Registration, banking and utilities in Sydney

Tax file number and superannuation

The TFN is issued by the Australian Taxation Office and is applied for online once you have arrived and have an address. Give it to your employer and to your bank, because interest is also taxed at the top rate without one. Employers must pay superannuation contributions into a retirement fund on top of your salary; you can nominate a fund or be defaulted into one, and if you leave Australia permanently on a temporary visa there is a departing superannuation payment process, taxed at its own rate.

• Apply for the TFN online with the ATO after you arrive; it is free.
• Give the TFN to your employer and your bank to avoid top-rate withholding.
• Superannuation is paid by the employer on top of salary, at a legislated percentage.
• The Australian financial year ends on 30 June, not 31 December.

Banking and myGov

The major banks let you open an account from overseas before you arrive and activate it with your passport at a branch once here, which is the smoothest route. Everyday payments run on tap-and-go and on PayID, which sends money instantly between banks using a phone number or email address. myGov is the single government login that links the tax office, Medicare and other services, and setting it up early saves repeated identity checks later.

• Open the account online before arrival, then activate in branch with your passport.
• PayID moves money between banks instantly by phone number or email.
• myGov links the ATO, Medicare and Centrelink under one login.
• Keep proof of address handy — utility bills and the tenancy agreement do the work.

Driving licence and identification

Visitors can generally drive on a valid overseas licence for a period, while people who settle here are expected to convert to a NSW licence within a set window, which may involve knowledge and driving tests depending on the country your licence came from. Beyond driving, a NSW driver licence or Photo Card is the everyday identity document — a passport works but nobody wants to carry one, and proof of age is checked routinely in licensed venues.

• Service NSW handles licence conversion, Photo Cards and vehicle registration.
• Whether you need a test depends on the country that issued your licence.
• A NSW Photo Card gives you an identity document without holding a driving licence.
• Rules and timeframes change; confirm current requirements with Service NSW.

Utilities and connectivity

Electricity and gas are a retail market and you choose the retailer, with prices and discounts varying enough that the government comparison service is worth ten minutes of your time. Water in most rental properties is billed to the owner, with usage sometimes passed to the tenant. Internet runs over the NBN, and the technology at your specific address — fibre to the premises, to the node, or something older — determines the speed you can actually buy, so check the address before you sign a tenancy if working from home matters.

• Compare electricity and gas retailers; the Energy Made Easy service is free.
• Check the NBN connection type at the exact address, not the suburb.
• Mobile coverage differs meaningfully between carriers outside the inner suburbs.

In order

1. 1Open an Australian bank account online before you fly.
2. 2Activate the account in a branch with your passport on arrival.
3. 3Apply for a tax file number as soon as you have an address.
4. 4Give the TFN to your employer and your bank.
5. 5Set up a myGov account and link the ATO.
6. 6Enrol in Medicare or arrange health cover, depending on your circumstances.
7. 7Convert your driving licence at Service NSW if you are staying.
8. 8Choose an energy retailer and an NBN plan for your address.