
• Your current employer or manager.

If we can’t verify your identity electronically, you’ll be notified of the failed attempt.

If your personal information has changed recently (for example you have moved), you may want to consider if you’ve updated your details with the relevant bodies. You may also contact the credit reporting agency to enquire whether your details held by them are correct.

Our Privacy Policy (which can be found here) describes additional ways we may use and treat your information outside of our identity verification obligations and includes information on:

• how you can access and correct your information, and
• how you may complain to us about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or a registered privacy code and how we will deal with any complaints.

It should be read in addition to these terms and conditions when considering any product or financial service being offered by us.

If you have privacy questions or complaints, please email privacy@macquarie.com and mark communications to the attention of our Privacy Officer.