Licence card numbers
View information on how card numbers make it harder for your identity to be stolen and what you can do to protect yourself from identity theft.
Every driver's licence or learner's permit has a unique card number. If you get your physical licence renewed or replaced, you get a new card number.
Having a card number and driver's licence/learner permit number makes it harder for your identity to be stolen.
On older licence cards, the unique card number is likely to be in very small font and may be difficult to read. As long as it's not expired, you can still use this older licence card as a form of identification (for loans, for example).
If you replace your licence, there are other ways to view your card number while you wait for a new physical card to be sent to you.
How to access your card number
| Option | Where to find your card number |
|---|---|
| Physical card |
|
| Online |
|
| In-person |
For security reasons, we can't give out your card number over the phone.
Verifying your identity with your licence
The Document Verification Service (DVS) is a national, secure online system. It lets authorised organisations confirm a person's identity.
For example, the DVS is used by some banks to verify identity documents such as passports and driver's licences. Other organisations that use the DVS include:
- state and federal agencies (for example, the Australian Taxation Office, myGov and Services Australia)
- mortgage providers
- credit agencies
- phone companies
- post-pay companies.
Card numbers are now mandatory in DVS
In 2022-3, the data of some Optus and Latitude customers was breached. To help protect those affected customers, the DVS required those customers to enter their card numbers to verify their licence as part of a DVS check. This protection has now been extended to all Victorians when they undertake a DVS check.
Protecting your identity and your licence
Identity theft is a growing problem. We manage potential issues and risks proactively through regularly reviewing security measures in tackling fraud, strengthening identity security and ensuring ongoing protection of the learner permit and driver licence card.
We already have a range of strong security measures in place to protect the information we hold. Identity security is central to Australia's security, law enforcement and economic interests, and vital in protecting citizens from the theft and misuse of their identities.
To avoid your identity being stolen and used for fraudulent purposes, you need to be careful with your personal information and this includes your driver licence information.
If your driver licence or learner permit has been stolen, it’s important to report it to Victoria Police as soon as possible.