The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), together with the AML/CTF Rules 2025, is designed to help prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism in Australia.
As part of the services we provide, including establishing companies and trusts on behalf of clients, Venta Belgarum is a reporting entity regulated by AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial intelligence agency. This means we’re required to verify the identity of our clients, and of anyone we deal with on a client’s behalf, before we can act for them.
Accordingly, we’re required to confirm and verify:
Depending on the nature of your engagement with us, we may also need to understand and verify your source of funds or wealth, and confirm the ownership and control structure of any company, trust, or partnership you ask us to act for.
We’ll ask you for identification before we begin acting for you. For returning clients, we also check in each year as part of our standard process, to make sure the information we hold about you is current. If anything about your circumstances has changed, for example a new address, a change in the ownership of your company or trust, or a change in the nature of the work you need from us, we’ll ask you a short set of questions to keep our records up to date.
Where the information required is more involved, particularly for a company, trust, or partnership, we’ll let you know as early as possible so you have time to gather what’s needed.
In most cases, we’ll send you a secure link to upload your identification electronically. If you prefer, or it’s more convenient, we can verify your identity in person during a meeting, sighting your original documents and taking a copy for our records. Some documents can only be verified in person or by certified copy, depending on the type of identification you provide.
The most straightforward option is one of:
If you don’t have either of these, we can generally accept a combination of documents instead, for example a Medicare card together with a document confirming your name and address, such as a recent bank statement or utility bill. If you’re not an Australian citizen or resident, a current passport with a valid visa, or an ImmiCard, can be used instead.
If your identity document doesn’t already confirm your current residential address, we’ll also need one of the following, issued within the last three months:
Documents must be current, provided in their original form or as a certified copy, and in English or accompanied by a certified translation.
For a company, we need to identify anyone in a position of ownership or control, generally anyone holding more than 25% of the shares, directly or indirectly, along with directors and senior managers.
For the company itself, we need to confirm:
Each individual director, senior manager, or beneficial owner will also need to provide the identification documents outlined above.
If you’re acting on behalf of a trust, we’ll need a copy of the trust deed and any deeds of variation, so we can confirm exactly who needs to be identified. Depending on the structure, this will usually include:
We may also need to understand and verify the source of the trust’s funds or assets.
Where we’re required to verify the source of your funds or wealth, examples of documents we may ask for include:
If you can’t attend in person and can’t use our electronic verification process, you can provide us with a certified copy of your identification instead. The person certifying your documents can’t be a relative, can’t live with you, and can’t have any involvement in the matter you’re engaging us for.
Documents must be certified in your presence, within the last three months. The certifier needs to confirm on the copy that it’s a true and correct copy of the original, note their name, occupation, and registration or licence number where applicable, and sign and date it.
People commonly able to certify documents in Australia include:
This list isn’t exhaustive. If you’re overseas or unsure who can certify your documents, please contact us and we’ll talk you through the options.
If you have any questions about what’s required, or you’d like to get started, contact our office and we’ll walk you through exactly what we need.
Phone: 08 6397 5160
If you’re searching for an accountant in Mount Pleasant or a business advisor in Perth who can help you make confident financial decisions, you’re in the right place. At Venta Belgarum, we work with business owners who want clarity, structure, and a plan, not just compliance.
