WHAT IS FATCA?

The FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), approved on March 18, 2010, by the US Congress, is a legal document aimed at preventing US Persons who use non-US resident financial institutions to protect their income. In this sense, foreign (non-US) financial institutions are required to report to US tax authorities the holders of US bank accounts.

US Persons are described as:

• US citizens or residents of the United States;
• Individuals born in the USA;
• Individuals with current address of residence or correspondence in the USA;
• Individuals with at least one current telephone number of US origin;
• When there are indications of instructions to make payments from the policy (s) to bank accounts held in the US;
• When there is evidence of power of attorney or other form of empowerment granted to a person with a US address;
• Individuals who provide a postal address with characteristics of “care of …” as the only address available.

Any new customer that matches at least one of these characteristics is considered a potential US Person;

In the case of corporate entities, they are considered US Persons, companies whose registered office is in the United States and companies in which one or more owners are US Persons.