If you are a non-U.S. citizen, there are only 2 ways to open a Computershare US account. One is to transfer shares to them, the other is to buy a share through Give A Share. You can follow the many broker guides on "How to Transfer". If you don't want to use an international broker such as IBKR, XTB or TradeStation, you can see how to purchase through Give A Share below.

 

Click here to skip to "How to buy directly through Computershare"

 

Please Note: If you are buying through Computershare in order to be the sole legal owner of your shares there is an extra step to take. This step is transferring your shares from plan holdings to book holdings, and/or terminating your enrollment in the DirectStock Plan. 

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How to buy through Give A Share:

Anyone can buy a share from anywhere in the world by using GiveAShare.com. All you need is a debit or credit card. The cost is an extra $50-$100 on top of the share price, depending on what option you choose. This is because they make the Computershare account for you and they need a $10 buffer for the price fluctuations.

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You can also opt to get a replica paper certificate, with the option of framing it and including an engraving. A pretty sweet souvenir! Choosing this option adds the shipping fees and maybe customs fees to the total amount to be paid. Once you've decided if you want the replica certificate or not, pick your option from your chosen stock page (example: this is the Give A Share GameStop page).

 

Customize Your Stock Gift:

• Frame Type:

  • Paper Frame

  • Premium Frame

  • DRS Registration Only (this option is just for opening an account at Computershare)

• Engraved Plaque: Yes or No. Up to 3 lines of 35 characters each including spaces. They automatically center and engrave in all CAPS. They can also engrave emojis.

• Shareholder Book: Yes or No. A 43 page, vividly colored book with activities that teaches kids/young adults ages 8-25 about stocks and what to expect as a shareholder.

• Gift Wrap: Yes or No

• Gift Message: Optional: This message will print on the packing slip that accompanies the item when shipped.

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Shareholder Information:

Please Note: Shareholder information is transmitted directly to Computershare. The details below will be used to create your Computershare account.

• Who Is This Stock For? One adult (if it is for 1 person).

• Shareholder Name: Enter the shareholders legal name. First, middle (if desired), last. These details have to be correct 100% because they cannot be changed once the order is sent.

• Shareholder Address: This is where all future shareholder mail (dividends, annual reports etc.) will be sent to from the transfer agent, and could appear on the registered stock certificate.

• Shareholder State or Region: State/Region will be auto populated for U.S. and Canada. Until Give a Share can do this for all countries, please select whichever is applicable: Other or None.

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Processing & Timing:

• Order Processing: Choose the option available.

• Choose the number of certificates that you want to order.

• After double checking all the text boxes, click on "ADD TO CART".

• The next page will check if you have an account on GiveAShare.com website. If needed, create a new account.

• After logging into your account, select the cart and review your order.

• Here, GiveAShare will break down your order and how it will be processed. This includes when you can expect to have the share registered with Computershare, and when Computershare will send the first and second letter out to you.

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Checkout:

• If you're happy you can click "Check Out".

• On the Checkout page you need to:

  • Fill in Billing address

  • Select Payment Method

  • Select Shipping Method. For the differences between USPS and UPS please check: https://www.giveashare.com/shipping

  • Agree to the Terms & Conditions and click on Continue

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The final page is the Confirm Order page. Here, GiveAShare will break down again your order and how it will be processed. This includes when you can expect to have the share registered with Computershare, and when Computershare will send the first and second letter out to you.

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• You will need to provide, at the bottom of the page, the debit or credit card details you wish to use to pay. Click "Pay".

• That completes your order with GiveAShare! GiveAShare will email you with updates as your order progresses.

• If you have chosen to get a replica certificate, it will dispatch in 2 business days. Delivery time is dependent on which option you choose.

• Your GME share will be registered with Computershare in 1-2 weeks. Give a Share will email to let you know when this has been done.

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How to contact GiveAShare.com, in case you need assistance:

• Email: orders@giveashare.com, svc@giveashare.com

• Email shipping: shipping@leadingedgegifts.com

• Phone: +1 480 621 6657

                   +1 866 291 9918 (toll free)

• Address: Leading Edge Gifts, LLC

                     2537 E. Via Del Arboles

                     Gilbert, AZ 85298, USA

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 How to open your Computershare account: 

• When your share is registered, the first Computershare letter will be dispatched. It will take between 3 to 5 weeks to arrive depending where you are in the world. This is the DRS Account Statement.

• If you don't want to wait around 5 weeks, you have a couple of options:

  • As you have transferred only 1 share, Computershare can give you your account number over the phone. Skipping the need for the first letter. This can be done only when you have transferred less than 10 shares.

  • You can expedite the letter for $45 by giving payment details to Computershare over the phone. The letter will arrive within a week.

• To check if your shares have successfully been transferred over from your broker, you may call Computershare to check this information with them over the phone.

• Computershare's non-US GME contact number is +800-3823-3823. This is a free number that can only be called from landlines in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the UK.

  • Please note: The number is only available between 08:00 and 14:00 (GMT). Otherwise you will be put through to Computershare headquarters in the USA without notice.

• Otherwise, the US toll-free number is: +1 800-522-6645 and the US toll number is: +1 (201) 680 6578 (taxes may apply). If you're outside the US, you can get a free trial month of Skype to call these numbers.

  • If you don't hear any relevant options with the automated menu, you can keep pressing 0 to get through to a human.

  • If you are asked to verify your address and live outside of the US, you will have to use an ISO code instead of your country. For example, London in the UK is GB-LDN and Barcelona in Spain is ES-B. You can find your country's ISO codes through this Wikipedia page.

 

When you have the DRS Account Statement:

• Go to Go to Computershare.com/us.

• Click on “Login to Investor Center”.

• Click on “Register Now”.

• Make sure to select the “Holder Account Number” tab, instead of “Social Security Number”.

• Select “I am not a U.S. Resident”.

• Provide the Computershare account number that is on your DRS Account Statement (starts with “C”).

• Provide your last name, surname, or business name.

• Enter the name of the stock that you hold (GameStop).

• Computershare will then prompt you to create your username, password and security questions.

• Once your account is created, Computershare will send you an auto-generated verification code letter in the mail. This will arrive in 2 to 4 weeks.

• If you'd like it sooner you can:

  • Call Computershare and pay a $30 fee to get the verification code via email within 48 hours.

  • Europeans can request the letter be sent from Computershare's UK office instead.

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When you receive the verification code letter:

• Return to Computershare.com/us.

• Click on “Login to Investor Center”.

• Login using the username, and password you have created.

• Then you can enter the verification code.

• You now have full access to your Computershare account to conduct transactions.

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W-8 BEN Tax Form:

At this point, it is important to verify your tax status as a non-US citizen. While logged into your account, go to the My Profile tab, then “Tax Details”. A guide on how to fill in the W-8 BEN form is linked here.

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You must fill in the W-8 BEN form before you buy any shares through Computershare, or add your banking information (especially if it's a US dollar account). Otherwise you will be assumed to be a US citizen.

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Adding currency information:

After submitting the W-8 BEN tax form, you can enter your Foreign Currency Account information into your Computershare account (this is for sales only):

• Click on "My Profile". 

• Click on "Banking Details".

• Under "Payment Method", select: "International Wire".

• Under "Country", enter the country where you bank from.

• Under "Currency", select your local currency.

• Then enter your SWIFT code and account number according to your bank account.

Please note: If you wish to use a Wise USD account here, Wise has daily and yearly limits for deposits, so it's probably best to use an actual bank instead of a currency conversion platform for withdrawals.

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How to buy direct through Computershare

Please Note: If you are buying through Computershare in order to be the sole legal owner of your shares there is an extra step to take. This step is transferring your shares from plan holdings to book holdings, and/or terminating your enrollment in the DirectStock Plan. 

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To purchase direct through Computershare US, you will need a US bank account. You can open one anywhere in the world using an international banking service such as Wise.com (Canadians also have the option of a TD USD account).

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You must fill in the W-8 BEN form before you buy any shares through Computershare, or add your banking information (especially if it's a US dollar account). Otherwise you will be assumed to be a US citizen.

 

Create an US bank account via Wise.com:​

• To create a Wise account, go to Wise.com and click on “Sign Up”.

• You can use your Google, Facebook or Apple IDs, or manually create an account.

• On the next page, you will be asked which account type you'd like to open. Select "Personal Account".

• Then select your country of residence and click “Continue”.

• Next enter your phone number, be sure to use the correct country code.

• Click “Send verification code”.

• Wise will send you a text with a 6 digit code. Enter the code and click “Submit”.

• You will now be prompted to create a password. Enter the password you'd like to use and click “Submit”.

• Congratulations! You have now opened your Wise.com account.

• From here you need to provide some proof of ID, so Wise can finish creating the account for you. You can submit a picture of your Driver's License, passport, or bills/bank statements.

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• Once Wise has verified your ID, you can fund your local currency account straight from your bank, and open a US Dollar account.

• When your local currency arrives in Wise, select your local currency account. At the top, next to “Add” there is a "Convert" button.

• Click on the "Convert" button and follow the prompts to convert your local currency to US Dollars.

• Once the US Dollars are settled, you will now have access to your US account details. Select your US account, under the “Add” and “Convert” boxes, buttons will be dropped down for your USD account details. Make a note of your Account number and Routing number, as you will need these for Computershare.

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Instructions to buy on Computershare:

• Go to Computershare.com/us.

• Click on “Login to Investor Center”.

• Click on “Login”.

• From your Investment Summary page, under “What would you like to do?”, select “Search and Buy Stock”.

• Search for GME or GameStop, and select it.

• Review the fees ($5 fee per individual investment, and $2.50 for recurring), and then select “Invest Now”.

• If you already have GameStop shares in your Computershare account, a message will pop up asking if you'd like to add more shares to your existing account, or create a new account for this purchase. Select “Buy More”.

• Choose if you would like this to be a one time investment, or set up a recurring monthly payment. Then enter how many dollars you'd like to invest and click “Next”.

• Select if your bank account is a checking or savings account (if using Wise the it is most likely a checking account).

• Enter the Routing number (listed as Routing/ACH number in your Wise account), and Account number of the bank account you wish to pay from. Then click “Next”.

• Computershare will now ask for an email address to send you confirmation of your investment. Enter your email address and click “Next”.

• On the final page you can review the breakdown of this investment. If you are happy with all of the information, click the checkbox agreeing to the terms and conditions, and then click on “Submit”.

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Congratulations you have now submitted a purchase directly through Computershare!

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You will receive a confirmation email shortly afterwards. Computershare will pull the money from your Wise account in 2 business days. Then after a couple more days Computershare will submit the buy order in a large batch trade along with other Computershare investors. Computershare does not hold anyone's money, this is why they have to wait for your direct debit to settle before making your purchase.

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While the delay seems problematic, ordering through Computershare actually helps with price movement. As the batch orders are often round or mixed lots and are always purchased on lit exchanges.

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Converting Plan holdings to Book holdings:

When you purchase shares directly through Computershare's DirectStock plan, shares are held in the Plan pool, which is managed and maintained by Computershare. If you wish to hold the sole legal title to the shares you have just purchased, you may want to convert your Plan holdings into Book holdings, or terminate the DirectStock plan entirely. We have guides for both options available on the links below:

Converting from Plan to Book

Terminating from DirectStock