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MissWong(Initiate)Initiate
6 Feb 2026

Q1) Can my company appoint a working visa holder who ordinarily resides in Australia as the Public Officer? According to the ATO website, the eligibility criteria do not state that the person must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.


Q2) Can I update the newly appointed Public Officer’s details online via the Australian Business Register or Online services for business? If I update the details online, does this mean the ATO has been formally notified of the appointment?

Do I still need to submit Form NAT 2943 in paper form?

Also, do I need to provide a board resolution confirming the appointment? If notification is considered done by updating it through ATO online serivices for business, this is the most convenient way. Apart from notifying ATO , is that I need to update details in ABR?




173 views
2 replies
173 views
2 replies

All replies

7 Feb 2026

Hello @MissWong,


That's correct, the ATO do not appear to discriminate with citizenship in this case. Just state that the Public Officer must ordinarily live in Australia.


If an update is made through the ABR, it usually flows through into the ATO systems (not guaranteed), but if you make the update in the ABR 'and' send in the NAT 2943, you'll be covered.


Yes, meeting minutes confirming the appointment would be needed if you decide to send in the paper form. 👌

MissWong(Initiate)Initiate
9 Feb 2026

Thank you @BroncosvRabbits


Thank you for the information. I called the ATO hotline today and I received the same confirmation that no citizenship requirement for being a Public Officer.


While for the notification of appointment of Public Officer, same as you provided, ATO staff confirmed that by asking the current Public Officer to update the new Public Officer details in ATO business tax portal, they do not require us to send the NAT 2943 form.


Thank you for helping with these questions.

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What is the criteria of a Public Officer? | ATO Community