The help page suggests that I can request a Shares Certificate at any time, but Iām wondering how this works in practice? As far as I am aware the shares are held by Interactive Brokers, so would not be in my name. I notice also that although the page states that a Shares Certificate can be requested, it only says that confirmation will be sent, not the Shares Certificate. Has anyone got any experience of actually requesting one?
Share certificates appear to be defined in legislation, so it would seem a bit disingenuous to suggest you can request one if you canāt actually receive one as it is defined in legislation.
If youāre looking to transfer to another broker youāre better off exploring if T212 will transfer āin specieā
Physically owning a share certificate is a pain especially if youāre looking at then transferring that certificate to another broker
If your stocks are UK stocks youāll find rematerialising your certificate significantly quicker that if the stock is US. US Certs from the DTC system in the States used to take me so long to physically produce it was almost not worth it. Transferring a US certificate into a UK broker is also a major pain and something to avoid.
Iām not seeking to transfer, although as far as I am aware Trading 212 will not transfer in specie and your assets would have to be converted to cash before any transfer.
My query isnāt in relation to transfering to another broker though.
After noticing that it was mentioned as an option on the above linked help page I was curious as to how it would actually work given the way shares are held through a third party, and wondered whether it really was an option as suggested in the linked page, or if something else was meant by it and, if so, what.
I thought it would be useful to ask the community if anyone had ever requested a shares certificate through the method outlined on the help page as a way to unerstand how it actually works in practice, or if anyone was aware of what would be provided if a shares certificate was requested.
Ok. But share certificates are pretty much a nuisance in practice. Easy to misplace. Slow to trade. They are not something you would really want. I do however have a physical share certificate for my share of freehold in the block of flats where I live.
Registered ownership would move from t212 nominee to you personally.
You bear the risk of losing the cert and the risk of delay on sale.
All communications and dividends will come to your personal address as you are now the registered owner on the share register. T212 will no longer reflect this holding in your portfolio. Youāve essentially transferred out.
Is this what would happen if Share Certificates were requested in the manner described on the help page?
I appreciate that this would be the outcome of receiving Shares Certificates, but my question was whether this is what is being offered on the help page. Especially given that transfers in specie are not possible with Trading 212, and that the wording on the help page doesnāt actually mention being given the Shares Certificate, only being able to request the Shares Certificate and being given confirmation of holdings, I wonder if if this is actually what is meant?
Sorry, not trying to be difficult, and I do appreciate your answers.
@Orknet Your query reminds me of those black and white films where someone needs to escape out of the country and start throwing share certificates into their briefcase to make a quick getaway!
That is one benefit of having a physical share certificate. But anyone else correct me if I am wrong; the share certificate will not have your name on it. It will have the name of the share and the quantity until you hand it in to a brokerage/ financial institution.
That is an advantage in that it is portable but the obvious disadvantage is if it gets stolen.
I am happy to be corrected if I am completely wrong and have been watching too many black and white films
BTW if the above was your intention for asking the question, should we be contacting Interpol!
If it were a genuine ārematerialisationā it would have your name on it
It it were not truly a Share certificate But a proof of holding that you used to, say, claim shareholder perks it would also surely have your name in it
I think T212 are talking about āconfirming a holding ā
Not actually Rematerialising shares
You can request a certificate of your shares, at any time you like by dropping us an email on info@trading212.com and weāll gladly provide you with a confirmation of holding your investments.
@Finki Let us know the outcome. I think you are right that it is a confirmation of holdings and not an actual share certificate. I know most brokers are trying to get people to drop paper shares due to easier processing.
Paper certificates are a waste of your time unless you are wishing to frame one to decorate your wall. Many brokers will not accept them at all (Degiro). Other brokers have a complicated system for accepting them (AJ Bell, and āonly if a UK certificate, send by registered mail, address on certificate must match your current address, must complete a CREST transfer form, ā¦ā).
If you want a confirmation of holding, we can do that. If you want to dematerialise the stock and receive a share certificate, we can try but would have to charge an eye watering fee for the administration. Most brokers wonāt touch certificates, so you would end up worse off.
Thank you @anon86329651, that answers my question perfectly. And thank you @Finki@Richard.W & @Abel for all of your suggestions, insights and advice, all greatly appreciated.
@anon86329651 how long does it normally take to issue one of these?
I spoke to support last week about getting a confirmation of holding as I was trying to wangle a shareholder benefits card from Whitbread, even though their official line is the nominee must request this on my behalf. I explained that trading 212 were unable to request this for me, but Whitbread at least seemed open to me providing some sort of proof I had the required shareholding and would see if they could help.
