Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have the following:
- A free ABR GUID — register at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/WebServices
- Odoo 18.0 instance (Community or Enterprise)
- Outbound internet access to abr.business.gov.au
Setup
Follow these steps to install and configure the module.
Install the Module
Upload the module ZIP to your Odoo instance (or extract it into your addons path). Go to Apps, click Update Apps List, then search for 'ABN Lookup' and click Install.
Enter Your ABR GUID
Navigate to Settings → General Settings → ABN Lookup. Paste your ABR Authentication GUID into the field. This GUID authenticates all API requests to the Australian Business Register.
Configure Auto-Lookup (Optional)
Toggle 'Automatic ABN Lookup' to have ABN and ACN populated every time you create a new contact. Toggle 'Auto Set Address from ABR' to also fill in the registered business address.
Manual ABN Lookup
How to look up ABN, ACN, and address for any contact.
Lookup ABN for an Existing Contact
Open any contact and click the 'Lookup ABN' button in the form header. The module searches the ABR using the contact's name (and postcode if available). A wizard shows all matching results.
Select a Result
Review the results table showing ABN, status, entity name, name type, state, and postcode. Tick 'Update Address' if you want to fill in the address too. Click 'Select' on the correct row.
Verify the Contact
The contact's Tax ID (ABN) and ACN fields are now populated. If you selected address update, the street, city, state, postcode, and country are filled in from the ABR record.
Automatic Lookup
Set up automatic ABN lookup when creating new contacts.
Creating a New Contact
With auto-lookup enabled, simply create a new contact with a company name and save. The module searches the ABR in the background and fills in ABN and ACN automatically.
Address Auto-Population
If 'Auto Set Address from ABR' is enabled, the registered business address is also written to the contact — including street, city, state, postcode, and country set to Australia.
Configuration
Settings and configuration details.
ABR Authentication GUID
Your GUID is stored as a system parameter. Register for free at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/WebServices — approval is usually instant. One GUID works for your entire Odoo instance.
Auto-Lookup Behaviour
Automatic lookup runs silently on contact creation. If the ABR returns no results or is unreachable, the contact is still created normally — errors are logged, not raised. You can always look up manually later.
💡 Tips & Best Practices
Register your ABR GUID first — it's free and usually approved instantly at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/WebServices.
Use the manual lookup button for existing contacts that are missing ABN data — it's the fastest way to backfill.
The auto-lookup matches by company name, so the more accurate the name the better the results.
Check the ABN status column in the wizard — 'Cancelled' ABNs are still shown so you can see them, but you'd typically select an 'Active' one.
If auto-lookup doesn't find a match, it won't overwrite anything — you can always do a manual lookup later.
Ready to get started?
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