Subclass 190 Identity Documents 2026: Passport, National ID and Change of Name
What identity documents a Subclass 190 application asks for: passport pages, a national ID card if you have one, and proof of any change of name.
For a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), identity evidence comes down to three items: the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details and passport issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if you have one; and proof of any change of name. That is the list on the Department of Home Affairs Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) official page, as at July 2026. Everything below is general information about how that requirement is written, not advice on your own situation — for a personalised assessment, rely on the official page as currently published or on a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.
What passport pages does a 190 application actually require?
The requirement is narrower than "a copy of your passport". The department asks for the pages of your current passport that show three things together:
- your photo;
- your personal details (the name, date of birth and other biodata recorded on that page);
- the passport issue date and expiry date.
The practical test is whether the pages you upload let a case officer read your identity and confirm the passport is current. A bio-data page that has been cropped so the issue or expiry date falls outside the scan does not do that job, and neither does a scan of an expired passport that has since been replaced.
Do I have to provide a national identity card?
Only if you have one. The official wording is "a national identity card, if you have one", which makes it conditional rather than a universal item. If your country of nationality issues such a card and you hold one, include it; if you have never been issued one, there is nothing to supply and no gap to explain.
Where a card exists but is in a different name from your passport, that is a name-change question rather than an identity-card question, and it is resolved with the documents below.
Which documents prove a change of name?
The department accepts three kinds of evidence, and you only need the ones that match your own history:
- a marriage or divorce certificate — the usual document where a name changed at marriage or reverted after divorce;
- change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority — the formal registration route;
- documents that show other names you have been known by — the catch-all for names that appear on records but were never formally registered.
The third category is the one applicants most often overlook. It covers names that show up on qualifications, employment records or police certificates even though no marriage or registry document exists for them.
What if my name changed more than once?
Suppose an applicant was married, took a partner's surname, later changed that name by deed poll registered with an overseas authority, and now holds a passport in a third form of the name. The identity file is not complete with only the latest document. Each link in that chain needs its own evidence: the marriage certificate for the first change, the overseas authority's change of name document for the second, and the passport pages that show the name as it stands today. What the department is testing is continuity — that every name on the record belongs to the same person — not merely that the most recent name is correct.
Where identity evidence meets the rest of the 190 document set
Identity documents are not uploaded in isolation. The same source page asks applicants to complete Form 80 (Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment) and Form 1221 (Additional personal particulars information), both of which record names you have used, and to provide relationship documents where you are or have been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated. Police certificates are requested for each country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, which means your old names have to be consistent across those certificates too.
That is why identity evidence is worth assembling early. The invitation window is 60 calendar days from the date of invitation and the department states it cannot extend that time, so a missing divorce certificate or an unregistered former name can become a timing problem rather than a paperwork problem.
Consistency matters in a second direction as well: the name on your identity documents has to line up with the claims in your Expression of Interest, including your skills assessment and qualifications.
What happens if identity cannot be established?
The subclass 190 page directs applicants to provide accurate information and points to the department's guidance on what may happen when you cannot prove your identity or do not provide true information. The safe reading is that identity is treated as a threshold requirement: it is not a matter of submitting more documents later if asked, since the department also states it is not obliged to request further information and may decide an application on the material already lodged. Uploading a complete, legible set at the time you lodge — documents are attached in ImmiAccount when you apply — removes that risk.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to scan every page of my passport?
No. The requirement is the pages showing your photo, personal details, and the passport issue and expiry dates. Pages of visas, stamps or blank pages are not part of this item, though the passport must be your current one.
Is a national identity card compulsory for subclass 190?
No, it is conditional: you provide one only if you have one. If your country issues national identity cards and you hold one, include it; if none was ever issued to you, there is nothing to provide.
Which document proves a name change made at marriage?
A marriage certificate is listed as proof of change of name, and a divorce certificate covers a change that followed divorce. These are separate from the relationship documents the department also asks for when you are or have been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated.
Can an overseas change of name document be used?
Yes. The department accepts change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority. The document needs to be the formal record issued by whichever authority handles name registration in that country.
What about names I used but never legally registered?
The department specifically lists "documents that show other names you have been known by". If a former name appears on your qualifications, employment history or police certificates, include whatever record shows it, even where no marriage or registry document exists.
Do family members in my application need identity documents too?
Yes. The department asks for evidence of a partner's identity and relationship with you, birth certificates or the family book showing both parents' names for dependent children 18 or younger, and identity documents for dependent children over 18. Adoption papers are requested where applicable.