Certified Original is an Australian service that keeps the professionally certified records of a self-managed super fund (SMSF), trust or company in one secure Vault. A qualified professional, such as your accountant or lawyer, certifies each document once. When a bank, lawyer, real estate agent, SMSF auditor or another professional asks for certified copies, you share them securely from your Vault instead of having the documents certified again.
Certified Original is for three groups:
Owners of SMSFs, family (discretionary) trusts, unit trusts and companies: the trustees and directors who are often asked for the same certified documents.
Accountants and lawyers, who certify those documents for their clients.
Banks and other professionals, such as real estate agents, insurance advisers and SMSF auditors, who must check who owns and controls an entity.
Australia's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws require banks, financial advisers, superannuation platforms and many other organisations to confirm who they are engaging with before they act for an entity. Each organisation runs its own checks, so each one asks for its own certified copies.
From 1 July 2026, these obligations also apply to accountants, lawyers, real estate professionals and some other professional services. These changes are often called the Tranche 2 reforms. For owners, this can mean more requests for the same certified documents and more people to follow up.
KYB stands for "know your business". It is the check an organisation makes to confirm who owns and controls an entity, such as a self-managed super fund (SMSF), trust or company, before it acts for that entity. It usually needs certified copies of the trust deed or constitution, records of changes to trustees and directors, and the details of the people who control the entity. With Certified Original, those records are professionally certified once and ready in your Vault, so each entity KYB check starts with documents you already have.
KYC stands for "know your customer". It is the check an organisation makes to confirm a person is who they say they are, usually from their name, date of birth, address and identity documents such as a driver licence or passport.
The difference is who is being checked:
KYC checks a person.
KYB checks an entity, such as an SMSF, trust or company, and who owns and controls it.
When you act for an entity, you can expect both. The organisation confirms the entity through KYB, then confirms each trustee, director or controlling person through KYC.
Certified Original keeps your entity's KYB records professionally certified and ready to share. Each organisation still makes its own KYC checks on the people involved.
No. A qualified professional certifies each document. They sight the original, confirm the copy is true, and confirm that the details recorded from it match. Certified Original keeps those certified records secure and lets you share them.
Each organisation you share with still makes its own identity checks as the AML/CTF laws require, and uses your certificate as a certified source for those checks.
The professional step is the same. A qualified person sights the original and puts their name to the copy being true.
The difference is what happens next. A paper copy serves one request and is then filed by whoever received it. A document certified through Certified Original is sealed, so anyone you share it with can check that it has not changed since it was certified. The same certification can be shared again when the next request arrives.
Usually the same certified entity records, again and again. When an SMSF, trust or company buys or sells a business property, your property lawyer, the real estate agent and, if you are borrowing, the lender may each need to check who owns and controls the entity.
What they ask for depends on the entity:
SMSF or trust: the trust deed and any variations, records of changes to trustees, and the details of the people who control it.
Company: the company's registration details and constitution, records of changes to directors, and the details of the people who own and control it.
If those records are already certified in your Vault, you share them securely with each professional instead of having new copies certified for every request. That means less chasing when settlement dates matter.
Often, yes. A limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA) lets an SMSF borrow to buy an asset, such as a business property. The asset is held in a separate holding trust until the loan is repaid. The lender will usually check the SMSF, the holding trust and their trustees. Each of those entities can have its certified records kept in a Vault, ready to share with the lender, your SMSF accountant and your property lawyer.
As soon as the entity is established. Setting up a SMSF, trust or company creates the records you will be asked for most often:
SMSF or trust: the trust deed, the trustee details and, for a corporate trustee, the company's records.
Company: the company's registration details, constitution, and the details of its directors and shareholders.
Your accountant or lawyer can certify them once, while they are new, and add them to your Vault. Then, when you open a bank account, make a first investment or buy a property, they are ready to share.
There are three steps.
1. Your accountant or lawyer adds your entity's documents to a secure Vault and certifies each one.
2. When an organisation asks for certified documents, you share a certificate with them securely. They open it with a link and an access code.
3. You stay in control. You choose how long access lasts, you can end it early, and you can see each time the certificate is opened.
An accountant or lawyer with a current professional qualification. Before they can certify, each certifier records their qualification, professional body, membership number and professional indemnity insurance. Those details stay with every document they certify, so anyone checking your certificate can see who certified it.
Yes, if they hold a current professional qualification and their firm uses Certified Original. Before certifying, each accountant or lawyer records their qualification, professional body, membership number and professional indemnity insurance. If your SMSF accountant or property lawyer doesn't use Certified Original yet, register your interest and we can talk with their firm about joining.
The documents organisations usually request to identify an entity. This would include the entity establishment document such as constitution, registration or trust deed and any variations, records of changes to trustees and directors, and the details of the people who control the entity. Your certifier sets up the Vault with the documents your type of entity needs.
Yes, to help your certifier prepare. When a document is added, AI reads it, suggests what kind of document it is and drafts its key details. The certifier then reviews every detail. AI makes no decisions, and a named professional makes every certification. The AI processing takes place in Australia.
Your entity does, through its keyholders: the trustees or directors who control it. Your accountant or lawyer prepares and certifies the Vault, but it belongs to your entity. If you change firms, your Vault stays with you, and you can give permission to your new firm.
Only the people you give permission to. Your entity's keyholders can see the Vault. The firm that prepares it, and any other firm you invite, can see what they need for their work. An organisation you share a certificate with sees only what is in that certificate, and only for as long as you allow.
Yes. When you share, you choose how long access lasts, from one day up to 30 days, and you can end it early at any time. Once access ends, the link no longer opens your records.
Each time the certificate is opened, it is recorded in your Vault's history, so you can see who viewed it and when. A PDF copy the organisation has already saved stays with them.
Certified documents are never edited. The new or corrected document is certified in its own right and added alongside the original. Your Vault's history records the order of events, so the full record stays visible.
Records are kept in Australia and encrypted both in transit and at rest. Once a document is certified, it is sealed: it cannot be edited, replaced or deleted, and any change would show because its digital fingerprint would no longer match.
Each person sees only what their role needs. Shared certificates are time-limited and protected by an access code. Every action is recorded in a history that cannot be edited. Payments are handled by Stripe, and Certified Original does not see or keep your card details.
In Australia. Your documents and Vault records are kept in Amazon Web Services' Sydney region. Sign-in is managed by Auth0 and payments by Stripe, each under its own privacy terms.
No. A certificate opens in any web browser with its link and access code. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
By checking three things:
The seal. Each certified document has a digital fingerprint. If anything had changed since certification, the fingerprint would not match.
The certifier. A named professional, with recorded credentials, certified each document.
The access. The certificate was shared by the entity's keyholder, is time-limited and can be ended early.
Each Vault has one annual subscription, paid by the entity's keyholders. It covers all of the Vault's keyholders and every certificate you share, with no extra charge to you per certificate or per person. Accountants and lawyers who certify have their own plan, billed per professional. Register your interest and we will send you current pricing.
You can no longer access your Vault, share new certificates or add documents. Your Vault is reactivated once the subscription is paid up. The records behind certificates already shared are kept in line with AML/CTF record-keeping requirements.
If your accountant or lawyer already uses Certified Original, ask them to set up a Vault for your entity. If they do not, register your interest. We will contact you to arrange a demonstration, and we can talk with your firm about joining.
Yes. Your firm joins Certified Original, each certifier records their professional credentials, and you then prepare and certify Vaults for your clients. Each Vault belongs to the client, and your firm keeps access for as long as the client gives permission. See For certifiers for how it works.
Less chasing. Less uncertainty. One less thing on your mind.