Client story
Client's Story
Where they started
Igor obtained Malta resident status and maintained a Swiss UBS account - a standard configuration for an internationally mobile individual. The problem arose not from non-compliance, but from automation: the CRS system cross-references declared tax residency with the factual picture.
Why the standard route did not work
Under CRS, the bank periodically requests confirmation of tax residency - self-certification indicating country and tax identification number. Igor indicated Malta, but this declaration was backed by weak substance: insufficient days of presence, unconvincing connections, incomplete residence. For the bank this was a red flag - discrepancy between documentation and reality.
What BRIDGES had to solve
The danger here is not abstract: in case of discrepancy, the bank may raise questions about the account, while two jurisdictions may dispute tax residency. Automatic exchange makes precisely the mismatch between declared and actual status transparent.
Why a standard answer would not do
Igor contacted BRIDGES, understanding that the task was not to conceal anything, but rather the opposite - to make the declared residency genuine: support it with real substance, so that CRS sees alignment, not divergence.
I thought obtaining Malta residency was sufficient - and that would be it. But UBS under CRS began asking questions: on paper Malta, but in fact I spend almost no time there. Dmitry explained that I needed real substance, and helped me build it - days of presence, residence, connections. After that, self-certification aligned with reality, and the bank's questions ceased.
