Create an account
Go to Create a free account:
- Enter your first name, last name and email address, and tick to accept the terms.
- We email you a six-digit code. Enter it to confirm the address is yours.
- Choose a password. You are signed in straight away.
No identity document, date of birth, phone number or address is asked for at this point, and there is no approval to wait for.
Signing in with Carbon Tracker® instead
If you use Carbon Tracker, you can choose Sign in with Carbon Tracker on the sign-in page instead of registering. That gives you a Carbon Trader account tied to your Carbon Tracker login. It is a separate account: it is never matched to a Carbon Trader account by email address, so if you already sign in here with an email address and password, keep using that account.
What you can do straight away
- Browse the units for sale and the wanted requests.
- List your own units, choosing for each listing whether it sells with escrow or direct. A listing costs $29 including GST, with no success fee.
- Save your bank account and Emissions Trading Register account details under Account details.
- Post a wanted request for units you would like to buy.
- Use every calculator and data tool on the site. Those need no account at all.
When your identity is confirmed
Identity is confirmed once, when a trade of yours first goes into escrow, because that is the point at which Carbon Trader® holds money and units for the parties. A direct sale, which the buyer and seller settle between themselves, involves no identity check by Carbon Trader.
| If you are | Identity is confirmed | What that means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a lot sold with escrow | Before you buy. | The lot asks you to confirm your identity in place of the Buy button. Once it is confirmed you can buy, and you then have 7 days to pay. Doing it early, before you find a lot, saves the wait. |
| Funding a wanted request | Before the invoice for the offer is issued. | You can post the request first. It goes live to sellers once your identity is confirmed and the money has arrived. |
| Selling to a wanted request | Before you sell to it. | The buyer's money is already in escrow, so the sale moves straight to settlement once you accept. |
| Selling a listing with escrow | Before you are paid out. | Your lot can sell and the buyer can pay into escrow first. The money is released to you once your identity is confirmed and the units have arrived. |
| Withdrawing units from a Carbon Trader wallet | Before the withdrawal is processed. | The request is held until your identity is confirmed. |
Once it is done, it is done. You are not asked again for later trades.
How to confirm your identity
Sign in, open your dashboard and choose Confirm identity. You can do this at any time. You do not have to wait for a trade.
Step 1 - your details, as they appear on your ID
Enter your first, middle and last names, date of birth, mobile number and residential address, and answer the question about politically exposed persons. Most people answer No to that question.
Step 2 - a certified copy of your ID
Upload a certified copy of your identity document: either a passport on its own, or a New Zealand driver licence together with one supporting document, such as a bank card or statement or a government statement like one from Inland Revenue. The screen lists the documents it accepts.
A Justice of the Peace, lawyer, notary, chartered accountant, police officer, doctor, registered teacher or minister of religion can certify a copy. JP services at libraries are free. The certification must:
- show the certifier's name, capacity and signature, and the date;
- say that it is a true copy of the original;
- say that the document represents the identity of the named person;
- be less than 12 months old, with the photo clearly visible.
A clear photo or a PDF is fine, up to 15 MB.
Step 3 - a person reviews it
A person at Carbon Trader checks the copy against the details you entered, under the Identity Verification Code of Practice, and we email you when it is done. You can keep listing units and managing your details while that happens.
What the identity status means
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Not started | You have not yet given your details or a document. | Nothing, until you trade. Or do it now so it is out of the way. |
| Under review | Your details and document are with us. | Wait for our email. Add another document only if you have been asked for one. |
| More needed | We could not confirm your identity from what was provided. The screen says why. | Upload an updated document. |
| Confirmed | Your identity is confirmed. | Nothing more. Any sale waiting on this step moves on to payout. |
Companies, trusts and estates
The same step applies. Identity is confirmed for the people who can bind the company, trust or estate, at the same point: when a trade goes into escrow. We may ask for documents showing who those people are, such as a trust deed.
What we never ask for
Carbon Trader never asks for your RealMe login, your Emissions Trading Register password or access to your Register account, and does not ask for a selfie, a video or a code sent to your phone. Refuse anyone who does.
Common questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The confirmation code never arrived. | Check your junk folder, then ask for a new code from the same screen. If the address already has an account, we email to say so instead of sending a code: sign in, or use Forgot your password?. If nothing arrives, contact us from the address you registered with. |
| My identity was confirmed on Carbon Trader before this change. | Nothing changes for you. Your account stays confirmed and you are not asked for documents. |
| Can I list before confirming my identity? | Yes. Listing needs only an account. Proof that the units are yours is a separate check about the units, described in Selling NZUs: how to list. |
| My lot sold but I have not confirmed my identity. | If the lot sold with escrow, the buyer's money is held in escrow. Open Confirm identity and complete the two steps. Payout follows once it is confirmed and the units have arrived. |
| Do I need to confirm my identity for a direct sale? | Not for Carbon Trader. In a direct sale the buyer pays the seller and the seller transfers the units, without Carbon Trader holding either, so we do not check identity. You may still want to satisfy yourself about the other party before money or units move. |
| Do I need an authenticator app? | No. It is optional extra sign-in security. See Sign in, passwords and security. |