Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions and additional information about the National Assistance Card, including costs and how to apply.

What is the National Assistance Card?

The National Assistance Card is a personalised card to assist people with disability and health conditions in the community.

The Card can be used in everyday or emergency situations where a cardholder needs assistance or support.

The National Assistance Card can:

help cardholders communicate their unique areas of difficulty and the assistance they may need
give cardholders greater independence
assist cardholders to feel more confident in everyday social situations
provide peace of mind for families and carers
enhance community understanding of disability and health conditions
support positive community interaction with cardholders.

Who can apply for the National Assistance Card?

Disability

The National Assistance Card is available to people with brain injury and Autistic people in Australia.

The National Assistance Card Service hope that, in the future, the National Assistance Card will be available to all people in Australia with disability and health conditions.

Please note: As part of your application, you must provide a supporting document from a medical or allied health professional that verifies any disability or health condition you choose to list on your Card.

Age

There are no age restrictions for applying for the National Assistance Card.

The Card is available to children and adults.

If you are interested in the Card – even if you are not eligible, we still want to hear from you. Please fill out this EOI form. This will help us apply for funding to make the Card available to more people.

You can read more about who is eligible to apply for a Card here.

How do I apply for the National Assistance Card?

You need to complete the National Assistance Card online application using a computer, smartphone or tablet.

You can access the online application and How to Apply Guides here.

To help you with your application we recommend you:

read the 'How to' guides – you can download them here
watch the 'How to' videos included in the application
ask a family member, friend or support worker to help you with the application.

I have started an application - how do I log back in to my application?

If you have already started an application but not submitted it yet, please log in to your application to complete it.

How to log in to your application

Visit the application portal here
Click ‘Start’
Click ‘Existing’
Enter your details (make sure you enter the same information you used to start your application)
First Name
Surname
Phone number (no spaces)
Email address
Tick ‘I am not a robot’
Click ‘Next’
Complete the verification code screen
A 6 digit code will be sent to your email or phone (you can choose which)
Enter the code and click verify

This opens your application.

Please complete and submit your application.

If you cannot log in to your application, please contact us.

If you have submitted your application, your application is under review and you cannot log back in.

Please contact us if you would like to make any changes to your submitted application or have any questions.

How much does the National Assistance Card cost?

A new National Assistance Card costs $44 (including GST).

If you need a replacement Card, it will cost $22 (including GST) – a replacement is only required if the Card is lost or an update of the information printed on the Card is required.

Why is there a cost for the National Assistance Card?

The cost contributes to the Card production and helps to pay for information and education resources about the Card.

How to pay

You can pay using a credit/debit card or PayPal in the online application portal.

Getting reimbursed

Some organisations may pay for your Card or reimburse the cost. For example: NDIS, compensation insurers, or service providers.

After you pay, you’ll get a confirmation email with a receipt you can use to ask your provider for reimbursement.

Note: The National Assistance Card is not always recognised as an approved NDIS support. Please check with your NDIS service provider before applying.

If you can’t pay

If you are experiencing social or financial hardship, select ‘Unable to pay’ in the application.

Why should I apply for a National Assistance Card?

You should apply for a National Assistance Card if you would like:

Assistance to explain the impacts you experience as a result of your disability or health condition
To feel more confident in the community – knowing you can show your Card if you get into difficulty
A sense of security knowing your nominated contact person can be called if required.

What does the National Assistance Card look like?

Example of the Front of the Card (above)

Example of the Back of the Card (above)

What does the Card include?

The National Assistance Card includes a cardholder's:

First and last name
Photo
Date of birth
Nominated contact person's name and phone number
(A cardholder can choose if this person is contacted).

Also printed on the Card:

Up to five areas of difficulty chosen by the cardholder
(for example: communication, fatigue, memory, processing information)
A QR code providing access to additional information (written or personalised video) that the cardholder has chosen to include
The Police Assistance Line phone number.

Where can I use my National Assistance Card?

Your Card can be used in everyday or emergency situations.
This includes:

shops, cafes, hotels and cinemas
banks, Centrelink and other Government departments
transport, such as airports, buses, trains, trams, taxis and Ubers
with family, friends and work colleagues
with first responders, such as police, ambulance, or fire.

People you show your Card to can read your Card and scan your QR code to learn more about the impacts you experience and/or how they can assist you.

Important

The National Assistance Card explains a cardholder's unique areas of difficulty. It does not make a cardholder exempt from the law.
The National Assistance Card is a community service. It is not an official identity card or legal document.

You can download the wallet sized Cardholder Guide here.

Is the information I provide when applying for my National Assistance Card safe?

All information provided to the National Assistance Card Service is kept private, confidential, and secure in line with the National Assistance Card Privacy Policy.

You can read our Privacy Policy here.

Why do I need to provide supporting medical documents with my application?

To ensure the success of the National Assistance Card as a community service it is important the cardholder’s disability and/or health condition has been professionally verified.

As part of the application, you must provide a supporting document to verify any disability or health condition you choose to list on your Card.

The documents must be from a medical or allied health professional and need to include your name and disability or health condition diagnosis. The documents do not need to go into detail.

We accept letters, reports, and certificates from the following professionals:

General practitioner (GP)
Medical specialist (for example, neurologist)
Clinical neuropsychologist or psychologist
Allied health practitioner (for example a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist).

A scan or photo of the document can be uploaded directly to the application, or you can email or post the document to the National Assistance Card Service.

Please know that:

Your personal data is protected by the National Assistance Card Service in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Your supporting document is only accessed by the National Assistance Card team to assess your application eligibility.

I do not have a supporting document to verify my disability or health condition – can I still apply?

Supporting documentation to verify the applicant’s disability or health condition is a current requirement for the National Assistance Card.

You cannot apply if you do not have a supporting document to verify your disability or health condition.

However – even if you are not eligible – if you are interested in the Card we still want to hear from you!

The National Assistance Card Service acknowledge that not everyone will have supporting documentation to verify their disability or health condition.

The National Assistance Card Service hope that, in the future, the Card will be available to all people in Australia with disability and health conditions.

It is important for us to document how many people experience challenges with providing evidence of their disability or health condition.

Your feedback will help us to review eligibility requirements as part of our evaluation of the National Assistance Card.

If you do not have supporting documents to evidence your disability or health condition, please:

What should I do if I’m shown a National Assistance Card?

Read the Card.
Ask the cardholder how you can assist them.
Use clear, concise language
(not loud and slow).
Be friendly and respectful.
Scan the QR code, if requested or required, to find out more information.
Call the cardholder’s nominated contact person, if requested or required.
Assist the cardholder to access emergency support if requested or required, for example: ambulance or police.

Your understanding and assistance is appreciated.

You can download the National Community Assistance Guide here and the Tasmanian Community Assistance Guide here.

Why might a cardholder show their National Assistance Card?

There are many reasons why a person may choose to show their Card:

to communicate their needs
(for example: needing extra time to complete an activity or task)
because they are feeling overwhelmed, confused, disorientated or unsafe.

The cardholder may choose to show:

the front of their Card only.
This means they would appreciate your understanding and patience while they communicate to you the assistance they require.
both the front and back of their Card.
The back of the Card includes some of the areas where the cardholder has difficulty, and a QR code, which, when scanned, may link to additional information.

I have lost my National Assistance Card. What should I do?

We have developed a dedicated request a replacement card form which is now available here.

You can also contact the National Assistance Card Service here, and please provide your full name and contact details (phone number and email).

I have found a National Assistance Card. Where can I return it?

You can return the Card to:‍

National Assistance Card Service
PO Box 4580
Bathurst Street Post Office
Hobart TAS 7000

Or contact us here for more information.

I have a Tasmanian ABI ID Card/Brain Injury Assistance Card. What do I need to do?

The National Assistance Card has replaced the Tasmanian ABI (acquired brain injury) Identification Card Program and the Brain Injury Assistance Card Program.

You can apply for a National Assistance Card here or contact us here for more information about how to transition to the new Card.

What is brain injury?

Brain injury is defined as any damage or injury to the brain, occurring after birth, resulting in ongoing impairments. (The definition also includes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder which is brain damage caused by alcohol exposure before birth).

Common causes of brain injury include motor vehicle crashes, assaults, sporting accidents, stroke, lack of oxygen to the brain, brain tumours and degenerative neurological conditions.

The ongoing impairments a person may have could be physical, cognitive, emotional and/or behavioural.

Many of the effects of brain injury are not visible; this doesn’t make the impacts any less real.

Every brain injury is different.

What is autism?

Autism is a neurological and development condition that occurs when the brain develops differently.
Autism affects the way people sense, communicate, behave and interact with the world.
While there are some common autistic traits, people experience autism in different ways.
All, some, or none of a person's autistic traits may be obvious to others or only noticeable in difficult settings.

Where can I get information and support for brain injury, autism, epilepsy, intellectual disability, and mental illness?

Visit the Helpful Links section of our website to find local and national service providers. Click here.

How do I find out more about the National Assistance Card?

If you have a question about the National Assistance Card – please fill in our Contact Form; a member of the National Assistance Card Team will respond to your question.

You can complete the Contact Form here.

Apply for the National Assistance Card

Apply now →