The DVS is rolling out a change to make the ‘card number’ a mandatory field to verify Australian driver’s licences. This page provides an overview of the changes that are coming and what customers need to do to prepare for this change.
This change is now enabled in the production environment for the mandatory states – ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, WA and VIC
Q. What is the driver’s licence ‘card number’?
A. The driver’s licence card number is a unique number attributed to new driver’s licences in Australia.
Q. Why is DVS including this field to be checked?
A. The card number is a unique identifier which is updated each time a driver’s licence is re-issued. By including the card number in the matching criteria, you can validate that the document being presented is the most recently issued document. This change will help reduce identity crime in Australia.
Q. Will this number replace the driver’s licence number?
A. No. It is intended that both fields will be available to limit the changes required to existing business processes.
Q. When will the card number become mandatory for matching?
A.
- The change became mandatory for ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA on 1 September 2022.
- The change became mandatory for QLD on 7 November 2022.
- VIC is expected to make the change mandatory on 19 December 2022.
Q. Why is the change not mandatory for all states?
A. Data readiness varies from state to state, with different technical solutions and timelines required to enable this change in the verification process. The intention is that it will become mandatory for all states.
Q. How do I know which states are ready for card number matching?
A.
illion and GBG will manage this with the Department of Home Affairs. Once a state acquires a critical mass of card number data and becomes a ‘mandatory state’, GBG will activate the card numbers for driver licence matching for that state.
States highlighted in green below are on greenID’s ‘supported states’ list, i.e. states that have been confirmed by the DHA as being made mandatory on specified dates.
This table was updated on 5 December 2022. It will be further updated as we receive more information from the DHA.
| Mandatory Date | Jurisdiction |
| 1 September 2022 | ACT |
| NSW | |
| NT | |
| SA | |
| TAS | |
| WA | |
| 7 November 2022 | QLD |
| 19 December 2022 | VIC |
Q. I am a greenID API customer, what do I need to do, by when?
| Date | Activity | Status |
| 2 Feb 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to configure the driver’s licence card number in the customer test environment for all customers. When enabled, this field will only work for ‘supported states’ and will be optional. | Done |
| 3 May 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to enable the driver’s licence card number as an optional field for WA and TAS in the customer test environments. Following this change, the card number will be available as an optional field for ACT, SA, NSW, TAS and WA in the test environments. | Done |
| 20 May 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to enable the card number as an optional field for NT in the customer test environments. Following this change, the card number will be available as an optional field for ACT, SA, NSW, TAS, WA and NT in the test environments. | Done |
| 6 July 2022 | The card number will become a mandatory input in the test environments for the expected mandatory states (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA). As an API customer, you will need to ensure that a card number value is submitted for mandatory states for the driver’s licence check to work in the test environment. | Done |
| 9 August 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to configure the driver’s licence card number in the production environment for the expected mandatory states (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA). At this stage, the card number will be optional in the production environment. As an API customer, you will be able to submit the card number for mandatory states with your request, greenID will then submit it to DVS for checking. | Done |
| 1 September 2022 | DHA Deadline (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA) – The card number will be made mandatory in the production environment for all customers. API customers who are not sending the driver’s licence card number for ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA by this time will be unable to match driver’s licences. | Done |
| 12 October 2022 | The card number becomes a mandatory input in the test environments for QLD. As an API customer, you will need to ensure that a card number value is submitted for mandatory states (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS, WA and QLD) for the driver’s licence check to work in the test environment. | Done |
| 18 October 2022 | The card number becomes a mandatory input in the test environments for VIC. As an API customer, you will need to ensure that a card number value is submitted for all jurisdictions for the driver’s licence check to work in the test environment. | Done |
| 7 November 2022 | DHA Deadline (QLD) – The card number will be made mandatory for QLD driver’s licences in the production environment for all customers. API customers who are not sending the driver’s licence card number for QLD by this time will be unable to match driver’s licences. | Done |
| 19 December 2022 | DHA Update (VIC) – The card number will be made mandatory for all Victorian driver’s licence verifications in the production environment. API customers who are not sending the driver’s licence card number for VIC by this time will be unable to match driver’s licences. | Done |
Q. How can I find out more about the required API change?
A. The greenID knowledge base includes up-to-date information for developers: greenID wiki FAQ page.
Further information is also available below.
- Driver’s licence as a background source: Background checks knowledge base.
- Driver’s licence as an interactive source: Australian data sources.
Q. I am a greenID web, iFrame, admin panel or mobile customer, what do I need to do, by when?
| Date | Activity | Status |
| 2 Feb 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to configure the driver’s licence card number in the customer test environment for all customers. When enabled, this field will only work for ‘supported states’ and will be optional. | Done |
| 3 May 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to enable the driver’s licence card number for WA and TAS in the customer test environments as an optional field. Following this change, the card number will be available as an optional field for ACT, SA, NSW, TAS and WA in the test environment on all screens controlled by greenID. | Done |
| 20 May 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to enable the driver’s licence card number for NT in the customer test environments as an optional field. Following this change, the card number will be available as an optional field for ACT, SA, NSW, TAS, WA and NT in the test environment on all screens controlled by greenID. | Done |
| 6 July 2022 | The driver’s licence card number becomes a mandatory input in the test environments for the expected mandatory states (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA). Following this change, the card number will be available as a mandatory field for ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA on all screens controlled by greenID. | Done |
| 9 August 2022 | There will be a global change in greenID to configure the driver’s licence card number in the production environment for the expected mandatory states (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA). At this stage, the card number will be optional in the production environment and submitting the number will be optional for end users. | Done |
| 1 September 2022 | DHA Deadline (ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS and WA) – The driver’s licence card number will be mandatory in the production environment for all customers. Following this change, the card number will be available as an optional field for ACT, SA, NSW, TAS, WA and NT in the production environment on all screens controlled by greenID. | Done |
| 12 October 2022 | The driver’s licence card number becomes a mandatory input in the test environments for QLD. Following this change, the card number will be available as a mandatory field for ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS, WA and QLD on all screens controlled by greenID. | Done |
| 18 October 2022 | The card number becomes a mandatory input in the test environments for VIC. Following this change, the card number will be available as a mandatory field for all jurisdictions on all screens controlled by greenID. | Done |
| 7 November 2022 | DHA Deadline (QLD) – The card number will be made mandatory for all QLD driver’s licence verifications in the production environment. | Done |
| 19 December 2022 | DHA Update (VIC) – The card number will be made mandatory for all Victorian driver’s licence verifications in the production environment. | Done |
Q. How do I have card number enabled in my greenID account?
A. The card number field is already enabled in your greenID test environment for the following jurisdictions – ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS, WA and QLD. If you have any further questions or require more information, please contact CustomerSupport@illion.com.au
Q. How does matching work in the non-mandatory phase?
Matching for supported states (in greenID)
| Submitted Data | DVS Database | Result |
| Empty / Null | DL card number available. | Match |
| Empty / Null | DL card number not available | Match |
| DL card number | DL card number available | Match |
| DL card number | DL card number not available | ‘N’ – Not matched or Fail |
| Invalid card number | Not checked | Check appears as ‘failed’ in the admin panel, but no request is sent to DVS, nor is the customer billed |
Matching for unsupported states (in greenID)
| Submitted Data | greenID |
| Empty / Null | greenID will send the ‘required’ data to DVS for checking |
| DL card number | Ignores the field as it is not on the supported states list. greenID will send other ‘required’ data to DVS for checking |
Q. How does matching work in the mandatory phase?
Matching for supported states (in greenID)
| Submitted Data | DVS Database | Result |
| DL card number (valid and correct as on card) | DL card number available | Match |
| DL card number (valid but incorrect) | DL card number not available | ‘N’ – Not matched or Fail |
| Invalid card number | Not checked | Check appears as ‘failed’ in the admin panel, but no request is sent to DVS, nor is the customer billed |
Matching for Unsupported states (in greenID)
| Submitted Data | greenID |
| Empty / Null | greenID will send the ‘required’ data to DVS for checking |
| DL card number | Ignores the field as it is not on the supported states list. greenID will send other ‘required’ data to DVS for checking |
Q. Is the driver’s licence card number encrypted?
A. Yes, the card number is treated the same way as the licence number.
Q. What will happen if a card number is sent to greenID for a state that is not on the supported states list?
A. greenID will ignore the card number for any state that is not on the supported states list and continue to send the request to DVS without the card number.
Q. I am using an older version of the API, do I need to upgrade to version 3 to make this change?
A. No, this change is compatible with the older API versions.
Q. Will tooltips be included on the greenID screens (e.g. web, admin panel) for this field?
A. Tooltips are currently available for all states except for VIC.
Q. I am an API customer and I need tooltip images for my own screens?
A. There are sample images and links here: tooltips images for the driver’s licence card number.
Q. Are stubs available for this field?
A. greenID has not introduced specific stubs data to support testing of this field. However, the stubs data available for driver’s licences on data testing will continue to work.
Q. What is the expected format for the driver’s licence card number for each state and territory?
A. The card number should be entered as it appears on the driver’s licence.
| State | Format |
| ACT | Length equal to 10 alphanumeric characters |
| NSW | Length equal to 10 numeric characters |
| NT | Length between 6 and 8 numeric characters |
| QLD | Length equal to 10 alphanumeric characters |
| SA | Length equal to 9 alphanumeric characters |
| TAS | Length equal to 9 alphanumeric characters |
| VIC | Length equal to 8 alphanumeric characters |
| WA | Length between 8 and 10 alphanumeric characters |
Q. I am an API customer using setFields and want to know what error I will see if I don’t send the driver’s licence card number for a mandatory state?
A. Below is a sample xml response for setFields when the card number is missing in the input:
Q. Will the SA digital driver’s licence be updated to include the card number?
A. The DHA has confirmed that there is work underway to add the card number to SA digital driver’s licences.
Q. Who can I contact for more information?
A. If you have any questions, please contact your account director, or the customer support team on customersupport@illion.com.au.