Director Identification Numbers – who needs one?
15 March 2022
Directors are now required to have a Director Identification Number (DIN). The allocation of DINs will make it easier to keep track of directors who may move between organisations, sometimes to avoid creditors.
Directors have been able to apply DIN since 1 November 2021. The deadline to apply for a DIN depends on the date when a director is appointed.
Who needs a DIN?
If you are a director of any of the following organisations, you must get a DIN:
- a company (for example, a company limited by guarantee registered under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth))
- an Indigenous corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
- a corporate trustee (for example, of a self-managed super fund)
- a Registrable Australian Body (RAB) (for example, an incorporated association that is registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission as a RAB)
- a foreign company registered with ASIC that carries on business in Australia
A director must apply for their DIN themself because they will need to verify their identity. This application is made through a new Australian Business Registry Service.
Committee members of incorporated associations that are not RABs are not required to apply for a DIN.
When must a director apply for a DIN?
When a director must apply for a DIN depends on the date they become a director.
A director under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) must apply for a DIN:
- by 30 November 2022 if they became a director on or before 31 October 2021
- within 28 days of appointment if they became a director between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022, or
- before appointment as a director if they become a director from 5 April 2022
A director under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth) must apply for a DIN:
- by 30 November 2023 if they became a director on or before 31 October 2022
- before appointment as a director if they become a director from 1 November 2022
For more information, see the Australian Business Registry Services webpage on ‘who needs to apply for a DIN and when’.
