Westpac Banking Corporation

The Westpac Group

Corporate governance

AML - Customer identification

Introduction

Your guide to the new Westpac Customer Identification Standards (effective from 23 February 2009)

When opening your first Westpac bank account you are required under Australian law to provide a range of information and identification to enable us to establish your account.

The Westpac Customer Identification Standards list the information and documentation that we need from you for identification purposes when opening a bank account with us. You need to present this information in person at one of our branches.

The type of information that you need to provide depends on what type of customer you are. Use the list below to determine your customer type and then click on the relevant link to view the information that you need to bring with you when opening an account.

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What is my customer type?

  • Personal - an individual person of any nationality.
  • A sole trader is a person who trades in their own legal right without the use of a company structure, incorporation or partners and who, alone, has full liability for the activities of the business.
  • Domestic company - a company that is incorporated in Australia. This includes proprietary, public and listed public companies.
  • Foreign company - a company that is incorporated outside of Australia
  • Partnership - where there is a relationship between persons (the partners) carrying on business in common with a view to profit. The rights of the partners between themselves are governed by a partnership agreement.
  • Trust - A trust is a relationship which exists where the trustee holds property or assets for the benefit of the beneficiary. The trustee can be an individual, group of individuals or a company.
  • Association - a group of persons who have agreed to join together in pursuit of one or more common objectives. It can be incorporated or unincorporated.
  • Registered co-operative - a legal entity owned and controlled by the people for whom it was established and who benefit from using its services.
  • Government body - can be a domestic (e.g. Commonwealth, State or Territory) or foreign government body.

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Identification required to open an account

Need help?

If you require any further information, please visit your nearest Westpac branch or contact us

Personal customers - Telephone Banking 132 032

Business Account enquiries - 132 142

How can I present my identification if I cannot visit the bank in person?

If you cannot attend in person, please call your branch on the number shown in your Welcome Letter or, if you received a Welcome Email, use the Find a Branch or ATM tool and enter your account 6 digit BSB number to obtain the branch contact details. In some circumstances it may be possible for you to provide certified copies of your identification documents.

The document copies must be certified as a true copy of an original document by an approved certifier and include a Certified Copy Certificate (see below).

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Acceptable certifiers

The following people can sign the Certified Copy Certificate

  1. A person enrolled on the roll of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory, or the High Court of Australia, as a legal practitioner (however described)
  2. A judge of a court
  3. A magistrate
  4. A chief executive officer of a Commonwealth court
  5. A registrar or deputy registrar of a court
  6. A Justice of the Peace
  7. A notary public (for the purposes of the Statutory Declaration Regulations 1993)
  8. A police officer
  9. An agent of the Australian Postal Corporation who is in charge of an office supplying postal services to the public
  10. A permanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 2 or more years of continuous service who is employed in an office supplying postal services to the public
  11. An Australian consular officer or an Australian diplomatic officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955)
  12. An officer with 2 or more continuous years of service with one or more financial institutions (for the purposes of the Statutory Declaration Regulations 1993)
  13. A finance company officer with 2 or more continuous years of service with one or more finance companies (for the purposes of the Statutory Declaration Regulations 1993)
  14. An officer with, or authorised representative of, a holder of an Australian financial services licence, having 2 or more continuous years of service with one or more licensees
  15. A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, CPA Australia or the National Institute of Accountants with 2 or more years of continuous membership
  16. An International Bank employee authorised by their institution to open accounts, where the International Bank is acceptable to the Bank

Note: a customer residing overseas can ONLY use category 11 or 16 from above. Banks acceptable under category 16 must have a current correspondent banking relationship with Westpac.

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Things you should know

Anti-money laundering (AML)