Director IDs: what changes from July 2027 and why it matters now

If you are a company director, you should already have a Director ID. More than three million Australians do.

From 1 July 2027, Director IDs will be linked to ASIC’s Companies Register, and companies will have to provide them to ASIC through their normal reporting.

For most businesses this is not a scramble. It is a records exercise and the useful work can be done now.

“I gave my Director ID when we set the company up, so ASIC must already have it”

This is the most common assumption, and it is worth clearing up first, because it explains the whole reform.

You do need a Director ID before you can be appointed as a director. That has been the rule since November 2021. But ASIC does not currently record Director IDs on the companies register. The obligation has always been on the individual to apply for and hold the number. Nobody has been collecting them into the company record.

That is because two different agencies do two different jobs. Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) verifies director identities and administers Director IDs. ASIC registers companies and maintains the companies register.

Your number has been sitting in one system while your company records sit in another. The 2027 reform joins them up.

What is a Director ID?

A Director ID is a unique 15- digit number that identifies you as a director. You apply for it once, you keep it for life and it stays with you even if you change companies, change your name or move overseas. You only need one, no matter how many companies you are a director of.

The point of it is traceability. Linking the numbers to company records makes it easier to verify who is behind a company and to trace relationships across entities, which supports action against fraud and illegal phoenix activity.

What happens from 1 July 2027?

Companies must provide Director IDs to ASIC through existing company reporting, including annual reviews and when notifying changes to director details. Directors must give their number to the company within seven days of appointment. Where a director does not yet hold a number, they have seven days from receiving it to pass it on, and the company then has 14 days to lodge.

The three things worth checking now

ASIC’s guidance is refreshingly practical, and it is all about accuracy rather than deadlines.

• Check your company details are up to date. Registered office, principal place of business, contact details.
• Confirm every current director is correctly recorded. This is where the gaps usually are, particularly where a spouse, adult child or silent partner was appointed years ago and has not been thought about since.
• Check that director details on ASIC’s register match those held by ABRS. The two systems are about to be joined up. Where names, addresses or dates of birth differ between them, it will be far easier to sort these out before the link is made than after.

Getting this right now may save delays when the requirements commence.

How to actually do those checks

There is no single tool that compares the two registers for you, so two logins are needed.

• The ASIC side. If you are a director or secretary, the company officeholder portal lets you view and update your company’s details on the companies register. To sign up you need your company’s corporate key, an 8-digit number that appears on the letter sent to your registered office when the company was first registered, or on your most recent annual statement.
  • If you cannot find it, you can apply online for a replacement. It is posted to your registered office address, which is worth noting: if that address is out of date, the replacement goes to the wrong place, and untangling it means an online enquiry and a wait. Another reason to do this in 2026 rather than June 2027.
  • If MJC acts as your registered ASIC agent, you may not need portal access at all. We can check the ASIC side for you.

• The ABRS side. Each director uses logs in on the Australian Business Registry Services website using their myID, where they can download a PDF copy of their details and update anything that has changed.
  • One practical catch: a director can only see their own ABRS record. You cannot check your fellow directors’ details for them. In a company with four directors, four people each need to log in, which is precisely why this takes longer than people expect.

Where is my Director ID?

Three places to look.

• Your accountant may already hold it. At MJC we record Director IDs in our system for clients who have provided theirs. If you are not sure whether we have yours, ask us.
• You can download it yourself from the ABRS Manage your director ID Fastest route if you need it in a hurry.
• If you do not have one at all, apply now. It is free, and the quickest way is online using your myID with at least a Standard identity strength. Phone and paper applications are available if the digital route is not practical. You have to apply yourself, because the process verifies your identity, so your accountant cannot do it for you.

What MJC is doing about it

While we act as the registered ASIC agent for many of our company clients, ASIC requirements mean that Director IDs must be applied for by the individual director themselves. As registered agents, we are not permitted to apply for a Director ID on a director’s behalf.

Our office will be in touch about your Director ID details. We are aware that some clients have already registered but have not yet supplied their Director ID to our office, and we will follow up with those clients accordingly.

If you manage your own corporate secretarial obligations and engage us for taxation services only, you will also need to arrange your own Director ID application and provide our office with your number for our records.

In either case, we will be writing to directors ahead of the change, including directors of companies we look after who are not MJC clients in their own right, to help ensure everyone is aware of their obligations and the steps required to obtain a Director ID.

One thing worth knowing

The obligation to hold a Director ID is not new, and it is already enforced. ASIC brought its first prosecution in March 2024, and by May 2026 had prosecuted 11 directors with fines totalling more than $40,000.

It is a strict liability offence, which means an oversight or a gap in someone’s systems is not a defence.

Since 1 July 2026, ASIC can also disqualify a person from managing companies for up to three years where they fail to apply for a number after being directed to do so by the Registrar. That power is aimed at people who wilfully refuse to apply, not at anyone whose paperwork is slightly behind.

None of which should worry a director who has a number and knows where it is. It is simply worth being clear that 2027 is when the reporting starts, not when the obligation does.

The broader point

Business registers are becoming more connected and more public. The stated aim is to make it easier for Australians to answer a simple question about any company: who am I dealing with?

For a well-run business that is a good thing. It works in your favour when a customer, a bank or a supplier is deciding whether to deal with you. The practical takeaway is smaller than the reform sounds. Check your details are right, know where your Director ID is and make sure ASIC gets the information.