How do you apply for the NDIS?

Applying to the NDIS is how you let us know you want to become an NDIS participant.

If you’re aged 9 and older, there are a few ways you can apply: 

• Your local area coordinator can help you apply. They can help you through the application process and be your point of contact. If you become an NDIS participant, they will support you to prepare for creating your NDIS plan. Find your nearest location .
• Sometimes you may not have a local area coordinator in your area. You can contact us on 1800 800 110 to discuss other options available to you.

For children younger than 9, we encourage families to talk to an early childhood partner before applying to the NDIS. They can provide supports to children before they apply, and let families know if the NDIS is right for their child.

When you apply, you or your authorised representative will need to:

• give us the information and any documents we need to confirm your identity. Learn more about evidence of identity and privacy.
• give us the information and any documents we need to decide if you’re eligible.
• sign or certify the NDIS application.
• talk to you about your needs and current situation.

When we talk to you, we’ll listen to understand what is important to you. We'll also ask questions to make sure we know all the ways we can help.

We can use this information to help you make community connections if you want us to. Learn more about community connections.

Other people can help you apply if you want them to. Sometimes they can apply on your behalf. Learn more about who can help you apply.

Learn more about how to apply to the NDIS .

What information do we need in your application?

The Evidence of Identity Factsheet shows what information we need to confirm your identity. When you apply for the NDIS, you’ll need to give us copies of these documents. If you can’t do this, let us know so we can work out what to do depending on your situation. We will still need to check your identity before progressing your application.

To show us you’re younger than 65 when you apply, live in Australia, and that you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you can give us either of the following:

• consent to access and use your Centrelink record
• copies of documents or other evidence that we ask for if you apply in person or over the phone.

In most cases, we can just use your identity documents.

Who can give us evidence of your impairments?

We need evidence of your impairments, to help us work out if you’re eligible. To provide this, ask your treating professional . For children younger than 6 with developmental delay, an early childhood partner can provide evidence of developmental delay. Your treating professional or early childhood partner can contact us if they need to discuss what evidence to provide.

Your treating professional might be your doctor, specialist, or allied health service provider. You should use a professional who:

• has worked with you for a long time, usually for at least 6 months
• is the most appropriate type of professional to give evidence about your impairment
• is qualified and registered in their area of practice with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency or relevant professional authority

If your treating professional does not meet these requirements we may not be able to verify the information in your access request, and may need to request further information. 

When we check if you’re eligible for the NDIS, we mainly consider the information you give us when you apply.

Learn more about who can give us evidence of your disability or impairment on the following pages:

• Providing evidence of your disability
• Providing evidence of disability for children
• Information for GPs and health professionals.

You can also learn more about how we use, collect and store your personal information.

What if you’re in a remote or very remote area?

We understand it might be hard to get your treating professional to complete their part of the application form in a remote or very remote area. If it’s hard to get your treating professional to do this, let us know.

You might not need to give us as much evidence about your impairment as people in big cities, depending on what services are available in your area. We use a technical definition for remote and very remote.

You will need to live in an area that’s classified as MM6 or MM7 on the Modified Monash Model to be considered remote or very remote.