RBC’s discount brokerage now offers international trading, making it the first Canadian bank-owned discount broker to let you buy stocks on exchanges in Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Frankfurt. While you can't hold foreign currencies (apart from U.S. dollars) in RRSPs or TFSAs, you can buy foreign stocks — RBC will just convert your money to foreign currency and change any foreign dividends back to Canadian dollars. If you’re interested in getting in on these foreign stocks, it’s important to remember that most countries apply withholding tax on dividends at a rate of between 15% and 30%. For U.S. dividends, you can avoid their 30% withholding tax if you hold U.S. investments in your RRSP, but in a TFSA, expect a tax. If your TFSA has U.S. investments, you can reduce your tax rate to 15% under the Canada-U.S. treaty. To qualify, you need to submit a W-8BEN form to the IRS. If you buy foreign stocks in a non-registered account, you’ll need to report the income on your Canadian tax return because Canada taxes worldwide income.
