How to buy US stocks and ETFs from the Netherlands

This page lists the investment platforms whose own pages say they accept residents of the Netherlands, with their licences, fees and the deposit methods available here. We only count platforms that publish a list of the countries they accept: a company that does not say whom it accepts is left out, even if it might open an account for you. Being on the list is not a recommendation.

Some verified points for the Netherlands:

• Interactive Brokers names the Netherlands on its list of available countries and territories. Its pages do not say which of its companies opens accounts for residents of the Netherlands, so check the company named in your client agreement; one of them is Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. IBKR charges no fee for bank transfer deposits (your bank may), and after two free withdrawals a calendar month it charges a fee per withdrawal.
• The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) explains that a financial company licensed in one EEA country that wants to offer its services in another must register with the supervisor of that country and is then issued with a European passport: “These companies remain under the supervision of their country of origin.” The AFM’s register of investment firms can be searched by category, including EEA investment firms (“EER Beleggingsonderneming”).

De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), which pays out the Dutch investor compensation scheme, says that if a firm licensed to provide investment services goes bankrupt and cannot return your financial instruments or money, you may be eligible for “compensation of up to €20,000”. If you invest through a firm whose head office is in another country, your investments “will usually be covered by that country’s investor compensation scheme”; European legislation sets a minimum of €20,000 per investor across the EEA, and “You can ask your financial institution which investor compensation applies.” Market falls are not covered: “If you incur a loss, then it is at your own risk and you will not be compensated.” Money in a bank account is protected under a different scheme, the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme, up to €100,000 per person, per bank.

For US shares, the platform will ask you for Form W-8BEN. The IRS says most US-source income of a foreign person, dividends included, is taxed at 30% through a withholding tax unless a tax treaty or the tax code sets a lower rate. The Netherlands is on the IRS list of US income tax treaties, so a lower rate may apply. The Netherlands may tax the same dividend too, so ask the Dutch Tax Administration or a qualified tax adviser.