Readers’ forum: Certificates of residency

Obtaining certificates of residency is a constant battle for my clients. They are often needed with short notice whether because the foreign jurisdiction suddenly demands them or because my client does not tell me in good time that one is needed.

This has always been a problem area but things have come to a head during the pandemic not least because clients have often become stuck in the ‘wrong’ country because of travel restrictions.

I have one particular client that needs the certificates regularly for a number of countries. It took six months for HMRC to process the last application and then it ended up sending the wrong documents. I am following the guidance on the HMRC website (see tinyurl.com/2c62vfuy) and am trying both online and in writing but the process is agonisingly slow.

Have readers managed to find a way of...