Director ID: What It Is and How to Get One (Free)
A director ID is a free, permanent 15-digit number that every company director in Australia must have, and you have to apply for it yourself before you're appointed. If your myID is already set up, the online application takes about 15 minutes and the number appears on screen straight away. You only ever get one, no matter how many companies you direct, and you keep it for life.
What a director ID actually is
A director identification number is a 15-digit number issued by the Commonwealth Registrar through Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), which sits inside the ATO. It's tied to you as a person, not to any company.
The point of it is to stop illegal phoenix activity — where the same people run a company into the ground, walk away from the debts, and start again under a new name, often using false or made-up director identities. Verifying every director once, permanently, makes those people traceable across every company they've directed.
Three things follow from that design:
- You get one number, forever. It doesn't change if you resign, join a new company, get married and change your name, or move overseas.
- You apply personally. Your accountant or ASIC agent can't do it for you, because they can't prove your identity for you.
- It's not currently searchable by the public. Treat it like a TFN rather than an ACN — give it to your company's recordkeeper, but don't publish it.
Who needs a director ID
| Your role | Director ID? |
|---|---|
| Director of a Pty Ltd or public company | Yes |
| Director of a corporate trustee (family trust, SMSF) | Yes — you're a director of a company |
| Alternate director actually acting in the role | Yes |
| Director of a registered Australian body or registered foreign company | Yes |
| Director of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation (CATSI Act) | Yes |
| Sole trader | No |
| Partner in a partnership | No |
| Individual trustee of a trust or SMSF | No |
| Company secretary who isn't also a director | No |
| Shareholder who isn't a director | No |
The corporate trustee row catches people out constantly. If your family trust or self-managed super fund uses a company as trustee, you are a director of that company and you need a director ID — even though the company itself does nothing but hold assets and never trades.
Living overseas doesn't exempt you either. If you direct an Australian company, you need a director ID regardless of where you live or what passport you hold. Foreign directors just have a slower application path.
When you have to apply: before you're appointed
The rule now is simple. You must have your director ID before you become a director. All the transitional deadlines from the scheme's rollout have long passed.
That means for a new company, every director needs their number before ASIC registers the company. Sort it out first — before you pay the $636 company registration fee, before you settle on a name, before you sign anything.
If you're already a director and never got around to it, you've been in breach since the day you were appointed. Apply now — the offence is ongoing, and applying voluntarily before ASIC contacts you is a far better position than the alternative.
There is an extension-of-time process, but it's for narrow circumstances such as serious illness or natural disaster, and you apply for it in advance rather than after the fact.
How to apply online in about 15 minutes
Step 1: Set up myID to Standard identity strength
myID is the Commonwealth's digital identity app (it replaced myGovID). It's not myGov, and a myGov account won't get you there.
Download myID, then verify two Australian identity documents to reach Standard strength. Accepted documents include:
- Australian passport (current, or expired no more than three years)
- Australian driver licence or learner permit
- Birth certificate
- Citizenship certificate
- Medicare card
- Visa, used with your foreign passport
- ImmiCard
The most reliable pairing for most people is a driver licence plus a Medicare card.
Step 2: Gather what ABRS will ask you
Before you start the director ID application, have ready:
- Your individual tax file number
- Your residential address exactly as the ATO holds it — not necessarily where you live now
- Details from two records ABRS can match against, such as a bank account that received a tax refund or earned interest in the last two years, an ATO notice of assessment, a PAYG payment summary, super account details, or a dividend statement
Step 3: Apply at abrs.gov.au
Log in with myID, choose "Apply for your director ID", answer the identity questions, and submit. In most cases the number is issued immediately and shown on screen. Save it somewhere you'll find it again — a screenshot in your phone's photos is not a filing system.
It costs nothing. There is no fast-track and no agent who can get you one quicker. Sites charging $50 to $200 for "director ID registration" are reselling a free government service, and they can't even complete the application, because the law requires you to do it yourself.
If you can't apply online
By phone. Call ABRS on 13 62 50, Monday to Friday, or +61 2 6216 3440 from overseas. Have your TFN and two identity documents in front of you. This is the path if myID won't reach Standard strength.
On paper. If you can't get a myID at all — usually because you have no Australian identity documents — there's a paper form: NAT 75433 if you live outside Australia, NAT 75437 if you live here. You'll need certified copies of one primary document (foreign birth certificate or foreign passport) and one secondary document (a national photo ID or driver licence), plus certified English translations by an accredited translator if the originals aren't in English.
Paper processing takes weeks, not minutes. If you're registering a company with an overseas director, start the director ID application well before you plan to register — six to eight weeks of lead time is not excessive.
Penalties for not having one
Failing to have a director ID is a strict liability offence under section 1272C(1) of the Corporations Act. Strict liability means intent is irrelevant: "I didn't know" and "I thought my accountant was handling it" are not defences.
| Offence | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Failing to have a director ID | 60 penalty units — $21,840 (as at September 2026) |
| Deliberately applying for more than one director ID | 120 penalty units — $43,680 — and/or 12 months imprisonment |
| Misrepresenting a director ID | 120 penalty units — $43,680 — and/or 12 months imprisonment |
Courts apply the penalty unit value in force when the offence was committed, which is why ASIC's recent media releases still cite $19,800 for older conduct. From 1 July 2026 the Commonwealth penalty unit is $364.
This is being enforced. ASIC has now prosecuted 11 directors for failing to hold a director ID, with total fines of more than $40,000. In May 2026 two NSW directors were convicted in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court and fined $10,000 each — one held four directorships, the other 27 (as at September 2026).
There's a sharper consequence too. From 1 July 2026, ASIC can disqualify a person from managing corporations for up to three years where they've wilfully refused to apply after being directed to by the Registrar. ASIC is now the sole enforcement agency for the regime.
What changes on 1 July 2027
From 1 July 2027, companies will have to give directors' IDs to ASIC directly — on applications to register a company, when a director is appointed or ceases, when a director's details change, and at the annual review.
The mechanics: a director must give their number to the company within seven days of appointment, and the company has 14 days after that to lodge it with ASIC. For existing directors, the number has to be lodged by the earlier of 28 days after the next annual statement or the next change to director details.
The practical effect is that ASIC's company register gets reconciled against the director ID register. Anyone who has quietly skipped this will show up. If you're going to fix it, fix it now while it's still voluntary compliance rather than a flagged gap.
Don't confuse it with your other numbers
| Number | Belongs to | Cost | Issued by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director ID | You personally | Free | ABRS |
| ACN | The company | $636 (company registration) | ASIC |
| ABN | The business entity | Free | Australian Business Register |
| TFN | You, and separately the company | Free | ATO |
Your director ID doesn't replace any of these, and getting one doesn't register anything. It's purely an identity check on you as a person. If you're still working out whether you need a company at all, start with choosing a business structure and what a company really costs to run before you go anywhere near a director ID.
Common problems and how to fix them
myID won't reach Standard strength. Usually a name or date-of-birth mismatch between documents, or a licence renewed and re-issued with a new card number. Check the card number you're entering matches the physical card. If it still won't verify, apply by phone.
Your address doesn't match. ABRS checks the residential address the ATO has on file, which is often an old one. Update it with the ATO through myGov first, then wait a day or two before applying.
You don't have a TFN. You can still apply — a TFN speeds up matching but isn't strictly required. Expect more identity questions, and be ready to go the phone or paper route.
You've lost your number. Log back in to ABRS with myID and view it, or call 13 62 50. Also check with your accountant or ASIC agent, since you should have given it to them.
You've somehow got two. Contact ABRS and ask them to cancel the duplicate. Do it promptly — clearing up an honest duplicate is far easier than explaining one later.
Key takeaways
- A director ID is free, permanent, and you get exactly one no matter how many companies you direct.
- You must have it before you're appointed a director — including before ASIC registers a new company.
- Apply yourself at abrs.gov.au using myID at Standard identity strength; it takes about 15 minutes and the number is usually issued instantly.
- Directors of corporate trustees for family trusts and SMSFs need one, even though those companies never trade.
- Not having one is a strict liability offence with a maximum penalty of $21,840, and ASIC is actively prosecuting (as at September 2026).
- From 1 July 2027, companies must report directors' IDs to ASIC, so any gaps will surface.
Where to get help
- Australian Business Registry Services — the only place to apply, plus guidance on identity documents and the paper form. Phone 13 62 50, or +61 2 6216 3440 from overseas.
- myID — set up your digital identity and check your identity strength before you start.
- ASIC's director ID page — enforcement, and the upcoming company reporting obligations.
- Your accountant or ASIC registered agent — they can confirm whether a role you hold makes you a director, and they need your number for the company's records once you have it.
- A lawyer — worth a call if you've been a director without a director ID for a long time, if you're not sure whether you're legally a director of something, or if ASIC has already contacted you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a director ID cost?
Nothing. Applying for a director ID through Australian Business Registry Services is free, and there's no renewal fee or annual charge. Any website charging you $50 to $200 to "register your director ID" is reselling a free government service.
How long does it take to get a director ID?
About 15 minutes, and the number is usually issued on screen straight away. That assumes your myID is already set up to Standard identity strength — if it isn't, allow an extra 20 minutes to set that up first. Paper applications from overseas take several weeks.
Can my accountant apply for my director ID for me?
No. You have to apply yourself, because the whole point is verifying that you personally are who you say you are. Your accountant, bookkeeper or lawyer can tell you whether you need one and walk you through the steps, but they can't lodge the application on your behalf.
What happens if you don't have a director ID?
Failing to have a director ID is a strict liability offence carrying a maximum penalty of 60 penalty units — $21,840 at the penalty unit value applying from 1 July 2026. ASIC has prosecuted 11 directors so far, and two NSW directors were fined $10,000 each in May 2026 (as at September 2026).
Do sole traders need a director ID?
No. A director ID is only for directors of companies and similar registered bodies. If you're a sole trader, in a partnership, or an individual trustee of a trust, you don't need one — but you will the moment you set up a company or a corporate trustee.
General information only. This guide doesn't take your personal or business circumstances into account and isn't financial, legal or tax advice. Rates and thresholds change — check the official sources linked in this guide and get qualified advice where your circumstances require it.