You list every country where you are resident for tax purposes, with your tax identification number for each one. The bank then checks that your answer fits what it already knows about you. You cannot pick the residence you would prefer.
What the form asks
For an individual, the UAE Ministry of Finance says a valid form shows these details.
- Your name and residence address.
- Every country where you are resident for tax purposes.
- Your tax identification number for each of those countries.
- Your date of birth.
- Your signature or other confirmation, and the date.
A company or other entity fills in a similar form. It also states its CRS classification and, where it is a passive entity, names its controlling persons. Our note Is my company a passive entity under CRS? explains that part.
Residence means tax residence
Each country decides under its own law who is resident there, so you can be resident in more than one at once. A visa or a home address does not settle the point. If two countries both treat you as resident, you list both.
The bank checks your answer
A bank must test whether your form is reasonable against its account opening and anti-money laundering records. If your form says the UAE but your file shows an address elsewhere, it will ask for a new form or an explanation with evidence. For a UAE residence claim, the guidance lets banks rely on a valid UAE residence visa and answers to extra questions. These cover how you obtained residence, any other residence and where you paid income tax last year.
The stakes are real. Under the UAE rules, a person who gives a form with information they knew or should have known was wrong faces a penalty of AED 20,000.
An example
Priya Nair moved from Singapore to Dubai in March and holds a UAE residence visa. Her Dubai bank sends her the form. She checks Singapore's rules before signing and finds she has ceased to be resident there. She lists the UAE only. Her Dubai address on the form matches the bank's file, so the form passes the bank's check.
Quick questions
Can the bank open my account without the form?
Not for a new account. Under the UAE rules, the bank must obtain and check a valid form, and faces a penalty if it does not.
Do I need to tell the bank if things change?
Yes. A change such as moving country means the bank must obtain a new form, so tell it promptly.
Sources: UAE Ministry of Finance, CRS FAQs; UAE Ministry of Finance, Guidance Notes for the Common Reporting Standard.
General information as at October 2026, not advice. The examples are fictional and simplified, and the rules have conditions and exceptions not covered here. Take advice on your own circumstances, in each country involved, before acting.