Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC)

You will need an MSIC if you work on a wharf, onboard a ship or an offshore oil and gas facility.

If you visit an Australian regulated port, ship or offshore facility more than once a year to deliver or collect goods, provide services or conduct regular maintenance, you will also need an MSIC.

You will need to apply for an MSIC from an authorised MSIC issuing body.

At the Flinders Port Holdings group, we source our MSICs from Veritas Engineering Pty Ltd.  Please visit the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development for a full list of bodies authorised to issue MSICs

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You will need to include proof of identification documents:

• one primary identification document and one secondary identification documents, or two tertiary documents.

For your primary identification document you can choose one from the following:

• a valid copy of your birth certificate, a valid copy of your citizenship or naturalisation certificate, a valid Australian passport, a valid passport from another country showing your visa and eligibility to work/status.

For your secondary identification, you may provide one of the following documents, a valid driver’s licence with your photograph, a valid government employee identification card or a valid student identification card.

Alternatively, applicants may provide two of the following tertiary documents: a bank or credit card statement displaying your name and address, a signed statement from your employer or former employer and a rates notice in your name showing your address.

In addition to the identification documents you will need to have your photograph taken by the MSIC issuing authority, provide proof that you need to hold an MSIC for operational reasons and that you are eligible to work in Australia.

The Australian Government will assess your application for an MSIC by checking whether you have been convicted of any serious offences that are relevant to maritime security.

A full list of the offences that are checked before an MSIC is listed on the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development website:

Find out more

The criminal history background check for an MSIC is conducted on behalf of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development by Auscheck.

The background checks are necessary to protect Australians from terrorists and other threats to our maritime and offshore facilities. The requirement for every individual entering secure maritime and offshore areas to hold an MSIC means that those individuals have proven their identity, have the right to work in Australia, do not have an adverse security assessment and do not have an adverse criminal record.

If your MSIC application is rejected, you will be told the reasons why as well as any appeal rights you have, in writing.

Your employer will not be informed and will not receive any information from your background checks. It is your choice whether you wish to discuss your rejected MSIC application, or information from your background checks with your employer.

If you decide not to appeal against the rejection of your MSIC application, or if your appeal is unsuccessful, you will not be allowed to access or work unmonitored in a maritime security zone.

You can choose whether to apply for an MSIC card which is valid for two years or four years.

After the validity period expires, you will need to renew your MSIC and undergo another background check before your replacement card can be issued.

If you no longer need to work in a maritime security zone, your MSIC card will be cancelled within the validity period and you must return the cancelled card to the issuing body.

You should wear your MSIC above waist height at the front or side of your body and the entire front section of your MSIC must be clearly visible.

Not displaying your MSIC at all or displaying it incorrect may incur a fine.