How to Open a Live Trading Account as a Non-US Resident?

An Informative Guide on How to Open a Live Trading Account as a Non-US Resident.

How to Open a Live Trading Account as a Non-US Resident?

Update 08/03 - Alpaca has lifted its $30,000 minimum deposit for global users!

In this tutorial series, we will learn about how to open a live trading account with Alpaca as a Non-US resident. We will move forward assuming that you’ve registered on the Alpaca website. If you haven’t please visit Alpaca and sign up. Feel free to check out the other tutorials in this series at Alpaca Resources.

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Step1:

After logging in to your account at https://app.alpaca.markets, your account should show you both of these options on  the screen, where you can sign up either as an individual or a business entity.

This is first page of the live onboarding process - /overview

Step 2:

The next screen will ask you to choose your taxation status. If you are not a U.S. tax resident, click “No” and move on to step 3.

Check out “How to open an account as a U.S. resident” in the onboarding guide series if you are a US resident.

Choose 'No' if you are not a U.S. tax resident

Step 3:

That should lead you to the page where you will be able to choose your country of tax residence.


Step 4:

Fill out the onboarding process, making sure you input the correct format for DOB (MM/DD/YYYY), fill out the financial and employment profiles and finally read + agree to the W8-BEN form.


Step 5:

As a last step you should upload a selfie and a picture of the required documents directly via Onfido on your phone for simplicity.

  1. Click on the 'Start' button

2. A popup window will appear asking you to get your documents ready, choose a document that contains a picture and a proof of address.

3. Scan QR code with your phone to take a picture of your documents and submit your application!

Make sure that your selfie is clear and that you follow the instructions provided by Onfido on your mobile. Once you're done you can go back to Alpaca and submit your application!


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Thank you for using Alpaca. Here are a couple more links that  you might be interested in.

Alpaca GitHub repository

Alpaca
Alpaca builds an API for free stock trading. Alpaca has 39 repositories available. Follow their code on GitHub.

Alpaca Blog

Alpaca Blog | API for Stock Trading
Alpaca Blog for product updates, new integration, and more. Alpaca’s commission-free trading API is built for algorithmic trading and building apps

Alpaca Forum

Alpaca Community Forum
Alpaca user forum for FAQ, feature requests, many discussions around Alpaca stock trading API

Alpaca API documentation

Documentation | Alpaca
Alpaca API lets you build and trade with real-time market data for free.

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Commission-Free trading means that there are no commission charges for Alpaca self-directed individual cash brokerage accounts that trade U.S. listed securities through an API. Relevant SEC and FINRA fees may apply.

Brokerage services are provided by Alpaca Securities LLC ("Alpaca"), memberFINRA/SIPC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AlpacaDB, Inc. Technology and services are offered by AlpacaDB, Inc.

Please note that this article is for educational and informational purposes only. All screenshots are for illustrative purposes only. Alpaca does not recommend any specific securities or investment strategies.