# TL;DR 1. Open a brokerage account with a Taiwanese bank (證券帳戶) 2. Start trading The post is specifically about how to do step 1 above. # Opening a brokerage account If you already have a bank account the process is simple and will probably take 30-60 minutes. Go to a branch office of the bank where you already have an account and bring the following documents: - Passport - ARC (i.e. your Gold Card) - Your bank booklet and/or debit card - If you're American, you will need your social security number as well. (more on this later) Tell them you want to trade Taiwanese stocks so you want to open a brokerage account (if you speak Chinese that's 證券帳戶). Distinguishing Taiwanese stocks is important, otherwise they might set you up to trade US stocks, which is probably not what you want. You may also need to state specifically that you want to trade _stocks_ () and not invest in _funds_ (基金). The rest of the process is just filling out _a lot_ of forms. ## If you're American Taiwanese banks comply with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which means you'll have to fill out additional paperwork. You will need to fill out some paperwork with basic info and your social security number. # Funding your Brokerage Account If you open a brokerage account with your existing bank you can simply transfer from one account to the other. You can also deposit cash directly via your bank branch. # Trading How specifically you trade will depend on your bank, but most likely they will offer at these options for placing trades: - A mobile app - A native Windows (and _not_ Mac) app - A telephone service **NOTE**: The telephone service may incur greater transaction fees than the automated alternatives. # Miscellaneous - If you don't already have a bank account you may need to handle that first. If you have the Gold Card this should not be a problem, but it is in addition to everything mentioned above. - If you do not speak Chinese (or can't go to the bank with someone who does) then you may need to find a branch office that has someone who can speak English. - The Taiwanese stock market caps single-day price fluctuations at 10%. This mans the most you can gain or lose on a single stock in a single day is ±10%. # Wrapping Up Overall the process was quite smooth, however, this is only my personal experience going through this process. If you run into any issues feel free to reach out.