Identity Verification Requirements

As part of our compliance with New Zealand's Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 we need to verify the identity of new and existing customers.

To complete identity verification we may ask customers to for some or all of the following:

• Provide photo ID
• Complete a video call or selfie video, or meeting face to face
• Provide proof of residential address
• Provide certified copies of documents

We will contact customers to confirm the exact requirements. Below is further information about each requirement.

Who needs to complete identity verification?

• Private Box account owners
• Directors and major shareholders of legal entities using Private Box addresses for Registered Office, Address for Service, or Principal place of business with the NZ Companies office.
  • If the shareholder is a parent company then this applies to the ultimate directors and major shareholders (shareholders with 25% interest or more).
• Trustees and beneficiaries of trusts 

Providing Photo ID

Valid photo ID is required when signing up for a Private Box account for confirming your identity. 

Types of acceptable photo ID depends on your country of residence. 

If your country of residence is not specifically listed above you may be required to provide a certified copy of your passport or National ID Card. See Providing certified copies of documents for more information.

• Overseas passport or similar document issued for the purpose of international travel which:
• Contains the name, date of birth, a photograph and the signature of the person in whose name the document is issued; and
• is issued by a foreign government, the United Nations or an agency of the United Nations
• a national identity card issued for the purpose of identification that:
• contains the name, date of birth and a photograph of the person in whose name the document is issued and their signature or other biometric measure included where relevant; and 
• is issued by a foreign government, the United Nations or an agency of the United Nations

If your photo ID is unreadable or expired we will ask for an updated copy.  If your ID is in another language, we will ask for a certified English translation of the documents.

Selfie video, Video Call or Meeting

We need to check our customers match the identity documents they provide. This can be done by recording a selfie video in your Private Box account, having a video call with us, or by visiting our office in Wellington, New Zealand. 

To record a selfie video or set-up a video call in your account via https://secure.privatebox.co.nz/mailbox/person.

You can read all the details about completing your video call here >>

Proof of residential address

Usually, a government document, bank statement, or utility bill issued in the last 12 months will suffice.

Note if your document is not in English we may require a certified translation of the document.

See the full list of all documents we can accept for proof of residential address >>

Providing certified copies of documents

From time to time we require certified copies of documents. This is usually if we are unable to meet you, or the document is not in English or from certain regions.

An authorised notary certifies copies of your ID (both a Photo ID and residential address). We will need to contact your notary to confirm this happened - so please use someone who is contactable and speaks English.  It will also be a great help if you can please provide the contact details of your notary. 

Read all the details about providing certified documents >>

FAQ

Got more questions about identity verification requirements? You can read our FAQ about AML and identity verification for common questions such as 'Who is required to complete identity verification?' and 'How do I supply documents?'