What is a ‘unique identifier’?

Some agencies give people a ‘unique identifier’ instead of using their name. Examples are a driver’s licence number, a passport number, a student ID number, or an IRD number.

Principle 13 of the Privacy Act regulates unique identifiers.

An agency cannot assign a unique identifier to a person if that unique identifier has already been given to that person by another agency.

People are not required to disclose their unique identifier unless this is one of the purposes for which the unique identifier was set up (or directly related to those purposes).

Updated December 2020