gtaylor30 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Hi there, I land in Melbourne is 3 1/2 weeks, and am trying to nail down what I need to do and in what order. Now, I know I need to do medicare, TFN, vicroads etc., but the documentation they require as I can find online is things that I won't necessarily have. For example, vicroads seem to want proof of address, but as I'm moving in with my girlfriend, I won't even have a rental agreement. So, is there an order to do things in, and what documents do I need to get all of this done please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 There are no rules about what order you need to get things done and most things do not need to be done in a desperate hurry either, although doing them on arrival before you start work gets things out of the way. The one thing I recommend is order your TFN immediately. The day you land. The rest you can pace yourself on a bit, NSW allows about three months to change the licence over if on a permanent visa, not sure about Victoria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor30 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Thank you pumpkin. How would I prove address without any of the normal things like utility bills, rental agreement etc. though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gin100 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Interested in the replies on this - we land in Melbourne in just over a week but won't have an address for a few weeks after that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Thank you pumpkin. How would I prove address without any of the normal things like utility bills, rental agreement etc. though? You will be getting a bank account. How about a bank statement. Also I would recommend you put yourself on the tenancy agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllyM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Ok, I think I have worked it out. And hi, I'm gtaylor30's OH Pumpkin is right that there are no rules about what needs to be done first, but bearing in mind that the rules of ID may differ from state to state (I'm in Victoria), here is how to set yourself up without proof of an australian residence. To make this easier, its a good idea to open up an australian bank account online before arrival. A month should do it. 1. Prior to arrival, contact the bank and make an appointment to collect your cards. In our case, the appointment needs to be booked a couple of weeks in advance. Make the appointment as soon as practical after you land in Australia. 2. Go to the appointment at the bank and immediately change your mailing address. Get them to print out a statement of your account showing the australian address. The letter from our bank states the only ID required is a passport, but other banks may be different. 3. Apply for a TFN and change your drivers license. Immigrants will be able to apply for their TFN online, and then make an appointment at a post office to prove your ID. Documentation required for this will be your bank statement with aus address, and your passport. Likewise, this should be enough to get your license changed at VicRoads. 4. When your new license arrives, you will be able to apply for Medicare cover (similar to the NHS, I think). Your license and medicare card are the two most valuable forms of ID here, by the way. Hope thats useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllyM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 You will be getting a bank account. How about a bank statement. Also I would recommend you put yourself on the tenancy agreement. Being added to a tenancy agreement will also require a decent amount of ID. And in our case, not possible as I own my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gin100 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Still not sure how this works. We opened a bank account earlier this year & collected our cards on our validation trip at Easter & the bank has our uk address on our account. When we arrive next week we are staying for a couple of weeks at a friends house while we look for somewhere to rent. We can't use our friends address as we are there for only a short time & we won't have a rental address for a few weeks so I'm not sure how we apply for a TFN, or for that matter, apply for a tenancy on a house if we don't have proof of address? Why might we need a TFN so quickly? Neither of us have jobs so we have no income, though we are renting out our house in the uk so there is some income there. Any advice appreciated, it's feeling a little catch 22-ish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllyM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'm not sure how we apply for a TFN, or for that matter, apply for a tenancy on a house if we don't have proof of address? Why might we need a TFN so quickly? Neither of us have jobs so we have no income, I have no experience being in your position, but I'd wager it would be rather difficult to be approved for a rental property without having any income. Someone who has been in your shoes may be able to correct me there. Wherever you plan on living when you arrive, I'd be prepared to bunker down there for a couple of months. If I read the tax office website properly earlier, it it not necessary to have a TFN to work in Australia, but without one you will be taxed at a higher rate (amongst other drawbacks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest90395 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Still not sure how this works. We opened a bank account earlier this year & collected our cards on our validation trip at Easter & the bank has our uk address on our account. When we arrive next week we are staying for a couple of weeks at a friends house while we look for somewhere to rent. We can't use our friends address as we are there for only a short time & we won't have a rental address for a few weeks so I'm not sure how we apply for a TFN, or for that matter, apply for a tenancy on a house if we don't have proof of address? Why might we need a TFN so quickly? Neither of us have jobs so we have no income, though we are renting out our house in the uk so there is some income there. Any advice appreciated, it's feeling a little catch 22-ish! We definitely didn't provide any proof of address when we applied for a tenancy - just visa docs, birth certificates, bank statements and my work contract - and we got the first one we applied for so it wasn't an issue. As for the TFN we applied for it straight off (and I'm pretty sure we didn't show poa for this either) but I forgot to give it to my work and they only asked for it at the tax year end so maybe its not as urgent as we all think?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gin100 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We'll pay rent up front & we've got leads on a job so we're hoping this will do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllyM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We definitely didn't provide any proof of address when we applied for a tenancy - just visa docs, birth certificates, bank statements and my work contract - and we got the first one we applied for so it wasn't an issue. As for the TFN we applied for it straight off (and I'm pretty sure we didn't show poa for this either) but I forgot to give it to my work and they only asked for it at the tax year end so maybe its not as urgent as we all think?? You dont need proof of address for a tenancy application or TFN, what you need is proof of ID, which is very different when dealing with Australian government departments. Government departments like Medicare/Tax Office etc dont accept international birth certificates as far as I'm aware (they all list Australian Birth Certificates as an ID proof). Like I said, having a TFN is not essential to be able to work, but its beneficial to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gin100 Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Hi Gtaylor - we arrived in Melbourne last night and have spent some of today navigating the bureaucracy so I just thought it would be worth letting you know what we'd found out. We registered with Medicare & CentreLink this afternoon at the local office. You can just turn up (no appointment req) & the documentation they want to see is: passport, Australian bank account details, visa grant letter, more proof of ID (UK bank cards & driving licences fine), and birth certificates of any children. We just took everything which I think was wise. At no point were we asked for proof of address, though we did have to put our temporary address on forms. The thing we didn't have and we needed was an Australian phone number. They won't accept UK phone numbers. You can register with CentreLink but you won't get any payments till you have a TFN but you can't apply for a TFN without an Australian phone number. Medicare registration was ok - no phone number required - but you do need an Australian bank account. So phone number as a priority tomorrow for us then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor30 Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Hi Gtaylor - we arrived in Melbourne last night and have spent some of today navigating the bureaucracy so I just thought it would be worth letting you know what we'd found out. We registered with Medicare & CentreLink this afternoon at the local office. You can just turn up (no appointment req) & the documentation they want to see is: passport, Australian bank account details, visa grant letter, more proof of ID (UK bank cards & driving licences fine), and birth certificates of any children. We just took everything which I think was wise. At no point were we asked for proof of address, though we did have to put our temporary address on forms. The thing we didn't have and we needed was an Australian phone number. They won't accept UK phone numbers. You can register with CentreLink but you won't get any payments till you have a TFN but you can't apply for a TFN without an Australian phone number. Medicare registration was ok - no phone number required - but you do need an Australian bank account. So phone number as a priority tomorrow for us then! That is fabulous information, thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I think there's no hard and fast rules about sequencing but, as you are discovering, Australia has an ID fetish and until you have an Australian driver's licence and Medicare card, you'll end up having to negotiate with people about what they will accept. Just take everything - especially passport and visa grant letter - wherever you go. Personally, I would pop into DIBP and pay for a visa label on Day 1 as it will make life much easier than showing a self-printed standard letter granting the visa. Phones can be got but you may have to show proof of address (you certainly have to show proof of ID). If you are staying with frields or relatives then ask them if they can help getting you a SIM card for a phone - $2 at a supermarket - and use their address for official forms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gin100 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Instalment 2. We finally have Australian mobile numbers but not without some hassle. Without an Australian credit history and proof of address you won't get a contract mobile phone (even if it's $20 a month & you show them your bank balance as proof you can pay). We were only allowed to get a pre-pay which is worse value for money (though the vodafone one I ended up getting does have international calls to the UK capped at $1 no matter how long you're on the phone for, which is great). Even for a pre-pay they insist on seeing photo ID so don't go without this but you don't need proof of address. The TFN application form is easy once you've got a mobile number! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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