International Data Exchange Service (IDES) - Knowledge Base
Frequently Asked Questions
See if you can find what you need from these frequently asked questions:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a GIIN? | GIIN stands for Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN) and will be identified on a published list available at www.irs.gov/fatca |
| Will Financial Institutions (FIs) and Branches that are limited be issued GIINs? | No, FIs and branches that are limited will not be issued GIINs. |
| How are Branch GIINs assigned? | If a Financial Institution added branches to the registration, each approved branch will be issued a GIIN. If more than one branch is entered with the same country name, then all branches in that country will receive the same GIIN. The FATCA Registration User Guide has more information on how to register branches. Please also reference the GIIN Composition Document posted on the FATCA Registration Resources page to understand how the GIIN is composed. |
| Where does a Financial Institution locate its GIIN? | A GIIN is issued to an FI when its registration is approved. An FI can log into its FATCA Registration account and view its GIIN under the account information section of the home page. |
| What is the format of the GIIN? | The GIIN is a 19-character identification string that is a composite of different identifiers, including the FATCA ID, Financial Institution type, category code and country identifier. For more information see the full description in the GIIN Composition Document. |
| Are the period (.) separators in the GIIN required? | Yes. The period separators comprise three characters in the 19-character identification number. Please see the GIIN Composition Document for more information. |
| What is the maximum number of admins and users per account? | We currently do not have a limit at this time. |
| What are the password requirements for FATCA accounts? | When creating a FATCA account, a Single, Lead or Sponsoring Entity FI will create an access code (like a password) to be used with the systemically assigned FATCA ID for all future logins to the account. The access code must be between eight and 20 characters and include at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one of the designated special characters (~ ! @ # % ^ * ( ) ? , .). For Member FIs, the registration system will generate a unique FATCA ID and a temporary access code for each member when the Lead FI creates the member accounts. The Lead FI will provide the login information to each of its member FIs. When each member FI logs in to their FATCA account, they will be prompted to select a new access code and set answers to challenge questions. Challenge questions and access code cannot be reset for any Member by the Lead FI. They must be managed individually by the Member FI. |
| What type of notifications will the FATCA Registration system provide? | The FATCA Registration system will generate automatic e-mail notifications to the Responsible Officer (RO) to check the FATCA account when a financial institution (FI) registration changes between some statuses. There will also be messages posted on the FI's message board, which it can access on the home page of its FATCA account. |
| What languages will the registration system be available in? | The registration system will be in English only; however only certain special characters will be accepted (~ ! @ # % ^ * ( ) ? , . ). |
| Will there be a test environment or a beta version of the FATCA registration system? | No, there will not be a test environment or a beta version of the registration system. The registration system is currently open. The FI’s can input their data. On or after January 1, 2014, the FI will need to submit their registration. |
| Will there be an automatic check of legal names against a database to prevent misspellings or to provide consistent formatting? | The system will validate that the legal name contains only valid characters, but will not check the legal name against any database for spelling or format issues. Valid characters include lower and upper case letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), and the following special characters: blank space, ampersand, hyphen, forward slash, period, comma, apostrophe, pound sign, percent sign, brackets, parentheses, and curly brackets (% - / . , ' # % [ ] ( ) { }). The legal name cannot start with a special character. |
| What is the maximum number of characters allowed for name fields? | Most name fields allow for up to 150 characters to be input. You will not be able to input more characters than allowed in a particular field. There are specific error messages to guide you when you click on the “Next” or “Save” button in the registration system if there is a problem with the input you provided. |
| What is the Foreign Financial Institution (FFI) List? | The FFI List is issued by IRS and includes all financial institutions and branches that have submitted a registration and have been assigned a Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN) at the time the list was compiled. |
| Will the monthly update to the FFI List contain just the additions and deletions from the prior month after the initial list is published? | At the beginning of each month, a complete new list will be published for all financial institutions and branches that have an assigned and approved GIIN as of a specified cut-off date five business days prior to the end of the previous month. The archived prior months' FFI Lists (beginning with the July 2014 list) are available to download in CSV zipped and XML zipped formats on the FFI List Search and Download Tool. |
| Will an archive of previously released versions of the monthly FFI List be available for viewing and download on the IRS Website? | Yes. The archived prior months' FFI Lists (beginning with the July 2014 list) are available to download in CSV zipped and XML zipped formats on the FFI List Search and Download Tool. |
| How frequently will the FFI list file be updated? | The FFI list will be updated monthly on the 1st of the month. |
| What languages will the FFI list be available in? | The FFI list will be published in English only. |
| What is the International Data Exchange Services (IDES) system? | System that allows IRS to exchange tax payer information with foreign tax authorities (e.g., HCTA and/or FFI). An overview of data transmission to the IDES system is currently available on the IRS website at FATCA International Data Exchange Resources and Support Information (IDES). |
| What is an IRS Public Key? | The IRS Public Key is a Certificate that can be downloaded from the IDES Enrollment site. This certificate needs to be included in the FATCA Transmission to the IRS . |
| How do I obtain a GIIN? | You obtain a GIIN from the IRS. Please refer to FATCA User Guide on the IRS website. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5118.pdf |
| What are the username requirements? |
You can use any username as long as it is not already in use. The preferred format is "first initial" of your first name and your "last name."
|
| How do I find out who is the Admin User for our FI? | Contact your FI. |
| What functions can I perform as an Admin? | The FI Administrator will be able to Add Users, Disable Users, and Enable Users, Update the Certificate, Update Alert Notifications for User, Create a Metadata File, Reset Passwords for User(s), and download an IRS Public Key. |
| Can I add additional Admins to our FI or HCTA? | No there can only be one Admin for your FI or HCTA. |
| How do I replace our Admin? | Please contact the IRS. |
| How do I add a user to the IDES? | The Admin can add an End User. Please see your Admin. |
| How do I reset my password? | From the "IDES Enrollment Log In" screen click "Forgot Password". |
| As an Admin, how do I reset a user's password? | Once you log in you can click "Reset Password" to reset the password for any user. |
| What do the Alerts mean? | Email Alerts for specific actions and confirmations from IDES. |
| How can I manage my Alerts? | Once you log in, click "Update Alert Preferrences" to manage your alerts. |
| What is an HCTA? | HCTA stands for Host County Tax Authority. |
| How do I register my HCTA? | Please visit www.irs.gov |
| When is my report due? | Refer to www.irs.gov |
| What browsers are supported by the IDES Enrollment site? | IDES will function on the latest version of browsers (e.g. Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Safari). |
| What is an Authorized Security Certificate? | Authorized Security Certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CA) to verify your authenticity. The CAs will provide information to IDES on the continued validity of the certificate (e.g., has the certificate been revoked, has the date expired, etc.). Each CA will have a process for releasing the certificate to you. You will need to provide information to the CA to prove who you are. |
| Where do I get a certificate? | See the list (below) of approved Certificate Authority (CA) and the required certificate from that CA. |
| What file format should my certificate be in? | The certificate file must have a .pem (Base64) or .der (Binary) file extension for loading into IDES. |
| Can I use the same certificate for 2 different GIINs? | As long as the GIIN are part of the same entity. |
| Once I enroll as an Administrator, will the End Users I add need to have a certificate also? | Once you have completed enrollment of your Administrator you can enroll other End Users under the Administrator. The End Users will not be required to upload a certificate since the Administrator has already completed the certificate upload. |
| Why do I need to get a certificate? | The certificate is a trusted instrument to show the recipient that the sender is truly who they say they are and provides proof of ownership of the public key, verified by the Certificate Authority (CA). |
| What information is in a certificate? | This certificate includes a public key, information about the owner’s identity and a digital signature of the entity that has verified the certificates content. |
| Can I use a different type of certificate from one of the approved Certificate Authorities than what the required certificate is from that company? | No, you must have the required certificate from the company of your choice. Example: If you choose IdenTrust you must obtain their Trust ID Server (SSL) Certificate. |
| Certificate Authority (CA) | Required Certificate | External Website Link |
| DigiCert | SSL Plus | SSL Plus |
| GlobalSign | Organization SSL | Organization SSL |
| StartCom | Start SSL EV | Start SSL EV |
| Symantic/Verisign | Secure Site SSL | Secure Site SSL |
| Entrust | Standard SSL | Standard SSL |
| IdenTrust | Trust ID Server (SSL) | Trust ID Server (SSL) |
| IdenTrust | FATCA Organizational Certificate | FATCA Organizational Certificate |
| Thawte | SSL Web Server | SSL Web Server |
You must obtain the required certificate from the specific CA.
Example: If you choose IdenTrust you must obtain their Trust ID Server (SSL) Certificate.