As of 1 September 2022, the Australian Document Verification Service (DVS) has introduced the driver licence card number as an additional mandatory verification field for NSW, TAS ACT, SAT, WA, and NT.
NEW UPDATE as of 31 October 2022: The driver licence card number will become a mandatory field for Queensland licence verification from 7 November 2022.
It is also expected that VicRoads will seek to enforce the driver licence card number for Victorian licence verification before the end of 2022. Data Zoo will issue further advice and updates confirming the exact date that this field will become a mandatory requirement for this jurisdiction.
What is the driver's license ‘card number’ and how is it being used?
The driver’s licence card number is a unique number attributed to an individual every time their driver’s license is re-issued. Currently, driver licences are verified against name, date of birth, issuing state and licence number. When the card number becomes mandatory, customers must provide their name, date of birth, issuing state, licence number and card number, otherwise the licence will fail to verify.
Why is DVS including the driver’s license ‘card number’ in driver licence verification?
Currently, the name, date of birth, driver licence state and licence number remain the same while the card number is updated each time a driver licence is re-issued. Including the driver licence card number in the verification will help minimise the risk of identity theft and ensure that only the most recently issued card is verified.
What do I need to do?
The table below summarises the card number status for each state and what it means for you.
Where the card number is mandatory, you’ll need to make sure you are capturing your customer’s card number and passing it through to Data Zoo. The table below is updated as of 6 October 2022 and will be kept up to date as we receive more information from DVS.
Issuing state | Card number availability | Mandatory date | What does this mean for you? |
NSW & Tas | Available for all active licences
| 1 Sep 2022
| Card number is optional until 31 Aug 2022 (inclusive). If it is provided, it will not be passed for verification.
Card number must be provided from 1 September 2022. If not provided, verification will fail.
|
ACT & SA | Available for all licences issued from 1 Jan 2014 | ||
WA | Available for licences issued from 2 Feb 2021 | ||
NT | Available for licences issued from 10 Dec 2019 | ||
Qld | Availability to be confirmed by the State | 7 November 2022 | Card number is optional until 6 November 2022 (inclusive). If it is provided, it will not be passed for verification. |
Vic | Card number is not available
| Before the end of 2022 | Details TBC |
Why is the change not mandatory for all states?
Driver licence information is matched against the records held in the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information Service (NEVDIS). Availability of the card number in NEVDIS differs between states and will become available in a phased approach.
When is the card number available in Data Zoo environment and where can I find the technical specifications?
Data Zoo is currently integrating these changes into its environment. The driver licence card number will be available in the Data Zoo test environment from 8 July 2022. The technical specifications will be published in our online API document from 8 July 2022: https://idu-api.datazoo.com/
Can I send the card number before 1 September 2022?
Yes. However, if it is provided before 1 September 2022, it will not be passed for verification.
How will Data Zoo handle this change?
Data Zoo will have validation rules in place so that if the card number is not provided for mandatory states from 1 September 2022, then it will not be sent to DVS for verification and an error message will be returned.
What if there isn’t an issue date on the driver licence?
Most driver licences are valid between 3, 5, and 10 years. Data Zoo recommends referring to the expiry date as a proxy.
How can I best capture driver licence card number in my user interface?
Data Zoo recommends a flexible state-based approach to cater for differences between states and territories.
One suggestion is to have validation rules in place or a customised set of data fields that are shown based on the issuing state entered or selected. For example, if “Victoria” is entered into the issuing state field, an additional note may appear to note that card number field is not required, or the card number field may not be shown at all.
Visual cues may also assist customers in providing the correct information and help mitigate against common errors such as providing the licence number in the card field.