All QFC-licensed firms register with the QFC Tax Department after their licence is issued. Registration is completed through the QFC Client Portal. This page covers what should be prepared before starting the process.
Firms should register whether or not they have commenced activities. Completing tax registration keeps other QFC services available, including immigration requests and computer card renewals.
Registration applies to every QFC-licensed firm.
Commencement status is correct | Commencement to trade date is accurate, where applicable | First financial year-end is correct |
Tax Representative's details are current | One industry type has been selected | All three tabs have been checked and completed |
Every mandatory field marked with a red asterisk is complete |
Incomplete or inaccurate forms are returned for correction, which delays approval.
Firms that have commenced activitiesA firm has commenced activities once its licensed services are being offered to the market, or tenders are being issued. The firm does not need to have earned revenue or signed its first contract. Care should be taken with the commencement to trade date. It sets the start of the first Tax Accounting Period, so an accurate date keeps filing deadlines correct from the outset. If there is any uncertainty, tax advice should be obtained before submitting. | Firms that have not yet commenced activitiesIf services are not yet being offered and tenders are not being issued, "Not yet commenced activities under the QFC licence" should be selected on the registration form. The firm still completes tax registration at this stage. A Tax Registration Card is issued once the firm commences activities. The Tax Registration should be updated when the firm begins operating, so that Accounting Periods and filing dates are set correctly.
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Whether the firm has commenced activities under its QFC licence; | The date the firm commenced activities, where applicable; | The date to which the first accounts or financial statements will be made up (the first financial year-end); |
The details of the person who will act as Tax Representative; | The one industry type that best reflects the firm's QFC licensed operations; and | Any supporting documents to be submitted with the registration. |
The first financial year-end is the date to which the accounts or financial statements will be made up. This date is entered on the registration form.
If the first Accounting Period will run longer than 12 months, approval should be requested from the QFC Tax Department so that one Tax Return can cover the whole period. Without approval, a long period is split across two Tax Returns. A long first Accounting Period can run up to 18 months.
This can be any person within the firm or the wider firm network, including a colleague based overseas.
It cannot be a third party.
QFC sends important notices to these contact details, so keeping them current ensures information reaches the right person.
The firm is responsible for keeping Tax Representative details up to date.
To appoint a third-party tax adviser, the person should be authorised separately as a Tax Agent through the Tax Agents service in the Client Portal. The two roles are different. See the Ongoing QFC Tax Requirements page for how to manage a Tax Agent.
Sign in to the QFC Client Portal and select the Tax tab.
Select the Tax Registration tab.
Select Register Taxpayer.
Complete all three tabs: Taxpayer Details, Representative Details and Tax Representative Details.
Upload any documents to be submitted with the registration.
Submit the form.
The entity name, QFC number, type and address complete automatically from the Companies Registration Office records and appear as greyed-out fields. Fields marked with a red asterisk are mandatory. Representative Details are also drawn from CRO records. If anything is missing, it should be updated through the CRO tab on the Client Portal.
Commencement status is correct | Commencement to trade date is accurate, where applicable | First financial year-end is correct |
Tax Representative's details are current | One industry type has been selected | All three tabs have been checked and completed |
Every mandatory field marked with a red asterisk is complete |
Incomplete or inaccurate forms are returned for correction, which delays approval.
The first Tax Registration Card is issued automatically. On approval the firm also receives a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), which does not expire and stays valid for as long as the firm is licensed and continues its licensed activities.
Keep your registration details current and see the Tax Return, payment and record-keeping requirements that now apply to your firm.
Note: This information is general guidance. Firms should refer to the QFC Tax Regulations, Tax Rules and official QFC guidance, and obtain professional advice where required.
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