Beta Version

Website Last updated:

June 26, 2026

This comprehensive Guidance Note issued by the Ministry of Finance details the implementation of the Common Reporting Standard in the UAE. It outlines the legal framework supported by Federal Law No. 48 of 2018 and Federal Law No. 54 of 2018. The document clarifies the 'widest approach' adopted by the UAE, requiring due diligence on all non-US and non-UAE tax residents. Key provisions include the definition of Reporting Financial Institutions, the appointment of Regulatory Authorities (including the Central Bank and SCA), and specific timelines for reporting (annually by 30 June). It implements Sections I through IX of the CRS Regulations, covering due diligence for new and pre-existing accounts, anti-avoidance measures, and rigorous self-certification requirements for residency claims.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
MINISTRY OF FINANCE

Guidance Notes for the Common Reporting Standard (CRS)

Issue Date: September 2023

1. General Introduction

2. Legal Basis

3. Key Timelines

4. Confidentiality

5. CRS Options

5.1. CRS Approach
5.2. CRS Options

6. UAE Tax Residency Definitions

7. Anti-Avoidance

Schedule 1 - Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information Regulations

Section I - General Reporting Requirements
Section II - General Due Diligence Requirements
Section III - Due Diligence for Pre-Existing Individual Accounts
Section IV - Due Diligence for New Individual Accounts
Section V - Due Diligence for Pre-Existing Entity Accounts
Section VI - Due Diligence for New Entity Accounts
Section VII - Special Due Diligence Rules
Section VIII - Defined Terms
Section IX - Complementary Reporting and Due Diligence Rules
Annex 1 - Non-Reporting Financial Institutions
Annex 2 - Excluded Accounts
Annex 3 - Participating Jurisdictions

DISCLAIMER:

This Guidance Note is designed to provide information in relation to the implementation of the Automatic Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes - the Common Reporting Standard - (“CRS”) in the UAE and replaces any previous Guidance issued.
This document does not constitute legal or tax advice. Reviewing this document is not a substitute for: (i) reviewing and considering the relevant applicable laws in their entirety and in detail; and (ii) obtaining appropriate legal and tax advice.

www.mof.gov.ae

General Introduction

“The Common Reporting Standard (CRS), developed in response to the G20 request and approved by the OECD Council on 15 July 2014, calls on jurisdictions to obtain information from their financial institutions and automatically exchange that information with other jurisdictions on an annual basis. It sets out the financial account information to be exchanged, the financial institutions required to report, the different types of accounts and taxpayers covered, as well as common due diligence procedures to be followed by financial institutions.

The Standard consists of the following four key parts:

A model Competent Authority Agreement (CAA), providing the international legal framework for the automatic exchange of CRS information;
The Common Reporting Standard;
The Commentaries on the CAA and the CRS; and
The CRS XML Schema User Guide.”

Contents

General Introduction