From 1 July 2026, important changes to Australia’s anti‑money laundering (AML) and counter‑terrorism financing (CTF) laws will take effect.
These changes introduce stronger client identification, verification and risk assessment requirements across all AUSTRAC specified regulated entities, including Trust and Company Service Providers.
Services affected
AML requirements will apply to our services below:
- New company incorporations
- New trust establishments
- Company changes
- Trust secretarial orders
- Registered office address services
How this applies to you
Professional clients (accountants, lawyers and other regulated entities)
You can do your own clients' verification and confirm by ticking a checkbox in respect of each order, in which case we can rely on you to have done this (Reliance Agreement).
- No duplication of checks
- Faster processing
- You confirm identity, ownership and control
- A Reliance Agreement applies
- No additional charges
Non regulated entities (and regulated entities who do not choose the Reliance option)
Where Reliance option is either not available or not chosen.
- We verify clients directly
- Data verification matching will be conducted as primary check
- In some instances, further verification might be required
- Additional time and fees apply
What will change
Orders must be placed via a registered and verified account, and choose one of the following AML pathways on all orders. Two pathways:
- Reliance (recommended for regulated entities) – no duplication, faster and no additional charges
- Direct verification (required for non-regulated entities) – Data verification matching will incur and further documents may be required, additional time/cost
Who we need to verify
Depending on the service, we may need to verify:
- Companies to be incorporated or changed: directors, shareholders, beneficial owners
- Trusts to be set up or changed: trustees, controllers, key beneficiaries
- New registered users after 1 July 2026: clients, companies or authorised representatives
Registered Office – additional requirements
Registered office services require enhanced AML checks:
- More detailed customer due diligence (CDD) process
- At least one government ID must be verified
- Subject to internal AML approval before activation
What this means
- Minimal impact for most professional firms using Reliance
- Additional steps for other clients
- Preparing and providing information early will help avoid delays
While we aim to have these changes in effect by 1 July 2026, the technology implementation scale is extensive, so the completion date may extend beyond this.
We are here to help
If you have any questions about how these changes apply to your services or clients, please contact our team today.
