RealMe and a bank account: how Australians prove who they are in New Zealand

Getting into New Zealand takes a passport. Getting paid, banking and logging in to government services takes a little admin, done in the right order.

The short version

• Your Australian passport is your main ID. Australian passport holders can usually get an IRD number online through myIR within four to six weeks of arriving, often in about two days [1].
• Some banks let you start an account before you land. ANZ, for example, accepts applications from people arriving within 90 days, then activates the account after an identity check in a New Zealand branch [6].
• RealMe has two layers: a free login, and a verified identity with your photo. Without a New Zealand passport, your photo and ID are checked in person at the AA [2][5].
• Without an IRD number you pay tax at 45% [7], so sort it out in your first weeks.
• Join Cooee New Zealand, our Facebook group for Australians in New Zealand, to ask which branch or AA centre near you is quickest.

Why this is different from home

In Australia, myGov, your Medicare card and a 100-point ID check do the work. In New Zealand, you start from zero.

The good news is that the system knows you. Under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangements, Australians can visit, live and work in New Zealand without restrictions [9]. You'll normally get a resident visa at the border, which creates an immigration record. That record matters later, because RealMe can check a verified identity against a New Zealand immigration record, not only a New Zealand passport or birth certificate [3].

What New Zealand doesn't have is a single national ID card. In practice, three things cover nearly everything:

Step one: a bank account

You'll want an account early. Your employer pays into it, your landlord wants rent from it, and Inland Revenue may ask for one.

Before you land

Several New Zealand banks run migrant or "moving to New Zealand" accounts. ANZ's online application is open to people who are in New Zealand or arriving within 90 days, aged 13 or over, with a valid visa with at least six months remaining [6]. You can deposit money once your application is confirmed. You can't withdraw or apply for other products until you complete an identity check at an ANZ branch in New Zealand [6]. ANZ says it emails you within three business days to tell you what documents it needs [6].

Australians don't hold a visa before they travel, because the resident visa is granted on arrival. So read the eligibility questions carefully, and if they don't fit, email the bank's migrant team before you assume you can't apply. Other big banks, including ASB, BNZ, Westpac and Kiwibank, have their own processes, so compare before you choose.

After you land

Walking into a branch with your passport and proof of your New Zealand address is the classic route. If you're still in a short-term rental, ask what the bank accepts as proof of address. A tenancy agreement, a letter from your employer or a utility bill in your name are typical, but every bank sets its own list.

Open a basic everyday account first. Credit cards and loans can wait until you have a New Zealand payslip.

What to do with your Australian accounts

Keep at least one Australian account open. You'll want it for super, any rental income, HECS-HELP repayments and transfers home. Tell your Australian bank you're now a non-resident for tax purposes, so it withholds the right amount from interest. Our guide to keeping Australian accounts while abroad covers this in detail.

Step two: your IRD number

Your IRD number is New Zealand's tax file number. You need one if you earn income, open a bank account, join KiwiSaver or buy property [7]. If you start a job without one, you'll pay tax at the higher rate of 45% [7].

For Australians, Inland Revenue's new arrival process is simple [1]:

1. Register a personal myIR account on the Inland Revenue website.
2. Have your passport details ready. Australian passport holders don't need a visa number for this process [1].
3. Log in to myIR and apply as a new arrival. Do this within four to six weeks of arriving [1].
4. Wait for a text or email. If approved, Inland Revenue says you'll get your number in about two days [1].
5. Give the number to your employer and bank straight away, along with your tax code (see our IRD and tax code guide).

If you miss the new arrival window, you'll use the "living in New Zealand" process instead [1]. It takes more paperwork, so don't leave it.

Step three: RealMe

RealMe is the New Zealand government's login and digital identity service. It is closer to Australia's Digital ID than to myGov, and it comes in two layers.

RealMe login

A RealMe login is a username and password for government online services. It doesn't share your personal details [3]. Work and Income, for example, only needs a login [4]. Getting one is free and quick.

RealMe verified identity

A verified identity is a government-issued digital identity linked to your login. It confirms your name, gender, date of birth and photo, and you consent each time you share it [3]. Applying is free [2].

Where it gets useful: on RealMe's own list, BNZ and Westpac use a verified identity, as do StudyLink, the NZTA app, online driver licence replacement and enrolling to vote [4]. That saves you a branch visit or a certified copy each time.

How Australians get verified

RealMe's online process starts from New Zealand records. Its application page lists a New Zealand passport, birth certificate, citizenship certificate or immigration record [2]. The AA notes that if you don't have a New Zealand passport, your photo must be taken and your ID checked at an AA Centre, AA Driver Licensing Agent or AA Mobile Unit [5]. In Auckland, AA centres are spread across the city, so pick one near home or work.

Here's the order that works:

1. Create your RealMe login online.
2. Start the verified identity application and follow the prompts for people without a New Zealand passport.
3. Book or walk into an AA location with your Australian passport for the photo and ID check [5].
4. Wait for the decision. RealMe says to expect a reply within five working days [3].
5. Note the expiry. Verified identities issued on or after 5 January 2023 last 10 years [3].

If you're asked for an identity referee, they must be 16 or over, have known you for more than a year and hold a New Zealand passport. They can't be family or live at your address [2]. A Kiwi colleague or friend usually works.

Phone, broadband and the rest of your admin

Phone

The main mobile networks are One NZ, Spark and 2degrees. A prepay SIM from a supermarket or the airport gets you a local number on day one, and you'll need that number for bank and myIR verification codes. Keep your Australian number on a cheap plan or an eSIM if your Australian bank, myGov or super fund sends codes by text. Losing access to those is a pain to fix from overseas.

Broadband

Fibre is available at many Auckland addresses. Prices and plans vary by provider, so compare on your street address. Ask your landlord whether the property already has a fibre connection, because a new install can take time.

Health

Health is tied to residence, not ID. Australians on a temporary stay get immediately necessary care, hospital and maternity services and subsidised prescriptions under the reciprocal health agreement, but not subsidised GP visits or funded ambulances [8]. You become fully eligible after two years, or earlier if you can show you intend to stay that long [8]. A job contract or lease helps, so keep copies handy when you register with a GP.

Your Australian side

• myGov and the ATO: keep your myGov account active and your Australian mobile reachable. Update your address and tax residency status once you've decided you've left (see Australian tax residency after moving).
• Medicare: you don't lose your card the day you leave, but cover changes once you live overseas. See Medicare when you live abroad.
• Passport: check its expiry. It's the ID everything in New Zealand hangs off, and renewing from Auckland takes planning.

A first-fortnight checklist

Sources

1. New arrival to New Zealand – IRD number application – Inland Revenue
2. What is a RealMe verified identity? – RealMe
3. Help – RealMe
4. Where to use RealMe – RealMe
5. RealMe Verified identity – AA
6. Moving to New Zealand – ANZ New Zealand
7. When you need an IRD number – Inland Revenue
8. Reciprocal health agreements – Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
9. New Zealand country brief – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Keep reading

• Moving to Auckland from Australia: the complete guide
• Your IRD number and tax code: getting paid right in New Zealand
• Living in New Zealand under the Trans-Tasman arrangement
• Keeping your Australian accounts while abroad