As a foreign Qualified Intermediary (QI) to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), we are obliged to collect W-8 forms (“Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting”) from all clients who can potentially receive US source income in the form of dividends, coupon payments or other fixed, determinable, annual or periodic (FDAP) income.

Failure to submit the form by the end of each year will result in withholding the maximum rate of 30% applied to foreign entities or individuals. Once you submit a valid document, you can benefit from the tax treaty applicable to your specific tax residence.

Although the IRS issues W-8 forms, they should be submitted to EXANTE, acting as the withholding agent, rather than sent directly to the IRS.

Please fill out the questionnaire in the Client’s Area under the Settings → Profile → Agreements page.

The system will automatically generate the necessary document for you to sign electronically, so no paper forms are needed.

All W-8 forms remain valid for the year they are signed and three full calendar years afterwards.

If you have questions about the W-8 forms, please visit the dedicated section in our Help Centre.

When will the W-8 form be available for completion after opening an account?

The W-8 form will be accessible for you to fill out within 24 hours after you make your first deposit to your EXANTE account.

How do I know that my W-8 form is valid?

Once you complete the W-8 form, it will usually be approved within 1 to 2 business days.

After submitting the form, its status will change to 'Pending,' indicating that we are reviewing it.

When the status changes to 'Certified,' it indicates that we have reviewed and confirmed that your W-8 form is valid.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Client Services team via email or chat.