I have been hearing for several years that we will surely not have access to US ETFs as Swiss citizens after January 1, 2022…
This is due to the famous European regulation PRIIPs (for “Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products”) which is not so bad, because it brings more transparency and information to us, the lambda investors.
When you really look in detail, it’s not so much for transparency as to force us to invest in “Made in Europe” investments and avoid putting our money in US ETFs… not so cool in the end…
This regulation came into effect in 2018 in all European countries, and it should be the case for foreign brokers active in Switzerland from the beginning of 2022. Including Interactive Brokers.
The problem is that nobody on the web is sure what will happen in a few weeks. The big question being: will I still be able to buy my favorite US ETF with Interactive Brokers as a Swiss citizen?
So I tried to get the info from the source: at Interactive Brokers :)
Interactive Brokers and US ETFs for Swiss citizens
Here is my discussion with Interactive Brokers support:
Hello,
Following the PRIIPs regulation, it is said that Swiss citizens with an account via IBKR UK will no longer be able to buy US ETFs (like my favorite ETF Vanguard VT) from January 2022. Other websites say that this will not change anything.
Could you please clarify whether, as a Swiss citizen and IBKR client, I will be able to continue to buy my VT ETF as usual after 01.01.2022?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
First response from Interactive Brokers support:
Dear Mr. MP,
With regard to the possibility for Swiss residents to trade in US ETFs, you may note that currently, Swiss residents should be able to open new positions in US ETFs.
However, after January 1, 2022, certain restrictions may be imposed on them with respect to opening new positions in US ETFs.
Therefore, we kindly ask you to check with us from that date onwards so that we can provide you with the relevant information.
We thank you for taking note of this,
XYZ
IBKR customer service*
Uh, yeah, great… thank you so much… I’m really moving on here!
So I insisted a bit:
Hello XYZ,
Indeed, I know that it is still possible to trade US ETFs nowadays.
May I ask why we don’t know yet what will happen after January 1, 2022? If this is the regulation, it should be easy to get a YES/NO statement, right?
Thank you in advance for your support!
Answer:
Dear Mr. MP,
Please note that unfortunately we are unable to provide you with any information on this matter. If restrictions are put in place after January 1, 2022, an announcement in the form of an electronic communication will be sent to you.
Cordially,
XYZ
IBKR Customer Services
You couldn’t take more risks in your answers dear Interactive Brokers…
So, I’m going to wait until January 3, 2022 to try to place an order for my favorite VT ETF via Interactive Brokers.
I’ll update this article with a screenshot if it worked. If it didn’t, no worries, I’ll also write about how I’ll adjust my ETF portfolio as a Swiss Mustachian investor :)
Update 04.01.2022
Good news, it’s still possible to buy US ETFs in 2022 in Switzerland 🎉
The proof in this screenshot:
Do you have any other information from a reliable source about being able to buy US ETFs as a Swiss investor in 2022?
Header photo credit: Kevin Durango from Pexels
