FIC Issues User Guide on Geographic Location Reporting under Directive 10

Posted 14 October 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Financial Sector

Brought to you by SA Legal Academy: In terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, No. 38 of 2001 (FIC Act), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has published a compliance user guide governing the submission of geographic location information required in terms of Directive 10.

In terms of Directive 10, issued under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, No. 38 of 2001, every accountable institution maintaining business operations across more than one geographic location is required to provide the particulars of each operational site when registering with the FIC or maintaining its registration particulars.

The published user guide details the technical procedures for submitting and updating this geographic information on the FIC’s registration and reporting platform (goAML).

Key Compliance Obligations

Under Directive 10, multi-location accountable institutions listed under Schedule 1 to the FIC Act must capture:

  • The full physical address and geographic location details of the head office, as well as each regional branch or physical operational office;
  • The designated contact particulars and reporting personnel tied to each branch or operational site; and
  • Ongoing profile updates on the FIC platform within prescribed statutory timeframes whenever geographic operational points open, close, or relocate.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Compliance officers and designated FIC reporting administrators must review the user guide to ensure they understand the technical data-entry workflow on the goAML registration portal.
  • For your business: Accountable institutions operating in multiple locations must audit their existing FIC registration profile and submit updated geographic location data for all operating branches to ensure alignment with Directive 10.
  • For your clients: Advise Schedule 1 accountable institution clients with multiple physical offices to reconcile their branch records on the FIC platform to avoid administrative sanctions for defective registration records under section 43B of the FIC Act.

Originally published at https://legalacademy.co.za/news/read/financial-intelligence-geographic-location-information-user-guide-published

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