Gateway service provider

What is a gateway service provider

A gateway service provider (GSP) is a private sector organisation that does business in Australia or New Zealand. A GSP has a direct connection to the Document Verification Service (DVS), which is called a gateway. GSPs allow authorised private and public sector clients (users) to connect to the DVS through that gateway.

As a GSP, you can only use your DVS connection to provide your gateway service to your authorised users. You cannot use your connection to do identity checks on behalf of:

  • your own organisation
  • any third party who is not one of your authorised users

If you need to do either of these things, you must also sign up as a business user or an identity service provider (IDSP).

Your role as a GSP

You provide your users a connection to the DVS known as a gateway.

Connecting to the DVS can be costly and time consuming for many businesses. GSPs make connecting to the DVS accessible to these businesses, while continuing to protect the personal information of Australians.

Supporting new DVS connections

Organisations that want to nominate you as their GSP will apply to you directly. You are responsible for receiving and reviewing the IDSP and business user applications.

Each applicant will then need to submit a DVS Online Registration to us.

When you receive an application, you should:

  • review the application
  • conduct due diligence checks on the applicant
  • inform us of the applicant, including the results of the due diligence check.

Once we review and accept a user’s application, we will ask them to sign a participation agreement. Once we have also signed the agreement, we will set up a new DVS connection for the user who will now be your client. This process authorises your client to use the DVS.

As a GSP, you cannot allow a new client to access the DVS until they are authorised by us.

Your client must sign the participation agreement that matches their intended use of the DVS. They may contact you with questions about their obligations or connection. This means it is important that you read and understand all the DVS participation agreements that may apply to your users.

Each of your users will need to appoint you (their GSP) as their information match agent.

Providing a gateway service

You are responsible for administering your gateway service. This includes:

  • sending match requests between your clients and the DVS
  • supporting your clients to complete their annual compliance reporting obligations
  • paying monthly DVS transaction invoices
  • responding to general enquires from your clients
  • escalating concerns from clients to us when necessary.

As a GSP, you are also responsible for properly maintaining your own DVS connection. This includes understanding your own obligations and completing annual compliance reporting.

Limits on how you can use the DVS

As a GSP, you must not:

  • allow any third party to use your connection to the DVS, unless you have appointed this third party as your information match agent
  • connect to the DVS on behalf of any third party who is not an authorised user
  • use the DVS as a business user or IDSP without the correct participation agreement in place
  • provide the results of a DVS check to any third party who is not your authorised user.

Applying to become a GSP

To become a GSP, you must meet the criteria in:

Contact us to enquire about becoming a GSP. You can select the general enquiry type on our online form. 

After you submit your enquiry, we will send you several documents to complete. You must:

Once you have completed and signed the GSP Terms and Conditions of Use and the Participation Agreement, send the documents to ivs.manager@ag.gov.au.

On average, it takes 4 to 6 weeks for us to review your application and give you a decision.

Once your application is approved, we will send you a countersigned copy of your GSP Participation Agreement.

From September 2025, the cost to establish a direct connection to the DVS is $24,610.40 (excluding GST), in addition to fees for the document types selected as part of the connection.

There is an additional fee of $454.55 for each type of document that you want to provide to your clients (for example, passports or driver licences).

Once we approve your application, we will send you an invoice for 50% of the total cost of your connection. We will invoice the remaining 50% when the connection is successfully built.

On average, it takes 3 to 6 months for an organisation to build a direct connection.

Ongoing costs

There is a fee of $0.40 for each DVS transaction.

This means that $0.40 must be paid each time your clients access the DVS through your gateway service. We will invoice you monthly for these costs.

As a GSP, you may charge your users directly and pay us when your monthly invoice is due.

Visit Identity verification services fees for more information.

The Identity Verification Services Rules 2024 also outline DVS fees. These are reviewed regularly and subject to change.

Find out more

If you are already a GSP, you can access more information by logging in to the DVS SharePoint User Portal.

If you have questions about accessing the portal or need other guidance, please contact us at ivs.manager@ag.gov.au.

This information is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice.