Open a brokerage account

Open a Locked-In Retirement Account (LIRA) or a Locked-In Retirement Savings Plan (LRSP) and easily transfer your provincial or federal pension plans.

RRIF (Registered Retirement Income Funds)

Your RRIF acts as an extension of your RRSP. When you retire, funds from your RRSP are transferred to your RRIF for withdrawal.

Non-registered accounts

Non-registered accounts don't offer tax benefits, but they can provide more flexibility such as no contribution limits. You can choose to open an individual or joint account depending on your financial needs.

Cash account

Use available cash from your account to buy securities.

Margin account

Leverage the value of your securities to borrow money.

Margin/Short-selling account

Sell a borrowed security with the intention to buy it back later for less.
You will need a photo ID and your banking information to complete the form. Discover our other accounts

Life Income Funds (LIFs)

Transfer your savings from a retirement plan (LIRA), pension fund (SPP) or Life Income Fund (LIF) to receive recurring payments for your retirement.

Company account

Sole proprietorship account

To open one of these accounts, call us at 1-800-363-3511

FHSA

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) is an ideal choice for first-time homebuyers. If you're looking to open a savings account but aren’t sure which type is right for you, compare the benefits and differences between the RRSP, the TFSA, and the FHSA.

Learn more

$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.

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Transfer your assets without having to sell them

We'll refund your transfer fees, up to $150 plus taxes 1 if you transfer $20,000 or more in an account. See how to transfer to NBDB

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The fine print

Information required by account type

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

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
800 Saint-Jacques Street, Office 16281
Montreal, QC H3C 1A3

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.

Details about the transfer fee refund

Transfer $20,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account, buy shares, options or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) within 6 months of your transfer and we'll refund up to $150 plus taxes of the transfer fees (refunded 1 week after the transaction).

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.

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

Contact one of our Technical Support Specialists at 1-800-363-3511 - option 4 - Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET) to get a username and password.

Already a client?