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RealMe: New Zealand's Digital Identity for Newcomers and Levels of Assurance
Document Checklist
Email address
Function: Required to create a RealMe Login. The address receives the confirmation message that activates the Login and is the keyed channel for password and username recovery.
Provider: Any working email address from any provider is accepted; an overseas address is acceptable.
Use an address you will keep — the email is the primary recovery channel and a change of email is handled inside the RealMe account settings.
Username and strong password
Username: Chosen by the applicant and unique within RealMe. The username is what relying services pair with the password at login; it is not the same as the email address.
Password: Set by the applicant and must meet the strength rules shown in the RealMe Login creation flow.
Store both in a password manager. The username can be looked up against the email address through the recovery flow, but a forgotten password requires the email or SMS recovery channel to be available.
Security questions and 5-digit secret PIN
Function: Security questions are configured during Login creation and are used for account recovery and identity confirmation when the user calls the helpdesk. The 5-digit secret PIN is an out-of-band password-recovery path that does not require email access.
Setup: Both are set during the initial Login creation flow; choose answers that are stable and that you will remember.
Choose security-question answers that are not easily guessable from a public profile. The 5-digit PIN is a useful fallback when the email channel is unavailable.
Second-factor option (mobile number or authenticator app)
SMS second-factor: Configured by registering a mobile number; the system sends a one-time code at each login event. Overseas numbers are accepted.
Authenticator app second-factor: A time-based one-time passcode generator (a standard authenticator app) registered against the RealMe Login.
Second-factor is strongly recommended even for the Login layer. Authentication strength is one of the three components of the Levels of Assurance framework — a Login with a second factor sits at a higher Authentication Assurance level than a Login with a password alone.
New Zealand-government-held identity record (Verified Identity only)
Accepted source documents: Details from one of: a New Zealand passport (current or expired); a New Zealand birth certificate; a New Zealand citizenship certificate; or a New Zealand immigration record held by Immigration New Zealand.
Newcomer pathway: For a recent immigrant who does not yet hold a New Zealand passport or citizenship, the New Zealand immigration record is the most relevant source — a record held in Immigration New Zealand's systems can be the matching basis.
Issuing authority: Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua) for passports, citizenship certificates, and birth certificates; Immigration New Zealand within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for immigration records.
Required for RealMe Verified Identity. RealMe Login does not require any of these — anyone with a working email can create a Login.
Photo (Verified Identity only)
Online capture: Taken on a camera-equipped device — phone, tablet, or laptop with webcam — through the RealMe Verified Identity flow. The browser must support the camera interface.
Partner-store capture: Used when the online capture is unavailable or fails. Available at participating partner stores; the partner may charge a small service fee for the photo capture, separately from RealMe.
A photo is mandatory for Verified Identity. The online route is the default; the partner-store route is the documented fallback.
Identity referees (Verified Identity, where required)
Function: Required in some Verified Identity flows; the referee attests to the applicant's identity.
Eligibility: Referees must be aged sixteen or older.
Required in a subset of flows only; the application screen indicates when referees are needed.
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