Help & support
If you’re doing this on behalf of a child who is 0-13, please:
If you’re aged over 18 you can contact our KYC Operations team from Australia or overseas from 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday, Sydney/Melbourne time. Call charges may apply.
1800 761 380 / +61 2 8055 4092 (if overseas)
You’ll need a valid email address and be using an Australian Passport or Australian Driver Licence as your ID.
You can complete a Certified Copies Identification Form and return it to:
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
CDIR Processing
Reply Paid 90183
PO Box 209
LIDCOMBE NSW 1825
Postage is free if sent from Australia. Please ensure you only send certified copies – not original identification documents.
Why have I received this message?
We’ve noticed your personal information (including ID) is either incomplete, incorrect or expired, and we need you to update these details as part of our regulatory obligations.
These obligations are known as ‘Know Your Customer’, and are covered under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006. Your confirmation of these personal details also helps us meet our taxation residency reporting obligations under the Taxation Administration Act 1953, and our obligation under the Privacy Act 1988 to make sure your personal information is complete and accurate.
Which of my personal details need to be updated and why?
We’ll need to see current identification to confirm/update your full name, other names known by (if any), residential address, date of birth, occupation and tax residency information.
We need you to do this to meet regulatory obligations covering anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, taxation and privacy. It will also help to ensure your account remains secure.
We may also use the personal information you provide to:
Why do I need to update my tax residency details?
The Australian Government has committed to a new global standard on the automatic exchange of financial account information. This requires financial institutions from around the world, including the Commonwealth Bank group, to collect tax residency information from their customers. This is known as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and follows on from the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). This standard requires tax residency information to be captured when an account is opened, and to let us know if this changes to ensure tax residency details are correct and up to date.
Information reported by financial institutions to the ATO will be exchanged with other tax authorities to help make sure everyone pays the right amount of tax. The collection and sharing of foreign tax information will be done in accordance with our Privacy Policy, and we’ll only share information required to meet our statutory obligations.
What do I do if I’m asked to update my tax residency details?
You can provide this information in NetBank, by calling us or by visiting any of our branches. You may need to have a foreign Tax Identification Number/s (TIN) handy, depending on the country/countries of tax residency. If you certify that Australia is your only country of tax residency, providing your Australian Tax File Number (TFN) is optional. However, if you don’t provide a TFN, withholding tax may apply on any interest paid.
What happens if I don’t update my details?
If you don’t update your personal details, we may need to restrict access to your account/s until you do. We’ll let you know about this at least 30 days before any account restrictions would apply. Please ensure we have updated contact details so we can reach you with this important message.
What does it mean if you restrict my account?
If your account is restricted, you won’t be able to fully transact on your account/s as normal. Specifically, the restriction would affect:
This will also affect any joint account holder’s ability to use and access the account/s. We’ll try our best to contact any impacted joint account holders to let them know before we apply any restrictions. The restrictions on your account/s will only be lifted once we’ve updated all of your personal details.
How can I manage my automatic payments while my account is restricted?
To avoid missing any scheduled transactions, direct debits or regular payments while your account is restricted, you’ll need to make other arrangements until we have your updated personal details and your account is reactivated.
You can view and change your scheduled transfers if you do your banking online:
If you’ve organised a direct debit or regular payment with a merchant, you’ll need to contact them to arrange another payment option. If you’re not sure how, we’re here to help – you can contact us on 13 2221 or visit us at your nearest branch.
How often do I have to do this?
You’ll need to update your personal details with us whenever they change. We’ll also need to confirm your personal information from time to time as part of our regulatory obligations to ensure your details are complete, current and accurate.
Who do you share my personal information with?
We may share your personal information with other members of the Commonwealth Bank Group (as described in the Bank’s Privacy Policy), and with third parties, for the reasons already outlined or where the law otherwise allows or requires. These third parties can include:
If you’re a foreign tax resident, we’ll disclose your tax residency information (including any Tax Identification Number) to the Australian Taxation Office. This information will be exchanged with other tax authorities to help make sure everyone pays the right amount of tax.
Sometimes, we might need to send your information overseas, for example:
How do I learn more about how you treat my personal information?
Visit our privacy page for our privacy policy, or ask for a copy at any branch. The policy covers:
