Separation: What documents do I need, and where are they?

This is one of those things people often wish they'd thought about earlier. Not because you need everything before you can leave but because having your documents makes everything that comes next much easier.

The most important documents

Personal identification:

• Passport

• Driver's licence or state ID card

• Birth certificate

Financial:

• Bank account numbers and BSBs

• Superannuation fund name and member number

• Medicare card number

• Any loan agreements, credit card details

Property and legal:

• Lease or mortgage documents (including the property address and lender details)

• Vehicle registration

• Insurance policies

Children (if applicable):

• Birth certificates

• Medicare card

• School enrolment records

• Custody or parenting orders (if any exist)

If you can't find or access them

Don't let missing documents stop you from leaving. Replacements are available for almost everything:

• Birth certificate: Apply through the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state. This can be done online.

• Passport: Apply through the Department of Home Affairs. You can also apply for an urgent passport if needed.

• Medicare card: Apply or replace through Services Australia — you don't need your physical card to access Medicare; your Medicare number is enough.

• Superannuation: The ATO's myGov account can help you find all superannuation accounts registered in your name, including lost super.

Keep copies somewhere safe

If it's safe to do so, make photocopies or take photos of important documents and store them somewhere your partner can't access — with a trusted friend, in a cloud account they don't know about, or in a locked drawer at work.