As per legislation, if you want to become a director or are already one, you'll need a director ID. 

You need a director ID if you're a director of a:

• company

• corporate trustee, for example, of a self-managed super fund

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation

• charity or not-for-profit organisation that is a company or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation

• registered Australian body, for example, an incorporated association that is registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and trades outside the state or territory in which it is incorporated

• foreign company registered with ASIC and carrying on business in Australia (regardless of where you live).

When you need to apply depends on the date you become a director.

• on or before 31 October 2021 – apply by 30 November 2022
• between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022 – apply within 28 days of appointment
• on or after 5 April 2022 – apply before appointment.

If you are an appointed Director under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act), you need to apply by 30 November 2023.

Scenario 1: Existing Director

If you are an existing director of a registered company, you must apply for a director ID by 30 November 2022.

Once you receive your director ID, keep it safe until you need to use it.

You can share it with your:

• Accountant
• Company Secretary
• ASIC registered agent
• Tax professional.

You don’t need to provide it to ASIC unless you’re asked to. Existing director’s company won’t be linked to your director ID in ABRS online yet. You don’t need to do anything else now. You will be notified if there are any changes that affect you.

Scenario 2: Existing Director, becoming a director of another company

If you are an existing director before 31 October 2021, you must apply for a director ID by 30 November 2022.

Directors only ever need one director ID which they keep forever, even if they are appointed as a director of other companies. If you are expected to be appointed as a director of another company in 2022, and when this happens, you don’t need to apply for another director ID.

If you haven’t already applied for a director ID when appointed as a director of the other company, you still have until 30 November 2022 to apply.

Scenario 3: First Time Director

If you are newly appointed as a director on or after 1^st November 2021, you must apply for a director ID within 28 days of your appointment.

Scenario 4: Used to be a Director

If you were a company director however, on 4 April 2021, when Director ID was introduced, you were not a director of any registered companies and did not need to apply for a director ID. However, if you are appointed as a director on or after 1 November 2021, you must apply for a director ID within 28 days of your new appointment.

Meeting your obligations

Your director ID obligations include:

• applying for a director ID within the relevant timeframe for your situation
• applying for a director ID when directed by the Registrar to do so
• not applying for more than one director ID (unless directed by the Registrar to do so)
• not misrepresenting your director ID to a Commonwealth body, company, registered Australian body or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation
• not being involved in a breach of the above director ID obligations.

If you can’t apply by the date you need to, you can complete an Application for an extension of time to apply for a director ID (NAT75390). 

ASIC is responsible for enforcing director ID offences set out in the Corporations Act 2001. It is a criminal offence if you do not apply on time.

Apply now

Encourage your clients to apply for a director ID at abrs.gov.au/directorID it’s free and you only have to do it once.

You need to apply for your own director ID. The fastest way to do this is online using the myGovID app.