Council Directive 2003/48/EC (repealed)Show full title

[F1 Article 3 U.K. Identity and residence of beneficial owners

1. Each Member State shall, within its territory, adopt and ensure the application of the procedures necessary to allow the paying agent to identify the beneficial owners and their residence for the purposes of Articles 8 to 12.

Such procedures shall comply with the minimum standards established in paragraphs 2 and 3.

2. The paying agent shall establish the identity of the beneficial owner on the basis of minimum standards which vary according to when relations between the paying agent and the beneficial owner are entered into, as follows:

(a) for contractual relations entered into before 1 January 2004 , the paying agent shall establish the identity of the beneficial owner, consisting of the name and address, by using the information at its disposal, in particular pursuant to the regulations in force in its State of establishment and to Directive 2005/60/EC;

(b) for contractual relations entered into, or transactions carried out in the absence of contractual relations, on or after 1 January 2004 , the paying agent shall establish the identity of the beneficial owner, consisting of the name, address, date and place of birth and, in accordance with the list referred to in paragraph 4, the tax identification number or equivalent allocated by the Member State where the beneficial owner is resident for tax purposes. For contractual relations entered into, or transactions carried out in the absence of contractual relations, before 1 July 2015 information about date and place of birth is only required where no such tax identification number or equivalent is available.

The details referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph shall be established on the basis of a passport or an official identity card or any other official identity document, where applicable as specified in the list referred to in paragraph 4, presented by the beneficial owner. Any such details which do not appear on these documents shall be established on the basis of any other documentary proof of identity presented by the beneficial owner.

3. Where the beneficial owner voluntarily presents a tax residence certificate issued by the competent authority of a country within the three years before the payment date or a later date when the payment is deemed to accrue to a beneficial owner, his residence shall be considered to be situated in that country. Failing this, his residence shall be considered to be situated in the country where he has his permanent address. The paying agent shall establish the permanent address of the beneficial owner on the basis of the following minimum standards:

(a) for contractual relations entered into before 1 January 2004 , the paying agent shall establish the current permanent address of the beneficial owner by using the best information at its disposal, in particular pursuant to the regulations in force in its State of establishment and to Directive 2005/60/EC;

(b) for contractual relations entered into, or transactions carried out in the absence of contractual relations, on or after 1 January 2004 , the paying agent shall establish the current permanent address of the beneficial owner on the basis of the address resulting from the identification procedures set out in point (b) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 2 to be updated on the basis of the most recent documentation that is available to the paying agent.

In the situation referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph, where beneficial owners present a passport or an official identity card or any other official identity document issued by a Member State and declare themselves to be resident in a third country, residence shall be established by means of a tax residence certificate issued within the three years before the payment date or a later date when the payment is deemed to accrue to a beneficial owner by the competent authority of the third country in which the beneficial owner claims to be resident. Failing the presentation of such a certificate, the Member State which issued the passport, official identity card or other official identity document shall be considered to be the country of residence. For beneficial owners about whom the paying agent has official documentation at its disposal proving that they have their residence for tax purposes in a country different from that of their permanent address because of the privileges linked to their diplomatic status or to other internationally agreed rules, residence shall be established by means of such official documentation available to the paying agent.

4. Each Member State allocating tax identification numbers or equivalent shall, by 31 December 2014 , inform the Commission about the structure and format of these numbers as well as of the official documentation containing information on allocated identification numbers. Each Member State shall also inform the Commission if any changes in this respect occur. The Commission shall publish in the Official Journal of the European Union a compiled list of the information received.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Council Directive 2014/48/EU of 24 March 2014 amending Directive 2003/48/EC on taxation of savings income in the form of interest payments.