You can read this article also in : 日本語 (Japanese)
I want to open a brokerage account in Germany, but how difficult is the procedure?”
I use Trade Republic. The registration process took only 15 minutes and was very easy. My account was opened 6 hours after registration!
This article explains how to open an account with the German investment app Trade Republic, with photos.
For those who are worried about authentication for video chat because they are not good at English, the flow of video chatting is also written here.
Comprehensive explanation of investments in Germany
How to register for a TRADE REPUBLIC account, a German securities application
First, here’s how to sign up for an account!
Information as of October 2022. Screens and flow may change. Please understand.
Access TRADE REPUBLIC’s official website. Click on “Join now” or “Open Free Account”.
(2) Enter your phone number and click the → button in the lower right corner.
You will receive an SMS code. Enter it.
(4) Decide on a PIN code for future logins and enter it.
Enter twice for confirmation.
This PIN code will be used later, so make sure you don’t forget it!
5) You have now completed your account registration!Then click “Let’s Go” to open an account.
Registration for opening a German securities application “TRADE REPUBLIC” account
Once you have registered your account, it is time to register to open an account.
(1) Enter your name in Roman characters
Please enter the same spelling as on your passport
(2) Enter your e-mail address
Enter the address
Enter the street name to continue
Enter date of birth
(5) Enter place of birth
This place of birth is difficult for Japanese…. It is not indicated in the passport.
I entered my place of birth as written on the back of my residence permit. (Place of birth as declared in the resident registration)
I only showed my passport when I was asked to authenticate myself for the video chat afterwards.
(6) Select German or other nationality
I am a Japanese citizen, so I selected ‘I have other citizenships’.
(7) Enter nationality
Click on “Add citizenship” and select “Japan”.
(viii) Select taxable country
I am not taxed outside of Germany because I have removed my Japanese resident card. So I checked “I’m taxed in Germany”. I’m not a US person.
Enter bank account IBAN for withdrawals
I entered my regular bank account.
In addition to withdrawals, they are also used to receive the key (PUK) needed to change phone numbers and PIN numbers.
Your reference account is your personal reference account which is used for all withdrawals from your Trade Republic cash account. You enter your reference account when registering with us. We’ll then transfer one cent to this account. The payment reference of this transfer will specify your personal unblocking key (PUK). You’ll need the PUK if you ever want to change your mobile phone number, reference account or PIN. You should therefore keep this secure.
Why do I have to specify a reference account? – TRADE REPUBLIC
(⑩Confirm the items you have entered.
(11) Now you’re all set!Now all that’s left is to authenticate the identity!
You can continue on, but if you do, there is a big chance that you will get an error in the video chat. I had an error in the middle of the video chat no matter how many times I tried. The following method worked smoothly, so please give it a try.
⑫Open the verification email sent to your registered email address. Click ” Verify email” to authenticate.
Click on ⑬OPEN APP
Download the app. I authenticated my identity via the app and the video chat worked!
Open the ⑭application and click “Log in
(15) Enter registered phone number
⑯Enter registered PIN code
⑰ Click on “Pair device
This is required when logging into the application for the first time.
⑱Log in again and click “Continue
Now we finally get to the pre-video chat screen.
TRADE REPUBLIC Video Chat Identity Verification Flow and Notes
The content and flow of what is asked in a video chat may differ a little from person to person, but for your reference, here is what happened when I video chatted with them.
I waited about a minute before I was connected to an operator.
First of all, I was surprised when they suddenly spoke to me in German…. But when I asked him to speak in English, he immediately changed it to English.
Read the numeric code on the screen.
111-xxxx
Do you agree that our conversation will now be recorded? If yes, please answer YES.
OK!
Ha. (Sigh) YES? or NO?
Oh, YES…
The video chat guy was fast-talking, clerical and a little bit unfriendly….
I was then asked for my name, address, date and place of birth, etc. and answered as I had registered.
One question was very difficult to answer.
What is the name of the person with whom you have made a BUSINESS CONTACT?
…? Please repeat.
What is the name of the person with whom you have made a BUSINESS CONTACT?
What, contract? I’m not sure what you mean.
Ha. (Sigh) What’s the name of the app you signed up for?
What… TRADE REPUBLIC?
OK, OK, why do you want to establish a business contact with that person?
(What… Why…?) Because I want to trade stocks…
Okay, OK.
This question was so confusing that I was in a panic…. I’m glad I managed it…
After this was the common passport check. The one that involves shaking it from side to side.
Is ____ (place of issue on passport) your place of birth?” I answered, “No, that’s just the place of issue, my place of birth is △△. I answered, “No, that’s just the place of issue, and my place of birth is △△.
Wait a minute for data verification, enter the SMS code they send you at the end, and end the video chat!
The brother who helped me was unfriendly from start to finish….
You’re almost ready to open a German brokerage account! Final Steps
Once the video chat verification is done, the rest is easy!
(1) Click “Continue” on the screen that appears after the video chat.
(2) Answer questions about your investment experience.
(3) If you have a referral code, enter it.
(4) Check the terms and conditions and click “Open account now”.
(5) Registration is complete!
It said it would take less than 5 minutes for approval, but in fact it took about 6 hours.
Once approved, you will receive the following email
(6) Before you forget to apply for your Tax ID and Exemption order, you must submit your Tax ID and Exemption Order.
Open the application and go to Account => Settings => Tax information to register.
Tax ID is an 11-digit number written on the document sent to you after your resident registration.
Please refer to another article for more details about the tax exemption amount (Steuerfreibetrag). ⇒I bought stocks in Germany. How an expatriate wife who is a novice investor bought stocks in Germany.
Open a brokerage account in Germany!
Opening a securities account in Germany is easier than you might think.
I also have another brokerage account called comdirect. Compared to comdirect, opening an account with TRADE REPUBLIC is easy and very fast!
It is also nice to know that English is supported.
There is no charge for opening an account, so those who are interested in opening a securities account in Germany should try “TRADE REPUBLIC”.
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Hello! I’m Harii from Japan. I live in Germany.