Onboarding FAQs

myID, opens in a new tab is the Australian Government’s Digital ID app. It is currently the only Digital ID you can use in TradeClear, opens in a new tab.

You can set up a TradeClear account for a business if you are a principal authority or authorisation administrator. You will need a ‘Standard’ or ‘Strong’ identity strength myID.

If you are an employee, you can use a ‘Basic’, ‘Standard’ or ‘Strong’ myID to use TRACE in TradeClear.

A Digital ID is how you prove who you are when accessing government services. It lets you verify your identity online for work and personal use.

Your Digital ID is linked to the email address you use, so it should be an email you'll always have access to.

Use your personal email so you control your Digital ID.

We recommend using your personal email instead of a work email because:

• your work email may be controlled by your employer
• if you change jobs, you can take your Digital ID with you.

We use your Digital ID to confirm your identity. We can’t see your documents or any personal information other than your name, email address and date of birth.

If you're a principal authority, you need to link your business to your myID to create a TradeClear account. A 'Strong' identity strength myID will let you link your business in Relationship Authorisation Manager, opens in a new tab (RAM) online.

To get a 'Strong' myID you need to verify your Australian passport. For more information, go to How to set up myID, opens in a new tab.

If you can only achieve a ‘Standard’ identity strength, you can link your business by calling RAM support, opens in a new tab.

Relationship Authorisation Manager, opens in a new tab (RAM) is an authorisation service. It allows you to use government online services for your business.

RAM links your myID, opens in a new tab to your business’s Australian Business Number (ABN). You need to do this to set up a TradeClear account for your business.

Employees don’t need a RAM authorisation to access a business’s TradeClear account. They just need to be invited once the account is set up.

Link your business to your myID in RAM

You must be a principal authority for a business to link it to your myID in RAM.

You will need a ‘Strong’ identity strength myID to link your business in RAM online.

Follow the steps to link your business:

1. Sign in to RAM, opens in a new tab with myID.
2. Select ‘Link my business’.
3. Enter your personal residential or postal address (as held by the ATO).
4. Select 'Continue'.
5. Select 'Consent'.
6. Select the business you want to link.
7. Select 'Continue' and follow the steps to complete the process.

Your business is now linked to your myID. You can now Create a TradeClear account using Digital ID.

If you can't see your business, you may need to update your Australian Business Register, opens in a new tab details.

Relationship Authorisation Manager, opens in a new tab (RAM) connects businesses to government online services. You can link your business to your myID in RAM if you are a principal authority, opens in a new tab.

You are linked to your business by your personal residential or postal address. If you can’t see your business after you enter your address, you may need to update your Australian Business Register, opens in a new tab (ABR) details. Your tax professional may also be able to do this for you.

For more information, go to Update your ABN details, opens in a new tab or Update your client’s ABN details, opens in a new tab.

If you still can’t link your business or for any other RAM issue, contact RAM support, opens in a new tab.

TradeClear receives limited information from myID, opens in a new tab and Relationship Authorisation Manager, opens in a new tab (RAM) to help us identify you and your business.

We (the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) manage TradeClear. myID and RAM are separate systems, managed by different government departments.

When you set up your TradeClear account, those systems share the following information with us.

From myID, we receive your:

• name
• date of birth
• email address.

myID does not share any biometric information or identity documents with us.

From RAM, we receive your business’s:

• name
• ABN
• other publicly available ABN information.

We do not share any of your personal or business information with myID or RAM.

A principal authority, opens in a new tab is someone listed on the Australian Business Register, opens in a new tab (ABR) for a business. They may be a director, managing director, public officer or company secretary.

Only a principal authority can link their myID to the business’s Australian Business Number (ABN) in Relationship Authorisation Manager, opens in a new tab (RAM).

We use RAM to ensure the person setting up a TradeClear, opens in a new tab account for a business is authorised to do so.

If you manage exports for a business in TRACE, the business will need a TradeClear account. Only a principal authority or authorisation administrator can set up an account for a business.

Once the account is set up, they can invite you to act for the business.

Use TRACE in TradeClear as an employee

If you are an employee, the business needs to invite you to their TradeClear account. You then need to Accept an invite to act for a business.

To access TradeClear, you'll need a myID with ‘Basic’, ‘Standard’ or ‘Strong’ identity strength. You can also use email sign-in.

We recommend using myID and adding email sign-in as a backup. This will let you sign in if myID isn't working or you don't have your mobile phone with you.

A ‘Basic’ myID strength or email sign-in will let you access TRACE but may limit your access to other services in TradeClear.

Create a TradeClear account for a business

To create a TradeClear account for a business, you must:

• be listed in RAM as a principal authority or authorisation administrator for the business
• have a ‘Standard’ or ‘Strong’ myID.

You can add email sign-in to your TradeClear account. This gives you a back-up option so you can still sign in to TradeClear if myID isn’t working or you don’t have access to your mobile phone.

You need to add email sign-in before you can use it without your myID.

We recommend adding myID or email sign-in to your account.

Email sign-in will let you access TRACE but may limit your access to other tasks and services in TradeClear.

When you create a TradeClear account, we collect email addresses from you at various points. You can use the same address each time, or a different one, depending on your preference.

myID

Use your personal email address for myID.

Email sign-in

If you add email sign-in to your TradeClear account, you can use any email address you like, including your work or personal one.

Preferred contact emails

We’ll email you about your TradeClear activities when necessary. You can tell us your preferred email address to receive these messages. You can use any email address you like.

You have 7 days to accept the invitation. If it expires, ask the sender to resend it.

If you don’t receive the email invitation:

• check your spam or junk folder
• make sure your company’s firewall hasn’t blocked it
• ask the sender to resend it.

If you still don’t receive it, ask them to send it to a different email address. This can be a personal or work address but should not be a shared address.

User roles in TRACE, TradeClear and Relationship Authorisation Manager, opens in a new tab (RAM) are managed separately. You may have a permission level in TRACE, a role in TradeClear and an authorisation in RAM.

TRACE permissions

Your permissions in TRACE depend on whether you are a livestock or reproductive material exporter. For livestock exporters, they also depend on whether you are listed in management or control.

The role you are assigned in TradeCleare does not affect your permissions in TRACE.

TradeClear roles

TradeClear has different roles with varying permissions. When you set up or are invited to a business’s TradeClear account, you are assigned a role.

RAM authorisations

Only the person setting up a TradeClear account for a business needs to be authorised in RAM. Once the account is set up, they can invite employees to act for the business. Employees don't need a RAM authorisation.

RAM authorisations are not connected to roles in TradeClear or permissions in TRACE.