International Trading Details

Fidelity is pleased to offer brokerage customers with eligible accounts the opportunity to trade foreign stocks in 17 markets and exchange between 13 currencies, all in your existing Fidelity non-retirement account.

Below you will find detailed information on:

Eligible Accounts

All non-retirement brokerage accounts are eligible for International Trading.

Stock Trades

With International Trading, most common stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) listed in the following markets will be available to trade online. Other types of exchange-listed securities such as rights, warrants, or different classes of stock (e.g., Class A, Class B) may not be available. Security type availability is subject to change without notice.

Market Country Code
Australia AU
Belgium BE
Canada CA
France FR
Germany DE
Hong Kong HK
Italy IT
Japan JP
Mexico MX
Netherlands NL
New Zealand NZ
Norway NO
Portugal PT
Singapore SG
Sweden SE
Switzerland CH
United Kingdom GB

Order Details

International orders can be entered at any time but will only be eligible for execution during the local market hours for the security. International orders are limited to common stocks with the following order restrictions:

  • Day orders only - your order will only be in effect for the trading day, which corresponds to the hours of the primary exchange on which the security trades
  • Market or Limit orders only
  • Cash trades only (margin not available)
  • No additional order instructions (e.g., All or None, Fill or Kill)
  • Long buys or long sells only (no short sales)

International orders can be settled in your choice of US dollars (USD) or the local currency.

Finding Stock Symbols

Finding an international stock's symbol will likely be your first step to obtain a real-time quote, research a company or trade an international security. You can enter the company name, SEDOL (similar to US CUSIP) or stock symbol and Find Symbol will return the information shown in the following example:

Displays the results of using the Find Symbol function. The results display all relevant matches for the search terms you entered. Results display matches by company name, country, and 10-day average volume.
For illustrative purposes only.
  • Full Company Name
  • Stock Symbol
  • Market where stock can be traded
  • Settlement Currency
  • Market Status (open/closed)
  • 10-Day Average Volume
  • SEDOL
  • Links to Quote, Research, Trade

Please note that international stocks use a different symbology than domestic stocks. To quote, research, or trade international stocks, enter the stock symbol, followed by a colon (:) and then the 2 letter country code for the market you wish to trade in. For example, the company Fiat SPA Torino, in Italy would trade under symbol F:IT for its ordinary shares. In Germany, it would trade under symbol FIAT:DE. This symbology can only be used to buy or sell stocks on the Trade Stocks > International trade ticket.

Quotes

Real time quotes* are available for international stocks. On the Trade Stocks - International Trade ticket, enter the symbol of the security in the Symbol field and remove the cursor. A real-time quote will be displayed in the right-hand column, which is the primary market quote for the security. Although the real-time primary market quote is displayed, international orders may execute on the primary exchange, or they may execute on ECNs, ATSs or regional exchanges within the market. See the list of primary exchanges below:

Market Primary Exchange
Australia Australian Stock Exchange
Belgium Euronext Brussels Stock Exchange
Canada Toronto Stock Exchange or Ventures Stock Exchange
France Euronext Paris Stock Exchange
Germany Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Italy Italian Stock Exchange
Japan Tokyo Stock Exchange
Mexico Mexican Stock Exchange
Netherlands Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange
New Zealand New Zealand Stock Exchange
Norway Oslo Stock Exchange
Portugal Lisbon Stock Exchange
Singapore Stock Exchange of Singapore
Sweden Stockholm Stock Exchange
Switzerland Swiss Exchange
United Kingdom London Stock Exchange
*International real-time quotes are only available for non-professional users of market data. Professional users will be limited to market data that is delayed up to 15 minutes. Generally, you are considered a non-professional user if the following statements are true:
  • You are acting in an individual capacity and not on behalf of any other person or any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, association or other form of entity.
  • You shall use market data in connection with your individual personal investment activities and not in connection with any trade or business activities.
  • You are not a securities broker-dealer, investment advisor, futures commission merchant, commodities introducing broker or commodity trading advisor, member of a securities exchange or association or futures contract market, or an owner, partner, or associated person of any of the foregoing.
  • You are not employed by a bank or an insurance company or an affiliate of either to perform functions related to securities or commodity futures investment or trading activity.

Buying International Stocks

You must have sufficient US dollars (displayed as Cash Available to Buy Securities) or 100% of the foreign currency needed to place an international stock order. These values can be found toward the top of the Trade Stocks - International Trade ticket. They are also included in the Balances and Positions pages.

Displays the international trade ticket, which provides position values in local foreign currencies. You can choose between USD and local currencies for your currency settlement.
For illustrative purposes only.

Foreign currency values are also shown on the Positions page.

Once entered, international stock and currency exchange orders are displayed on the Orders page along with your domestic security orders.

Note: International stocks must be bought and sold in the same market. For example, shares of a stock purchased in Germany could not be sold in France even though the company may trade on one or more exchanges in different markets.

Board Lots

There are additional specifications regarding share quantities imposed by some exchanges. These are also referred to as board lots. A board lot is the number of shares defined as a standard trading unit. All orders placed in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan must be entered in quantities that are multiples of the board lot or standard trading unit.

Board lot sizes for Canadian exchanges

Board lot sizes for orders on Canadian exchanges are determined based on the share price per share of the security being traded.

  • Trading price per unit is less than $0.10 CAD - board lot size is 1,000 shares
  • Trading price per unit is $0.10 to $0.99 CAD - board lot size is 500 shares
  • Trading price per unit is $1.00 CAD or more - board lot size is 100 shares

For example, the required board lot size for Canadian stocks trading between $0.10-0.99 CAD is 500 shares. To place an order to buy a Canadian security offered at $0.75 per share, your order quantity would need to be a multiple of 500 (the board lot size) - e.g.; 500 shares, 1,000 shares, 1,500 shares, and so on.

Board lot sizes for Hong Kong exchanges

The required board lot size for Hong Kong varies by security. The current range is 50-100,000 shares.

To view the required board lot size for a particular security, see the securities list available on the exchange website.

Board lot sizes for Japanese exchanges

The required board lot size for Japan varies by security. Currently, the majority of securities trading on Japanese exchanges have board lot sizes of 1,000 shares. (In Japan, board lots are referred to as "trading units.")

To view the required board lot size for a particular security, check the website of the primary exchange on which the security trades:

Board lot requirements are usually the same for securities listed on both the Osaka and Tokyo exchanges.

Tick Sizes

Tick requirements are minimum price increments at which securities can be traded. These increments vary by market, and are usually based on the closing price per share of the security from the previous session. All limit prices for a security must conform to the tick requirements of the market in which the security trades.

For example, the minimum tick requirement for a security trading at 60,000 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange is 100 yen. To place an order to buy that security, you would need to enter your limit price as an increment of 100, e.g., 59,900 yen, 59,800 yen, 59,700 yen, and so on.

Market Currency Price Per Share Tick Increment
Australia AUD 0-.1 0.001
0.10-0.50 0.005
0.50 and up 0.01
Canada CAD 0-.495 0.005
0.50 and up 0.010
France EUR Any 0.01
Germany EUR Any 0.01
Hong Kong HKD 0-0.25 0.001
0.255-0.50 0.005
0.51-10.00 0.010
10.02-20.00 0.020
20.05-100.00 0.050
100.10-200.00 0.100
200.20-500.00 0.200
500.50-1,000.00 0.500
1,001.00-2,000.00 1.000
2,002.00-5,000.00 2.000
5,005.00-9,995 5.000
Japan JPY 0-1,999 1
2,000-2,295 5
3,000-29,990 10
30,000-49,950 50
50,000-99,900 100
100,000-999,000 1,000
1,000,000-19,990,000 10,000
20,000,000-29,950,000 50,000
30,000,000 and up 100,000
Mexico MXN 0.00-999,999,999.9999 0.01
New Zealand NZD 0.00–0.20 0.001
0.20-999,999,999.9999 0.01
Singapore SGD 0.00-1.00 0.005
1.00-3.00 0.01
3.00-10.00 0.01
10.00-999,999,999.99 0.02
Sweden SEK 0.00-5.00 0.01
5.00-15.00 0.05
15.00-50.00 0.10
50.00-150.00 0.25
150.00-500.00 0.50
500.00-5,000.00 1.00
5,000.00-999,999,999.99 5.00
Switzerland CHF 0.00 - 10.00 0.01
10.00-100.00 0.05
100.00-250.00 0.10
250.00-500.00 0.25
500.00-1,000.00 0.50
1,000.00-5,000.00 1.00
5,000.00-999,999,999.99 5.00
United Kingdom GBP 0-9.99 0.01
10.00-499.75 0.25
500.00-999.50 0.50
1,000 and up 1.00

Note: All UK prices and tick increments in the table above are shown in British pence.

Note: Swiss Blue Chip Segment stocks may have different tick increments than non-blue chip securities.

Additional trading information:

  • Stocks in the UK can be priced in British pounds (GBP) or pence. 1 GBP = 100 p
  • Limit orders must be entered based on the appropriate currency unit size

Additional Price Requirements

Japanese Exchanges

To manage volatility, the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Securities Exchange set "daily price limits" for all securities. These limits create a price range outside of which a security may not trade on any given day. Limit prices must also fall within this range. The exchanges determine daily price limits based on each stock's "base price" - its price at the close of the previous market session. (In some cases, when buy and sell orders are significantly imbalanced, either exchange may assign a "special quote" to be used as the base price.) For specific price limits for all base prices, see the table below.

As an example, suppose you want to buy a hypothetical Japanese stock - ticker XYZ - which closed on the previous trading day at 1,250 yen. As shown in the table below, the daily price limit for a stock with this base price is 300 yen. This means that the maximum potential upside or downside for XYZ on the day is 300 yen (for a maximum trading range of 950-1,550 yen). As a result, your limit price for XYZ must also fall between 950 and 1,550 yen.

Base Price
(JPY)1		 Daily Price
Limit (JPY)2
0-99 +/- 30
100-199 +/- 50
200-499 +/- 80
500-699 +/- 100
700-999 +/- 150
1,000-1,499 +/- 300
1,500-1,999 +/- 400
2,000-2,999 +/- 500
3,000-4,999 +/- 700
5,000-6,999 +/- 1,000
7,000-9,999 +/- 1,500
10,000-14,999 +/- 3,000
15,000-19,999 +/- 4,000
20,000-29,999 +/- 5,000
30,000-49,999 +/- 7,000
 
Base Price
(JPY)1		 Daily Price
Limit (JPY)2
50,000-69,999 +/- 10,000
70,000-99,999 +/- 15,000
100,000-149,999 +/- 30,000
150,000-199,999 +/- 40,000
200,000-299,999 +/- 50,000
300,000-499,999 +/- 70,000
500,000-699,999 +/- 100,000
700,000-999,999 +/- 150,000
1,000,000-1,499,999 +/- 300,000
1,500,000-1,999,999 +/- 400,000
2,000,000-2,999,999 +/- 500,000
3,000,000-4,999,999 +/- 700,000
5,000,000-6,999,999 +/- 1,000,000
7,000,000-9,999,999 +/- 1,500,000
 
Base Price
(JPY)1		 Daily Price
Limit (JPY)2
10,000,000-14,999,999 +/- 3,000,000
15,000,000-19,999,999 +/- 4,000,000
20,000,000-29,999,999 +/- 5,000,000
30,000,000-49,999,999 +/- 7,000,000
50,000,000 or more +/- 10,000,000
  1. The base price is either the closing price from the previous trading day or a "special quote" determined by the Tokyo Stock Exchange or the Osaka Securities Exchange.
  2. The daily price limit is the amount a security can increase or decrease on any given day relative to its base price. Limit prices must fall within the range permitted by the daily price limit or the order will not be accepted.

Hong Kong Exchanges

To manage volatility, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange requires that all limit orders meet very specific pricing requirements. These requirements effectively set up ranges for each security within which all limit prices must fall. When entering a limit price for a Hong Kong-traded stock, there are two requirements your order will need to meet: the Spread Rule and the 10%-900% Rule. For additional information about the Spread Rule and the 10%-900% Rule, see Regulatory Framework and Rules on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website.

Currency Exchange

Currency trading is when you buy and sell currency on the foreign exchange (or "Forex") market with the intent of benefitting financially from the fluctuation in exchange rates.

Currency prices are highly volatile. Price movements for currencies are influenced by, among other things: changing supply-demand relationships, trade, fiscal, monetary, exchange control programs and policies of governments; United States and foreign political and economic events and policies; changes in national and international interest rates and inflation; currency devaluation; and sentiment of the market place. None of these factors can be controlled by you or any individual advisor and no assurance can be given that you will not incur losses from such events.

Currency exchanges are completed on behalf of Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and National Financial Services (together, "Fidelity") by Fidelity FOREX, Inc., an affiliate of Fidelity. Fidelity sends the transaction to Fidelity FOREX, Inc. for the foreign exchange transaction. Fidelity serves as agent and Fidelity FOREX, Inc. as principal to the foreign exchange transaction. Fidelity FOREX, Inc. may impose a commission or markup to the price they receive from the interbank market which may result in a higher price to you. Fidelity FOREX, Inc. may in turn share a portion of any foreign exchange commission or markup with Fidelity. More favorable exchange rates may be available through third parties not affiliated with Fidelity. Furthermore larger foreign currency exchange transactions may receive more favorable rates than smaller transactions.

Settling Orders

Fidelity's International Trading offering gives you the ability to settle international trades in the local currency, and allows you to gain foreign currency exposure by enabling you to hold and exchange between the following thirteen currencies.

  • Australian dollar (AUD)
  • British pound (GBP)
  • Canadian dollar (CAD)
  • Euro (EUR)
  • Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
  • Japanese yen (JPY)
  • Mexican peso (MXN)
  • New Zealand dollar (NZD)
  • Norwegian krone (NOK)
  • Singapore dollar (SGD)
  • Swedish krona (SEK)
  • Swiss franc (CHF)
  • U.S. dollar (USD)

The euro is the local currency for the following markets: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal.

At the time of a trade for an international stock, you can choose to settle the trade in US dollars or in the local currency. If you settle in US dollars, a "linked" foreign currency exchange order will automatically be executed when your stock trade order fills entirely, or at the end of the trading session if your order fills partially. If your stock trade does not fill at all or if you choose to settle in the local currency, no currency exchange will take place.

In addition to the standard market volatility that every security - whether domestic or foreign - is exposed to, your potential return can be affected by fluctuations in the foreign currency against the US dollar. For example, you might have a 10% gain in the value of a Japanese stock that you settled in yen, but at any given time, the Japanese yen might have depreciated in value against the US dollar, thus offsetting your gain.

Also note that interest is not paid on foreign currency positions.

Please see information on Currency Exchange Fees below.

International Stock Commissions and Fees

The costs associated with international trading include:

  • A commission charged on the trade that covers any clearing and settlement costs and local broker fees
  • Additional fees ( i.e., stamp duty, transaction levy, trading fees) that are specific to some foreign exchanges and will be identified as Other Fees at the time of the trade
  • A foreign currency exchange fee if US dollar is chosen as the settlement currency (See Currency Exchange Fees for more information)

International trading commissions are charged by market in the local currency.

Country Market Online Rate
Australia AUD 32.00
Belgium  EUR 19.00
Canada    CAD 19.00
France EUR 19.00
Germany EUR 19.00
Hong Kong HKD 250.00
Italy EUR 19.00
Japan JPY 3,000.00
Mexico MXN 360.00
Netherlands EUR 19.00
New Zealand NZD 35.00
Norway NOK 160.00
Portugal EUR 19.00
Singapore SGD 35.00
Sweden SEK 180.00
Switzerland CHF 25.00
United Kingdom GBP 9.00

Rep-assisted commissions are as follows: Australia AUD 70.00, Belgium EUR 50.00, Canada CAD 70.00, France EUR 50.00, Germany EUR 50.00, Hong Kong HKD 600.00, Italy EUR 50.00, Japan JPY 8,000.00, Mexico MXN 960.00, Netherlands EUR 50.00, New Zealand NZD 90.00, Norway NOK 400.00, Portugal EUR 50.00, Singapore SGD 90.00, Sweden SEK 480.00, Switzerland CHF 65.00, UK GBP 30.00.

There may be additional fees charged for trading in certain markets and the list of markets and fees is subject to change without notice. These fees will show up in the Other Fees section on the Trade Verification page.

  • Hong Kong - Transaction Levy
  • Hong Kong - Trading Fee
  • Hong Kong - Stamp Duty
  • United Kingdom - PTM Levy
  • United Kingdom - Stamp Duty

Currency Exchange Fees

If you choose US dollars as the settlement currency for your international stock trade, a foreign currency exchange fee (in the form of a mark up or mark down) based on the size of the currency conversion will be charged when the foreign currency exchange executes. See the fee schedule below.

Amount of Currency
Exchange in US Dollars		 Currency
Exchange Fee
> $5 m manual
> $1m 20 bps
$500 - $999k 30 bps
$250 - $499k 50 bps
$100 - $249k 75 bps
< $100k 100 bps

If you plan on trading regularly in a specific market, you may want to consider exchanging a certain amount of currency to avoid currency exchange fees on each trade. For example, let's say you plan on trading primarily in Hong Kong. Rather than settle your trades in US dollars and pay a foreign currency exchange fee on each transaction, you could do a single, larger currency exchange transaction of your US dollars into Hong Kong dollars*. This would allow you to settle each trade in the local currency, Hong Kong dollars, which may allow you to potentially reduce your overall trading costs.

*Note: A currency exchange fee would still apply to the initial currency exchange from US dollars to Hong Kong dollars.

Currency exchanges are completed on behalf of Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, and National Financial Services (together, "Fidelity") by Fidelity FOREX, Inc., an affiliate of Fidelity. Fidelity sends the transaction to Fidelity FOREX, Inc. for the foreign exchange transaction. Fidelity serves as agent and Fidelity FOREX as principal to the foreign exchange transaction. Fidelity FOREX may impose a commission or markup to the price they receive from the interbank market which may result in a higher price to you. Fidelity FOREX may in turn share a portion of any foreign exchange commission or markup with Fidelity. More favorable exchange rates may be available through third parties not affiliated with Fidelity. Furthermore larger foreign currency exchange transactions may receive more favorable rates than smaller transactions.

Please see Commissions and Fees (PDF)This page will open in a popup window.This page will open in a popup window for detailed information, including currency exchange fees.

Exchange Rates

The currency exchange rate is the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another. It is always quoted in pairs like the EUR/USD (the euro and the US dollar) or USD/CAD (the US dollar and the Canadian dollar). This is a standard used across the industry. The first currency of a currency pair is called the "base currency," and the second currency is called the "quote currency." The currency pair shows how much of the quote currency is needed to purchase one unit of the base currency. Most of the time, US dollar is considered the base currency, and quotes are expressed in units of US$1 per quote currency (for example, USD/JPY or USD/CAD). The only exceptions to this convention are quotes in relation to the euro (EUR), the pound sterling (GBP) and the Australian dollar (AUD). These three are quoted as dollars per foreign currency and are represented as EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD.

For example, the EUR/USD rate represents the number of USD one EUR can buy. If the current rate for EUR/USD is 1.381683 and you are converting EUR to USD, you would receive approximately 1.381683 US dollars for each euro you exchange (1 x 1.381683). Conversely, if you are converting USD to EUR, you would receive approximately 0.7237 euros for each US dollar (1/1.381683).

Currency exchange rates can only be obtained by inputting the following information on the Currency Exchange ticket:

  • Quantity
  • From Currency
  • To Currency
Displays the Currency Exchange ticket. By providing the quantity, from currency, and to currency, you can preview the exchange rates and then preview the exchange.
For illustrative purposes only.

Balances and Statements

All foreign currency and international stock balances will be listed in your Positions. You can also sort by currency to display all currencies and foreign stocks with exposure to that currency.

Your foreign currencies and international stock positions will also be included in the Global Holdings section of your Fidelity account statement.

Exchange Hours

To see when your order will execute, please refer to international market hours table. Orders entered outside local market hours are queued for the next business day.

Additional Information

In addition to trading foreign stocks directly in 17 countries and exchanging between thirteen foreign currencies online, Fidelity offers you the ability to trade a company's foreign ordinary shares (Foreign Ordinary Share Trading). See below for differences between Fidelity's International Trading offering and Foreign Ordinary Share Trading.

International Trading

With International Trading, most common stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) listed in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are available to trade online directly in the local market.

  • Account requires International Trading access. Requirements are non-retirement brokerage accounts.
  • Symbols include root symbol, followed by a colon (:) and then the 2 letter country code for the market you wish to trade in. For example, the company Fiat SPA Torino, in Italy would trade under symbol F:IT for its ordinary shares
  • Tradable only through Trade Stocks - International trade ticket
  • Orders can execute on the primary exchange, or they may also execute on ECNs, ATSs (Automatic Trading Systems) or regional exchanges within the market which is determined by a local broker in each country
  • Orders are executed in the local currency
  • Trades are settled in U.S. dollars or local currency
  • Commissions are charged by market in the local currency.
    • A commission charged on the trade that covers any clearing and settlement costs and local broker fees
    • Additional fees ( i.e., stamp duty, transaction levy, trading fees) that are specific to some foreign exchanges and will be identified as Other Fees at the time of the trade
    • A foreign currency exchange fee if US dollar is chosen as the settlement currency

Foreign Ordinary Share Trading

Foreign ordinaries are shares issued by a foreign corporation that trade on a foreign exchange. These shares can be traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) market through a U.S. market maker. Below are characteristics, including specific fee information, related to foreign ordinary share trading.

  • Does not require International Trading access
  • Symbols are 5 characters ending in F
  • Tradable only through the domestic trade ticket, Trade Stocks - Standard Session
  • Orders are executed by U.S. market makers* Exception Canadian stocks
  • Orders are executed in U.S. dollars
  • Commissions charged are based on the U.S. domestic Stock commission schedule. Please see Stocks section in the online commission schedule, Commissions and Fees (PDF)This page will open in a popup window.This page will open in a popup window
  • Foreign stocks that are not DTC eligible are subject to an additional $50 fee
  • Foreign exchange fees are embedded in the execution price of the stock
* When using Foreign Ordinary Share Trading to trade Canadian stocks, orders are routed to brokers in Canada and are not executed by U.S. market makers. Dually listed Canadian stocks may be routed to a Canadian broker or U.S. market center for execution. In all cases, the domestic stock commission schedule applies.

(If your order is routed to a Canadian broker, certain additional fees may apply):

  • Limit orders - a local broker fee is incorporated into the limit price by the Canadian broker
  • Market orders - a local broker fee is incorporated into the execution price
  • Foreign exchange fees are embedded in the execution price1
  1. Currency exchanges are completed on behalf of Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and National Financial Services LLC (together, "Fidelity") by Fidelity FOREX, Inc., an affiliate of Fidelity. Fidelity sends the transaction to Fidelity FOREX, Inc. for the foreign exchange transaction. Fidelity serves as agent and Fidelity FOREX, Inc. as principal to the foreign exchange transaction. Fidelity FOREX, Inc. may impose a commission or markup to the price they receive from the interbank market which may result in a higher price to you. Fidelity FOREX, Inc. may in turn share a portion of any foreign exchange commission or markup with Fidelity. More favorable exchange rates may be available through third parties not affiliated with Fidelity.

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