Open a brokerage account | National Bank

Select your direct brokerage account

Frequently opened accounts
Other types of accounts
Accounts for legal entities

Fill out the secured online form and take advantage of our fully digital experience to open one or more accounts at the same time.

Good to know: you can continue your form where you left off at any time by entering the request number and the password created during your first connection.

RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan)

Invest tax-free and receive a deduction from your contributions.

TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account)

Invest your savings tax-free and receive a deduction for your contributions.

Cash account

Use available cash from your account to buy securities.

Margin account

Borrow money from your securities to fund additional investments.

Margin/Short-selling account

Sell a borrowed security to buy it back later for less. Includes opening a margin account.

Complete the form

You will need a photo ID and your banking information to complete the form.

Complete the secure online form to open the following brokerage accounts.

Registered accounts (RRIF, LIRA, etc.)

Keep your funds tax-sheltered.

Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)

Invest to help finance your children's post-secondary education.

Joint accounts

Invest as a couple.

Complete the form

You will need a photo ID and your banking information to complete the form.

You want to open one of the accounts below?

Company account

Sole proprietorship account

Association account

Trust account

Call us at 1-800-363-3511

$0 commission on all your online transactions

You're not dreaming: no commissions on your transactions, no minimum required.

*Options commission is $0 + $1.25/contract. A minimum fee of $6.25/trade applies. The maximum fee is $19.95 when the transaction value is less than $2,000.

Drawing depicting the quotes on a stock exchange screen with the words $0, SHARES, ETFs and OPTIONS.

Transfer your assets without having to sell them

We'll refund your transfer fees, up to $150 plus taxes*, if you transfer:

$10,000 or more in an InvestCube account
$20,000 or more in another type of account

See how to transfer to NBDB

We'll refund your transfer fees, up to $150 plus taxes*, if you transfer:

$10,000 or more in an InvestCube account
$20,000 or more in another type of account

See how to transfer to NBDB

The fine print

Information required by account type

For brokerage accounts:

Your full name (as it appears on official identity documents)
Your date of birth
Your full home and mailing address
Your job title and the full address of your employer
Telephone numbers where we can reach you
Your social insurance number (SIN)
Your bank account information (provide a void cheque). You can also link a bank account held at another financial institution.

For accounts with spousal contributions (RRSP or RRIF):

The full name of your spouse (as it appears on official identity documents)
His or her date of birth
His or her social insurance number (SIN)

For RESP accounts:

The full name of the beneficiary (as it appears on official identity documents)
The beneficiary's date of birth
The beneficiary's home address
The beneficiary's social insurance number, to apply for federal grants and provincial ones in certain provinces (an RESP cannot be opened without the beneficiary's SIN)

For special accounts:

Consult our forms and call us at 1-800-363-3511.

Submitting the account opening documents

*Note for clients who don't have a printer: You can request the account opening forms by mail.

For your account opening application to be processed, please send us the following within 25 days:

The appropriate forms for your account type, duly signed.
A copy of both sides of a recognized identity document: driver's licence, health insurance card (except for residents of Ontario, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island), permanent resident card, Canadian passport or birth certificate (if under 21 years of age).

You can send us the documents in two ways:

Mail them to:
National Bank Direct Brokerage
1100 Robert-Bourassa Blvd., 7^th Floor
Montreal, QC H3B 2G7

Bring them to the National Bank branch of your choice. Find a branch.

N.B.: The opening of a brokerage account is subject to certain terms and conditions and must be approved by National Bank Direct Brokerage.

Processing times

The time it takes to open an account will depend on the type of account you choose.

For personal and joint accounts

One business day (24 hours), if the information received is in order.

If your bank account is not held at National Bank, your brokerage account will still be opened within 24 hours, but it will not be activated until all verifications are completed.

For margin accounts and/or accounts with option trading

3 business days (72 hours) following the receipt of the original, duly completed and signed account opening documents.

Procedure: If you apply to open a margin account, a cash account will be opened pending receipt of the signed account opening documents. Once your margin account is opened (after verification), any cash and securities held in your cash account will be transferred to your margin account.

For Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)

You will not be able to make your first contribution until we have received all grant application forms.

For personal and joint accounts

One business day (24 hours), if the information received is in order.

If your bank account is not held at National Bank, your brokerage account will still be opened within 24 hours, but it will not be activated until all verifications are completed.

For margin accounts and/or accounts with option trading

3 business days (72 hours) following the receipt of the original, duly completed and signed account opening documents.

Procedure: If you apply to open a margin account, a cash account will be opened pending receipt of the signed account opening documents. Once your margin account is opened (after verification), any cash and securities held in your cash account will be transferred to your margin account.

For Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)

You will not be able to make your first contribution until we have received all grant application forms.

N.B.: The opening of a brokerage account is subject to certain conditions and must be approved by National Bank Direct Brokerage.

Technical support

New client?

Contact one of our Technical Support Specialists at 1-800-363-3511 - option 4 - Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ET) to get a username and password.

Already a client?

Sign in to your account.

Ready to open an account?

You can complete the steps online or call us for assistance.

Complete the form

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