Locate a Person in South Australia

There is usually a point at which waiting and hoping stops working. Finding somebody in South Australia is rarely about one clever database search. It is about assembling fragments, an old address, a vehicle, a relative, an employer, until the current picture resolves. That is what our tracing work does. We will give you a straight assessment of whether this is worth doing at all.

South Australia is a state of about one point eight million people built on defence, wine, agriculture, advanced manufacturing and health. Call 1300 773 293 at any hour, or read on for how we handle locating people here.

Why people in South Australia call us

You are trying to find a birth parent or an adopted child
A beneficiary named in a will cannot be located
A former tenant left owing money and damage
A parent has moved without providing a new address
An estate cannot be settled until a person is found
Somebody has stopped contact and the family is worried rather than angry

Local conditions in South Australia

Covering South Australia means working from metropolitan Adelaide out to the Fleurieu, the Riverland, the Limestone Coast and Eyre Peninsula. Distance is the main constraint, so we plan around it: we confirm the ground before an operative is committed, and we tell you when travel time is going to make a job uneconomic rather than billing you for a day in a car.

We work regularly across and Adelaide, and we travel further into South Australia where a matter calls for it.

How we run locating people in South Australia

We take every detail you have, however small, including old addresses, dates of birth and known associates
We confirm the identity properly, because tracing the wrong person wastes everybody’s time
We work the public record, including property, corporate and electoral sources where lawfully available
We rule out same name matches before reporting anything
Where necessary we verify the address physically before reporting it
We tell you how current each source is, so you know how fresh the address really is

Locate a Person and the law in South Australia

Before anything starts, you should understand what is and is not permitted. Tracing is lawful research, but what you may do with the result is not unlimited. We will not provide an address where we have reason to believe it will be used to harass, intimidate or harm somebody, and we ask about the purpose at the outset. Where a person is subject to a protection order or has taken deliberate steps to remain hidden for safety reasons, we decline the work. The Surveillance Devices Act 2016 (SA) also limits how any monitoring may be conducted in South Australia. Evidence gathered outside those limits is worthless to you, and it hands the other side a much better story than the one you were trying to tell.

This is general information rather than legal advice. If your matter is already before a court, speak to your solicitor about what evidence will assist and we will work to that brief.

What you will pay

There is no reason for pricing to be mysterious. Most traces are quoted as a fixed fee with a no locate discount, so you are not paying full price for an unsuccessful search. A person with a stable history in South Australia is usually found quickly. Somebody actively avoiding contact across South Australia takes longer and we will tell you that before you commit. No work begins until you have agreed the scope and the figure in writing.

Who you are dealing with

You are entitled to know who you are hiring. Sydney Private Investigations has been operating since 2002 and trades as GORA Investigations Pty Ltd, ABN 34 600 932 438. We hold NSW Master Licence 412080174 and VIC Master Licence Z6583160S. Work in South Australia is conducted in accordance with the Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995 (SA), administered by Consumer and Business Services, and where a locally licensed operative is required we engage one rather than cutting a corner.

We do not use aggressive sales scripts and we do not chase people who decide against proceeding. If the answer is no, that is a perfectly fine answer.

Frequently asked questions

How likely is it that you will find them?

For a person who is not deliberately hiding, the success rate is high. For somebody actively avoiding detection it is lower and we will give you an honest assessment before you spend anything.

What information do you need from me?

A full name and date of birth are the strongest starting point. Old addresses, previous employers, vehicle details, relatives and any photographs all help.

Do you serve documents as well?

We can locate and then arrange service, or provide the confirmed address to your solicitor or a process server.

What if the person does not want to be found?

We will not hand over an address where the purpose looks like harassment or where somebody appears to have relocated for their own safety. We ask about the reason at the start.

How long does a trace take?

Straightforward matters in South Australia often resolve within a few business days. Complex traces can take two to three weeks.

Other things we do in South Australia

Talk to an investigator about South Australia

Call 1300 773 293. The line is answered twenty four hours a day. You will speak to somebody who does this work, not to a receptionist reading from a script.

If you would rather write to us, use the contact form and we will come back to you the same day.