Can a Non-Resident Open a Brokerage Account in Canada?
- Asked By
- Updated On:23-May-2023
- Replies:2
Short Answer
At present, the potential to open a brokerage account in Canada, while being a non-resident is complicated and has numerous terms and conditions. This varies from broker to broker. To become savvy in this topic, continue reading.
Detailed Answer
Who is a Non-resident of Canada?
To figure out if you are a non-resident of Canada, your current status must check-off one of the following:
- I live outside the Canadian border for a full tax year beginning 1st January and ceasing on 31st December
- I live inside the Canadian border for less than 183 days in a specific tax year.
Are you a Non-resident of Canada who would like to open a brokerage account in Canada? Read more to find out, if you can open one.
What is a Brokerage Account?
A brokerage account is a hub where you can invest, procure and peddle various sorts of investments such as shares, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), bonds, and managed funds, based on your goals, investment time frame, and risk appetite.
Top Brokerage Accounts in Canada
We have listed below a few well-known online broking accounts in Canada:
- Questtrade
- TD Direct Investing
- Scotia iTrade
- Wealthsimple Trade
- BMO InvestorLine
Brokerage Account vs Registered Investment Plans of Canada
The difference between a brokerage account and a registered investment plan offered by Canada such as a Tax-free savings account (TFSA), Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), or Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is as follows:
- You do not receive any tax benefits in a brokerage account
- There are no limitations on the amount you contribute to the account
- You can withdraw your funds at any given time from your brokerage account.
Can a Non-Resident Open a Brokerage Account in Canada?
The answer to this is not a straight no. However, at present, the potential to open a brokerage account in Canada, while being a non-resident is complicated and has numerous terms and conditions. This varies from broker to broker.
The foreign policy of some brokers do not allow them to offer services to Non-residents of Canada.
Some brokers allow the non-residents to open a brokerage account after having agreed to a hefty minimum balance, high account-keeping fees, based on the jurisdiction of the non-resident, citizenship status, and after the identity verification process. Such accounts are closely monitored and audited regularly.
Why non-resident cannot open a Brokerage Account in Canada?
Some of the reasons for the stringent rules are:
- Tax assessment and complexity
- Anti-money laundering policies
- To curb terrorist financing
Brokerage Accounts for Non-Residents of Canada
It can be deduced that it is a strenuous process to open a brokerage account in Canada for the non-residents. Hence, it is prudent to open a trading platform in your current country and invest in options that has exposure to the Canadian markets.
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Discussion (1)
There are various steps for Canadian NRI to invest in share market in India. Let's figure out how to invest in Indian stock market from Canada.
There are various online brokerage platforms in Canada. We believe that Questrade, Scotia iTrade and CIBC investor's edge are the best alternatives to Wealthsimple.
To open a brokerage account in Canada, you’ll need to provide your full name and a valid form of a government-issued photo ID and some personal details such as your email address, phone number, residential address and Social Insurance Number (SIN).
There are many steps in Forex trading. Determine your goals, complete research, open a Forex trading account, fund the account and commence trading.
The easiest way to purchase stocks in Canada is to select an online stock broking platform of your choice, choose an investment account, establish an account online, fund the trading account and start buying shares.
Based on our analysis Wealthsimple is a good alternative to Questrade for its cost effectiveness and Qtrade is a good alternative for Questrade for its customer services and research tools.
There are several choices available to Canadians who want to invest in the stock market online. Questrade ranks higher a sone of the best stock trading site for a beginner in Canada, offering access to both the Canadian and American stock markets.
Determine your objective and investment capital. Open a trading account of your choice and purchase the shares of your preference after making an analysis of the market.
We compared top three Forex brokers in Canada, based on various factors like its regulator, commission, pip, minimum deposit, etc. We believe that Ava Trade is the best Forex broker in Canada.
Currently, Etrade is not available in Canada as the broker operates solely in the U.S. Therefore Canadian citizens cannot open an account with ETrade. The broker used to operate in Canada but stopped its operations after 2008. There are many other low-cost brokers available in Canada such as Questrade that you can consider while opening an account.
petergr
Hello, I have read your article about can-non-resident-open-brokerage-account-in-canada, with interest. My current situation and experience is as follows. I have been living in Slovakia for the last 5 Years, I have finally gotten around to telling TD direct investing that I am a non-resident Canadian for tax purposes. The end result was that I cannot trade in my account anymore. I can only liquidate my positions and I can withdraw my money. In essence they have made themselves useless to me as a stock brokerage firm. I am not interested in moving my money outside of Canada, so I am not interested in opening a brokerage account in Slovakia. What I am looking for is a Canadian stock brokerage firm to which I will move my accounts from TD DI, so I can continue to manage my investments. A stockbroker that will give me the minimum hastle concerning the non-residence issues issue, will issue me NR4 slips at the end of the year, and charges reasonable commission fees. Preferably a solid company like maybe one of the banks. If you can offer me two of your best recommendations in this regards, I would appreciate it Thank you. Peter Geier