[aaronclimbs]

So my wife has just arrived on a 309 visa and are having trouble getting ID.

she has a passport and documents in Japanese such as birth certificates which can be translated but these documents are only OK if they are to be Australian documents

To apply for Medicare shes needs Passport (OK), Visa details (OK) and a bank account (done have)

so to apply for a bank account, she needs Passport (OK), and drivers licence or other photo card or something with her address (dont have)

so lets get an address! cant get a gas bill, cant get a rental contract, cant get a centrelink statement..

how about a licence!? so Passport (OK), medicare card (dont have) other ID (dont have)


how have others dealt with this??

 

[JandE]

so to apply for a bank account, she needs Passport (OK), and drivers licence or other photo card or something with her address (dont have)

so lets get an address! cant get a gas bill, cant get a rental contract, cant get a centrelink statement..

Some banks are harder than others. We did a bank account with NAB, and she had no proof of address. I just said she lived with me.

Medicare was easy too. I can't recall how now, but all she had was passport and visa application acknowledgment.

 

[Skybluebrewer]

Pretty sure bank account for Medicare is just for getting money back and you can use any account (I used my husband's which we now have as a joint account). It probably doesn't have to be given on sign up either since there's an option in mygov to do it. To sign up for Medicare, all I needed was my passport, proof of a valid visa, and the Acknowledgment of Application Received for the partner visa application.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/how-enrol-or-re-enrol-medicare#a3

I agree some banks are probably harder than others but from what I've seen just doing a quick Google search of several big Aussie banks, if you apply for an account in the branch (not online) it can be done with just a foreign passport (with translation) and a print out of the visa she's on.

Driver's licence can be difficult depending on which state you're in. WA required me to gather a few Aussie documents first (Medicare, TFN, bank account, etc) but it can be done.

 

[Skybluebrewer]

Westpac: "Please provide the following from one of the below options:
ONE Primary Photographic Identification Document:
(And in the options is...)
Foreign National Identity Card or Travel Document issued by a foreign government"

Bankwest: "Just arrived? Open an account in-store. Visit any Bankwest store with your passport so we can set up your accounts right away.

Confirming your identity in person: Visit a Bankwest store and provide originals of one of the following photographic identification documents: Current foreign passport."

ANZ: "What identification can I use to open a bank account? Branch ID requirements: If you're a new customer, you'll need to provide: one form of Primary ID or two Secondary IDs. Primary IDs: Foreign passport (If your identification document is written in a language other than English, you must provide a translation into English by a translator who is accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.)"

 

[Skybluebrewer]

And I'm pretty sure this is where I applied for the TFN.

 

[Pyrite]

ANZ is pretty easy to open an account with if you go into a branch. My fiance and I opened a joint one when he was visiting here on an ETA and they only needed his passport as ID if I remember correctly and we used my home address.

 

[aaronclimbs]

Thanks guys, yeh I have had horrible experienced with ANZ in the past and was trying to get her a joint account with the bank I'm with, ME.

OK, we might be best to start with Medicare and see if we can use my account.

Thanks again!

 

[someguy22222]

I had all of the same problems you had when my wife came to Australia 18 months ago. Here are some of my experiences:

We created a joint bank account at Commonwealth Bank. All we had was her passport and my driver's license. I'm not sure if they would have allowed her to make an individual account, but she can do that through the CommBank app, as the joint account gives her her own login/password.

ING Direct would not accept her passport because her name was 'backwards' which didn't line up with the way Australian passports have their names written.

All we needed for Medicare was her passport and visa confirmation letter. We went to Centrelink to get it done and it was quick and easy.

We were renting at the time, and I emailed my real estate agent asking him to add my wife as an additional occupant which confirms she is living at our address. She did not need to get added to the lease for this, and the landlord did not need to provide their permission. The letter was along the lines of: "We write to confirm that <Name> also resides at the property. We also confirm the tenancy period from xxx to yyy at $zzz per week."

My wife can't drive so she doesn't have her driver's license yet.

I can't remember what I provided to get her a TFN but I didn't have any trouble with that.

Hope this helps.

 

[cbr2011]

I am headed over in June specifically to get medicare started, driver's licence done and banking.
We are running into similar issues!
DL - says we need to reside for three months before changing over
Medicare - Needs proof no longer residing in Canada
Banking - this was easy but can't get a statement until time has passed

We are returning to Canada to close-up shop and permanently move over in November

Would love additional experiences please!

 

[Skybluebrewer]

I am headed over in June specifically to get medicare started, driver's licence done and banking.
We are running into similar issues!
DL - says we need to reside for three months before changing over
Medicare - Needs proof no longer residing in Canada
Banking - this was easy but can't get a statement until time has passed

We are returning to Canada to close-up shop and permanently move over in November

Would love additional experiences please!

Pretty sure the 3 months thing is not that you have to live there three months but that you have to transfer an overseas licence within three months if you're a PR holder. Like, they only give you 3 months to drive on an international licence if you're going to be a permanent resident in that state. At least that's how I understand it from other posters here. No harm in walking into a cop shop and trying. Which state are you moving to?

You can sign up for some Aussie banks from overseas before you arrive. Often times, proof of identity can be done using an Aussie bank card which you would get straight away. Most things that said I could use a bank statement also offered the option of Aussie bank card in my name, which is one of the identity docs I used to get my licence.

Not sure where you saw that you need to prove you no longer reside in Canada to get Medicare? The website does not mention that as a requirement for PR applicants and I didn't have to prove that at all when I applied. Just showed them I was on a valid visa (so not here illegally), proof of my PR application, and my passport.

"Permanent residency applicants

For each person you want to enrol, you need to give us a:

passport, travel document or Immicard
valid visa, and
proof from the Department of Home Affairs you've submitted a valid permanent residency application

This includes you if you've applied for a combined spouse visa 309/100 or 820/801. You're eligible for Medicare the date you applied for permanent residency, not the date your temporary visa 820 was granted. If you applied outside Australia, you're eligible the date you arrived in Australia.

If your visa doesn't let you work in Australia, you must prove you have a relationship with a parent, spouse or child who's an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen who lives in Australia. This proof can be a:

birth certificate
marriage certificate
joint bank or utility account statement, or
proof you own a home together"

Edit: of course, I had to give an Australian address for them to send my card to so maybe this is what you're referring? Don't know if you're hoteling or whatever while you're here temporarily. But if you aren't going to move permanently until November, there's not much reason to get a Medicare card I suppose. If it's for identity doc purposes, it's probably one of the fastest to get as you walk in to sign up and walk out with a temporary number that day and get the actual card with a week in the mail.

 

[Mish]

NAB and CBA my husband just showed his passport and that is it.

Electricity just added his name and that was it. Same for Telstra.

He has never needed anything apart from his passport (he doesn't have an Australian driver's license anyway).

 

[wrussell]

During the first 6 weeks after arrival the only ID need to open a bank account is a current passport. Not all bank employees know this.

 

[aaronclimbs]

Thanks everyone,

We got the Medicare card easily with her passport and visa letter, then just added my bank account as the account. Although she only get an interim blueish greenish card valid for 1 year, I assume that's normal for an new person with a partner visa.

We got it sorted at the bank too, since we were applying online at first it said she needed extra ID, but when we went in and saw them they said the passport was sufficient.

next step Drivers licence, but we have Medicare and bank account now so will be no problem!

Thanks again!

 

[Skybluebrewer]

Yes, the interim card is what she'll get until she has permanent residency.

Edit: They'll automatically send her another interim card each year.

 

[wrussell]

Yes, the interim card is what she'll get until she has permanent residency.

Edit: They'll automatically send her another interim card each year.

Side Notes:

I have had clients find out from Medicare that they had been granted PR; immigration having not informed me or my clients.

If applicants hang around on a temporary visa for 3 years, as in a review application, to remain eligible for Medicare they must obtain a formal letter confirming this.