# What is needed to register for Centrelink, Medicare, Bank account and TFN?



## s4samps (Apr 30, 2012)

Hi,

We(myself, wife and kid) have got our PR 2 weeks ago and are planning my first visit to OZ in July.

We are planning to do these on our first visit.

Register with Centrelink
Register with Medicare
Open a Bank account
Register for TFN.

My questions are as follows
1. Apart from the passport and the stamping, is anything else needed for the above? I might have a Hotel or friend's address when I land. Hope there is no need for an Address proof.
2. Can I get all these done within 2 days? My wife and kid plan to return back to India and migrate once I get a job.
3. Is it absolutely necessary for the primary applicant to enter first? I mean, if my wife is the primary applicant, can i make the first entry without her?

Thanks folks,
s4samps


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

For Medicare, you require your passport and proof of the date of your first entry, i.e the immigration stamp in your passport. Fill in the form and wait for your number to be called. They will issue you with a temporary card right there and then and your permanent card will be posted to you about 2 weeks later.

You can apply for a bank account online before you arrive in the country. You then make an appointment with the bank and present your passport as proof of your identity. You will also be asked for proof your immigration status, so bring the visa grant letter if you do not have a stamp in your passport. Some banks will have your card ready for you on the day whilst others will send them to you by post within a few days.
Alternatively, you can apply in the branch.

Your TFN can be applied for online - as long as you have access to a computer with an Internet connection, your TFN should be issued to you within 1-2 weeks.

You do not need proof of address but I would not advise that you use a hotel address as your correspondence address as any mail will continue to go there and you certainly do not want your personal documents to land in the wrong hands. It's better to use your friend's address. Banks will typically give you the option to also collect your card in branch once it's ready.

Yes, all visa holders can enter at different times provided that the first entry is made by the date stipulated on your grant letter.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Maz, the surprising thing is, my visa/passport was not stamped when we entered, even the medicare people were surprised, I told them i guess it was a busy day and they always laugh .. they just need the passport number and i guess they have access to the details


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## s4samps (Apr 30, 2012)

Maz25 said:


> Yes, all visa holders can enter at different times provided that the first entry is made by the date stipulated on your grant letter.


Thanks a lot, Maz.
In our case, Ours is the 175 category and my wife is the Primary applicant. The grant letter allows us to enter latest by April 2013.

Are you saying that I can enter the country for the first time in July 2012 and my wife can come later (for the first time) in Sep 2012? I have been told that the primary applicant HAS to enter first and only then will the dependent's visa be validated.


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## adrian_jeremiah (Feb 3, 2011)

*In a similar situation*

Thanks s4samps for starting this thread.

I am planning to make our first entry (wife, two kids and myself) at the end of July 2012. We will be spending two days in Melbourne and then five days in Adelaide (where my state sponsorhip was granted). I will be flying from Dubai, UAE. We will be returning back to Dubai approximately after 8 days.

We are planning to move permanently in February 2013.

Firstly, I will open the Bank Account (so I can start transferring money) and that is straight forward. As I am planning to leave Australia in a week, is it compulsory to register for the others such as Centrelink, Medicare and TFN. I will anyway be out of Australia for another six months before moving permanently there. Kindly let me know.

Secondly, as a State Sponsored Candidate, I will need to show some cash that will prove that I can support myself. As I am just planning to make my initial entry now and permanently later, is it compulsory to show the cash at this stage. Kindly let me know.

Thirdly, is there anything else important I will need to be aware of. Kindly help!

Thanks,
Adrian


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## belgarath (Jul 15, 2011)

s4samps, the dependents cannot enter without the primary applicant. Quoting from the visa grant letter :

"8502 - Must not enter Australia before specified person
The holder of the visa must not enter Australia before the entry to Australia of a person specified
in the visa."


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

adrian_jeremiah said:


> Thanks s4samps for starting this thread.
> 
> I am planning to make our first entry (wife, two kids and myself) at the end of July 2012. We will be spending two days in Melbourne and then five days in Adelaide (where my state sponsorhip was granted). I will be flying from Dubai, UAE. We will be returning back to Dubai approximately after 8 days.
> 
> ...


A TFN is only required if you will be earning an income and therefore paying taxes. On the basis that you will not be making a permanent move before next year, then you can apply for your TFN once you've moved here permanently.

The same goes for Medicare - you won't be making use of the Australian health service until you move here permanently, so again you can wait to apply if you so choose.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

s4samps said:


> Thanks a lot, Maz.
> In our case, Ours is the 175 category and my wife is the Primary applicant. The grant letter allows us to enter latest by April 2013.
> 
> Are you saying that I can enter the country for the first time in July 2012 and my wife can come later (for the first time) in Sep 2012? I have been told that the primary applicant HAS to enter first and only then will the dependent's visa be validated.


From DIAC's point of view, despite one person being the primary applicant and the other being the dependent, you are both considered to have your own individual visas. But as belgarath has pointed out, if DIAC has imposed a condition on the visa stipulating that the primary applicant has to enter first, then you have to comply with this.

If there are any conditions imposed on your visa, they will be stipulated on the grant letter and also on your visa stamp, should you choose to have one put in your passport. It's not uncommon for DIAC to impose certain conditions on PR visa. Do check your visa grant letter to be sure though as it seems that it really depends on the CO as to whether they choose to impose a condition or not. My visa stipulated that I should not marry before I make my first entry but I also have single friends who do not have this condition on their visa.


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2012)

Should add that you need proof of your Australian address to do the medicare because to be eligible you need to be resident in Australia not simply PR visiting. If you will be staying in hotel or friends home you won't be able to get it. 
We couldn't register for medicare until we received bank statements with our australian address on.


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## rafay (Jul 16, 2011)

well when i was in australia for validation of visa. i gave friend's address to send medical cards. you may do that. for medical card only u need is passport having visa stamped. they would issue you temporary card then and there and permenant one with 15 days to your given address.


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## adrian_jeremiah (Feb 3, 2011)

*Thank you!*



_shel said:


> Should add that you need proof of your Australian address to do the medicare because to be eligible you need to be resident in Australia not simply PR visiting. If you will be staying in hotel or friends home you won't be able to get it.
> We couldn't register for medicare until we received bank statements with our australian address on.


Dear Shel and Maz,

Thank you for your clarification on the TFN and Medicare.

I presume that I do not need to show how much of cash I will be bringing if I am just making my initial entry and will be leaving in a week. Kindly clarify.

South Australia also mentions that I will need to register once I get there so they can monitor me for two years. Since this is not a permanent entry, I presume that I will not need to register with them at this moment.

Thank you once again for your help.

Regards,
Adrian


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2012)

You dont need to contact SA until you make the permanent move and it is unlikely you wil be asked to show evidence of those funds at any point. some states require you show proof on application, some dont but they dont need to see it when you move.


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## s4samps (Apr 30, 2012)

Hi all, 

I got a confirmation lfrom the CO that there are no conditions attached to our 175 visa. That is a great relief. So, I being the secondary applicant can make an entry before my wife who is primary..

Follow up question..
Is the primary applicant's presence needed for any of centre link, TFN or Medicare?
Asking because, i am planning my entry in July and my wife and kid will be entering only by Nov 2012.

Thanks,
S4samps


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## bangalg (Apr 22, 2009)

Maz25 said:


> From DIAC's point of view, despite one person being the primary applicant and the other being the dependent, you are both considered to have your own individual visas. But as belgarath has pointed out, if DIAC has imposed a condition on the visa stipulating that the primary applicant has to enter first, then you have to comply with this.
> 
> If there are any conditions imposed on your visa, they will be stipulated on the grant letter and also on your visa stamp, should you choose to have one put in your passport. It's not uncommon for DIAC to impose certain conditions on PR visa. Do check your visa grant letter to be sure though as it seems that it really depends on the CO as to whether they choose to impose a condition or not. My visa stipulated that I should not marry before I make my first entry but I also have single friends who do not have this condition on their visa.


"My visa stipulated that I should not marry before I make my first entry"??? That, to me, sounds like a very non-liberal and intrusive clause!


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

a friend did just that, she was the primary applicant but had to stay back because of work commitments and a son, husband cam first, settled things, got a job, got a house and then called them over, this is normal unless you have a condition on the visa


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

s4samps said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I got a confirmation lfrom the CO that there are no conditions attached to our 175 visa. That is a great relief. So, I being the secondary applicant can make an entry before my wife who is primary..
> 
> ...


Your TFN is unique to you, so no, your wife does not need to be present for that. You enter your details online and then they send it in the post. She will need to apply for her own TFN when she gets here.

I can't comment about Centrelink as I did not register with them. Re medicare, you may need to clarify that with them as there is normally one medicare account for the whole family, with each person aside from the main applicant being issued a supplementary card with a unique reference number. I do believe though that you can add other dependents to your medicare account though at a later stage.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

rafay said:


> well when i was in australia for validation of visa. i gave friend's address to send medical cards. you may do that. for medical card only u need is passport having visa stamped. they would issue you temporary card then and there and permenant one with 15 days to your given address.


Same here, I only had to show my passport with the visa stamp in it. They never asked for proof of address, so whilst I had my own apartment at that time and therefore an address, I could have effectively put down any address I wanted.

I used my employer's address for my TFN as I did not have a permanent address and changed that afterwards.

Once you move to a permanent place, you can simply advise them of your new address and they will update it in the system. If you choose to register for an online account, you can even update your address for Medicare from the comfort of your sofa and over the phone or by post for your TFN.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

bangalg said:


> "My visa stipulated that I should not marry before I make my first entry"??? That, to me, sounds like a very non-liberal and intrusive clause!


I didn't view it that way at all. I stated on my application that I was single and did not have any dependents, so ultimately, that clause did not affect me in the least bit. To be honest, I found it quite funny that I had that condition imposed on my visa. 

There are loads of cases of visa fraud so I guess that DIAC was just ensuring that I did not rock up at the airport with some random person in tow, claiming that we are going to get married or some other similar story. It may also have to do with the fact that I was also living in Australia on a 457 visa at the time of visa grant, so maybe DIAC just wanted to be sure that if I had somehow managed to find a partner in the few weeks that I was on a 457 that I would not be tempted to have a quickie wedding. Anyway, who knows and who cares - the first entry is over and done with so that condition no longer applies.


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