Art. 34 Scope of application of enhanced due diligence measures | Anti-money laundering regulation (AMLR) | AML

1. In the cases referred to in Articles 29, 30, 31 and 36 to 46, as well as in other cases of higher risk that are identified by obliged entities pursuant to Article 20(2), second subparagraph, obliged entities shall apply enhanced due diligence measures to manage and mitigate such risks appropriately.
1. Obliged entities shall examine the origin and destination of fundsor ‘property’ means property as defined in Article 2, point (2), of Directive (EU) 2018/1673; involved in, and the purpose of, all transactions that fulfil at least one of the following conditions:
  1. the transaction is of a complex nature;
  2. the transaction is unusually large;
  3. the transaction is conducted in an unusual pattern;
  4. the transaction does not have an apparent economic or lawful purpose.
1. With the exception of the cases covered by Section 2 of this Chapter, when assessing the risks of money launderingmeans the conduct set out in Article 3, paragraphs 1 and 5, of Directive (EU) 2018/1673 including aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting to commit that conduct, whether the activities which generated the property to be laundered were carried out on the territory of a Member State or on that of a third country; knowledge, intent or purpose required as an element of that conduct may be inferred from objective factual circumstances; and terrorist financingmeans the conduct set out in Article 11 of Directive (EU) 2017/541 including aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting to commit that conduct, whether carried out on the territory of a Member State or on that of a third country; knowledge, intent or purpose required as an element of that conduct may be inferred from objective factual circumstances; posed by a business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration; or occasional transaction, obliged entities shall take into account at least the factors of potential higher risk set out in Annex III and the guidelines adopted by AMLA pursuant to Article 32, as well as any other indicators of higher risk such as notifications issued by the FIU and findings of the business-wide risk assessment under Article 10.
1. With the exception of the cases covered by Section 2 of this Chapter, in cases of higher risk as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, obliged entities shall apply enhanced due diligence measures, proportionate to the higher risks identified, which may include the following measures:
  1. obtaining additional information on the customer and the beneficial ownersmeans any natural person who ultimately owns or controls a legal entity or an express trust or similar legal arrangement;;
  2. obtaining additional information on the intended nature of the business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration;;
  3. obtaining additional information on the source of fundsor ‘property’ means property as defined in Article 2, point (2), of Directive (EU) 2018/1673;, and source of wealth of the customer and of the beneficial ownersmeans any natural person who ultimately owns or controls a legal entity or an express trust or similar legal arrangement;;
  4. obtaining information on the reasons for the intended or performed transactions and their consistency with the business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration;;
  5. obtaining the approval of senior managementmeans the members of the management body in its management function, as well as officers and employees with sufficient knowledge of the obliged entity’s money laundering and terrorist financing risk exposure and sufficient seniority to take decisions affecting its risk exposure; for establishing or continuing the business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration;;
  6. conducting enhanced monitoring of the business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration; by increasing the number and timing of controls applied, and selecting patterns of transactions that need further examination;
  7. requiring the first payment to be carried out through an account in the customer’s name with a credit institutionmeans:a credit institution as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;a branch of a credit institution, as defined in Article 4(1), point (17), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country; subject to customer due diligence standards that are not less robust than those laid down in this Regulation.
1. Where a business relationshipmeans a business, professional or commercial relationship connected with the professional activities of an obliged entity, which is set up between an obliged entity and a customer, including in the absence of a written contract and which is expected to have, at the time when the contact is established, or which subsequently acquires, an element of repetition or duration; that is identified as having a higher risk involves the handling of assets with a value of at least EUR 5 000 000, or the equivalent in national or foreign currency, through personalised services for a customer holding total assets with a value of at least EUR 50 000 000, or the equivalent in national or foreign currency, whether in financial, investable or real estate assets, or a combination thereof, excluding that customer’s private residence, credit institutionsmeans:a credit institution as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;a branch of a credit institution, as defined in Article 4(1), point (17), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country;, financial institutionsmeans:an undertaking other than a credit institution or an investment firm, which carries out one or more of the activities listed in points (2) to (12), (14) and (15) of Annex I to Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(32) Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 338)., including the activities of currency exchange offices (bureaux de change), but excluding the activities referred to in point (8) of Annex I to Directive (EU) 2015/2366, or an undertaking the principal activity of which is to acquire holdings, including a financial holding company, a mixed financial holding company and a financial mixed activity holding company;Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 338).an insurance undertaking as defined in Article 13, point (1), of Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(33) Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1)., insofar as it carries out life or other investment-related assurance activities covered by that Directive, including insurance holding companies and mixed-activity insurance holding companies as defined, respectively, in Article 212(1), points (f) and (g), of Directive 2009/138/EC;Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1).an insurance intermediary as defined in Article 2(1), point (3), of Directive (EU) 2016/97 where it acts with respect to life insurance and other investment-related insurance services, with the exception of an insurance intermediary that does not collect premiums or amounts intended for the customer and which acts under the responsibility of one or more insurance undertakings or intermediaries for the products which concern them respectively;an investment firm as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(34) Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).;Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).a collective investment undertaking, in particular:an undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) as defined in Article 1(2) of Directive 2009/65/EC and its management company as defined in Article 2(1), point (b), of that Directive or an investment company authorised in accordance with that Directive and which has not designated a management company, that makes available for purchase units of UCITS in the Union;an alternative investment fund as defined in Article 4(1), point (a), of Directive 2011/61/EU and its alternative investment fund manager as defined in Article 4(1), point (b), of that Directive that fall within the scope set out in Article 2 of that Directive;a central securities depository as defined in Article 2(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council(35) Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories and amending Directives 98/26/EC and 2014/65/EU and Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 1).;Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories and amending Directives 98/26/EC and 2014/65/EU and Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 1).a creditor as defined in Article 4, point (2), of Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(36) Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 February 2014 on credit agreements for consumers relating to residential immovable property and amending Directives 2008/48/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 34). and in Article 3, point (b), of Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(37) Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC (OJ L 133, 22.5.2008, p. 66).;Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 February 2014 on credit agreements for consumers relating to residential immovable property and amending Directives 2008/48/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 34).Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC (OJ L 133, 22.5.2008, p. 66).a credit intermediary as defined in Article 4, point (5), of Directive 2014/17/EU and in Article 3, point (f), of Directive 2008/48/EC, when holding the funds as defined in Article 4, point (25), of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 in connection with the credit agreement, with the exception of the credit intermediary carrying out activities under the responsibility of one or more creditors or credit intermediaries;a crypto-asset service provider;a branch of a financial institution referred to in points (a) to (i), when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country; and trust or company service providersmeans any natural or legal person that, by way of its business, provides any of the following services to third parties:the formation of companies or other legal persons;acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a director or secretary of a company, a partner of a partnership, or a similar position in relation to other legal persons;providing a registered office, business address, correspondence address or administrative address, as well as other related services for a company, a partnership or any other legal person or legal arrangement;acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a trustee of an express trust or performing an equivalent function for a similar legal arrangement;acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a nominee shareholder for another person; shall apply the following enhanced due diligence measures, in addition to any enhanced due diligence measure applied pursuant to paragraph 4:
  1. specific measures including procedures to mitigate risks associated with personalised services and products offered to that customer;
  2. obtaining additional information on that customer’s source of fundsor ‘property’ means property as defined in Article 2, point (2), of Directive (EU) 2018/1673;;
  3. preventing and managing conflicts of interest between the customer and senior managementmeans the members of the management body in its management function, as well as officers and employees with sufficient knowledge of the obliged entity’s money laundering and terrorist financing risk exposure and sufficient seniority to take decisions affecting its risk exposure; or employees of the obliged entity that undertake tasks related to that obliged entity’s compliance in relation to that customer.
2. By 10 July 2027, AMLA shall issue guidelines on the measures to be taken by credit institutionsmeans:a credit institution as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;a branch of a credit institution, as defined in Article 4(1), point (17), of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country;, financial institutionsmeans:an undertaking other than a credit institution or an investment firm, which carries out one or more of the activities listed in points (2) to (12), (14) and (15) of Annex I to Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(32) Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 338)., including the activities of currency exchange offices (bureaux de change), but excluding the activities referred to in point (8) of Annex I to Directive (EU) 2015/2366, or an undertaking the principal activity of which is to acquire holdings, including a financial holding company, a mixed financial holding company and a financial mixed activity holding company;Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 338).an insurance undertaking as defined in Article 13, point (1), of Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(33) Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1)., insofar as it carries out life or other investment-related assurance activities covered by that Directive, including insurance holding companies and mixed-activity insurance holding companies as defined, respectively, in Article 212(1), points (f) and (g), of Directive 2009/138/EC;Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1).an insurance intermediary as defined in Article 2(1), point (3), of Directive (EU) 2016/97 where it acts with respect to life insurance and other investment-related insurance services, with the exception of an insurance intermediary that does not collect premiums or amounts intended for the customer and which acts under the responsibility of one or more insurance undertakings or intermediaries for the products which concern them respectively;an investment firm as defined in Article 4(1), point (1), of Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(34) Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).;Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).a collective investment undertaking, in particular:an undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) as defined in Article 1(2) of Directive 2009/65/EC and its management company as defined in Article 2(1), point (b), of that Directive or an investment company authorised in accordance with that Directive and which has not designated a management company, that makes available for purchase units of UCITS in the Union;an alternative investment fund as defined in Article 4(1), point (a), of Directive 2011/61/EU and its alternative investment fund manager as defined in Article 4(1), point (b), of that Directive that fall within the scope set out in Article 2 of that Directive;a central securities depository as defined in Article 2(1), point (1), of Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council(35) Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories and amending Directives 98/26/EC and 2014/65/EU and Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 1).;Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories and amending Directives 98/26/EC and 2014/65/EU and Regulation (EU) No 236/2012 (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 1).a creditor as defined in Article 4, point (2), of Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(36) Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 February 2014 on credit agreements for consumers relating to residential immovable property and amending Directives 2008/48/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 34). and in Article 3, point (b), of Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(37) Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC (OJ L 133, 22.5.2008, p. 66).;Directive 2014/17/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 February 2014 on credit agreements for consumers relating to residential immovable property and amending Directives 2008/48/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 34).Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC (OJ L 133, 22.5.2008, p. 66).a credit intermediary as defined in Article 4, point (5), of Directive 2014/17/EU and in Article 3, point (f), of Directive 2008/48/EC, when holding the funds as defined in Article 4, point (25), of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 in connection with the credit agreement, with the exception of the credit intermediary carrying out activities under the responsibility of one or more creditors or credit intermediaries;a crypto-asset service provider;a branch of a financial institution referred to in points (a) to (i), when located in the Union, whether its head office is located in a Member State or in a third country; and trust or company service providersmeans any natural or legal person that, by way of its business, provides any of the following services to third parties:the formation of companies or other legal persons;acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a director or secretary of a company, a partner of a partnership, or a similar position in relation to other legal persons;providing a registered office, business address, correspondence address or administrative address, as well as other related services for a company, a partnership or any other legal person or legal arrangement;acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a trustee of an express trust or performing an equivalent function for a similar legal arrangement;acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a nominee shareholder for another person; to establish whether a customer holds total assets with a value of at least EUR 50 000 000, or the equivalent in national or foreign currency, in financial, investable or real estate assets and how to determine that value.
1. With the exception of the cases covered by Section 2 of this Chapter, where Member States identify cases of higher risks pursuant to Article 8 of Directive (EU) 2024/1640, including as a result of sectoral risk assessments carried out by the Member States, they may require obliged entities to apply enhanced due diligence measures and, where appropriate, specify those measures. Member States shall notify to the Commission and AMLA their decisions imposing enhanced due diligence requirements upon obliged entities established in their territory within 1 month of their adoption, accompanied by a justification of the money launderingmeans the conduct set out in Article 3, paragraphs 1 and 5, of Directive (EU) 2018/1673 including aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting to commit that conduct, whether the activities which generated the property to be laundered were carried out on the territory of a Member State or on that of a third country; knowledge, intent or purpose required as an element of that conduct may be inferred from objective factual circumstances; and terrorist financingmeans the conduct set out in Article 11 of Directive (EU) 2017/541 including aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting to commit that conduct, whether carried out on the territory of a Member State or on that of a third country; knowledge, intent or purpose required as an element of that conduct may be inferred from objective factual circumstances; risks underpinning such decision.
2. Where the risks identified by Member States pursuant to the first subparagraph are likely to stem from outside the Union and may affect the Union’s financial system, AMLA shall, upon a request from the Commission or on its own initiative, consider updating the guidelines adopted pursuant to Article 32.
1. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 85 to supplement this Regulation where it identifies additional cases of higher risk as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article that affect the Union as a whole and enhanced due diligence measures that obliged entities are to apply in those cases, taking into account the notifications by Member States pursuant to paragraph 6, first subparagraph, of this Article.
1. Enhanced due diligence measures shall not be invoked automatically with respect to branches or subsidiaries of obliged entities established in the Union which are located in third countriesmeans any jurisdiction, independent state or autonomous territory that is not part of the Union and that has its own AML/CFT legislation or enforcement regime; referred to in Articles 29, 30 and 31 where those branches or subsidiaries fully comply with the group-wide policies, procedures and controls in accordance with Article 17.