Investors looking to buy and sell stocks will often look towards recognisable names and brands. Charles Schwab is an investment company that is well known and respected around the world, so it is no surprise that investors in Israel want to know whether it is possible to invest through the platform.
Keep reading to find out whether Charles Schwab is available to investors in Israel, what the account actually involves, and which alternatives may suit you better.
Is Charles Schwab available in Israel?
Yes, signing up for the Schwab One International brokerage account from Israel is possible. But there are some important things investors need to understand before doing so.
Charles Schwab works primarily in the US, and offers an international service open to applicants from Israel. It is a genuine US brokerage account rather than a local one, which brings both advantages, such as direct access to US markets and a debit card usable at Israeli ATMs, and complications around tax and reporting that we cover below.
How to use Charles Schwab in Israel?
To open a Schwab One International account from Israel, you will need the following:
- Your tax ID or equivalent identification number;
- Current ID: your passport or another suitable form of identification;
- Proof of residence: a recent utility bill (gas, electricity, water, cable) or other proof of address showing your full name, address and a date;
- Employment details: the name and mailing address of your current employer;
- Access to a scanner: the application is document-heavy and you will need to upload scans, so a printer and scanner are useful.
Points to consider before opening a Schwab account from Israel:
- You can only trade in US dollars. If you hold shekels, you will pay a currency conversion cost to invest, and again to take money out;
- Depositing shekels directly is a poor idea. Shekel deposits are converted immediately at Schwab’s own rate, which is generally unfavourable. Funding usually requires extra steps or an intermediary account;
- Getting money back to an Israeli bank account is awkward. Outside ATM withdrawals using the account’s debit card, there is no cost-effective route back to a local bank;
- US stocks and ETFs trade commission-free, with no monthly or annual account maintenance fee, but the investment universe is limited to what a US brokerage offers;
- The debit card is genuinely useful. It carries no foreign transaction fee and can be used to withdraw shekels at Israeli ATMs, which is why many Olim favour it.
Check the current minimum initial deposit with Schwab directly before applying, as the requirement for international accounts has changed and reports differ.
The tax considerations that matter most
This is the part that gets least attention and matters most, particularly with a US-based account.
US estate tax exposure. A Schwab One International account holds US securities directly, which makes them US-situs assets. Schwab states plainly in its own material that when a non-US investor dies holding US assets, those assets are subject to federal estate tax at rates from 18% up to 40%, and that the exemption for these investors is only $60,000, against a far larger allowance for US citizens and residents. For a portfolio of any size, this is a significant and often overlooked exposure, and it does not apply in the same way to Irish-domiciled UCITS funds held through a European broker.
US dividend withholding. Foreign investors generally pay a flat 30% withholding on interest and dividend income from US securities, reduced where a tax treaty applies and a valid Form W-8 is on file. Schwab acts as withholding agent and reports on Form 1042-S.
Publicly traded partnerships. Since January 2023, Schwab One International accounts held by non-US individuals are subject to an additional 10% withholding on gross proceeds from sales of PTP interests. If you hold any partnership-structured products, factor this in.
Israeli reporting. Israeli residents are taxed on worldwide income. Foreign brokers do not withhold Israeli tax at source the way an Israeli broker does, so the reporting obligation falls to you. New immigrants benefit from a ten-year exemption period, after which foreign investment income generally becomes reportable to the Israeli tax authority, which in practice usually means engaging an Israeli accountant. Factor that cost into your comparison, particularly if you would not otherwise need to file.
None of the above is tax advice. Confirm your position with a qualified Israeli tax adviser, and take cross-border advice if your situation spans both systems.
Charles Schwab alternatives in Israel
If you are in Israel and want broader choice and flexibility, several alternatives to Charles Schwab are worth considering.
Here are some of the best brokerages available in Israel that may suit you better than a US-based account:
Interactive Brokers
Founded in 1978, IBKR is one of the world’s most trustworthy brokers. It offers an enormous range of financial products (stocks, ETFs, options and more) and the lowest currency conversion costs of any broker here, which matters if you are converting shekels. It also offers IBKR GlobalTrader, a mobile trading app for stocks, ETFs and options aimed at newer investors.
Saxo
Saxo is a multi-asset broker providing retail and institutional clients access to a full suite of investment products including stocks, bonds, funds and derivatives, with proprietary trading platforms and strong customer support.
Plus500
Plus500 is a multi-asset online broker offering no commissions when trading CFDs on forex, cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, ETFs, options and indices. It also offers Plus500 Invest for real shares, which is not available in all countries.
Disclaimer: 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
| Broker | Fees for US stocks | Minimum Deposit |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.0005-$0.0035 per share (min. $0.35 per order) | $0 |
| Saxo | Classic: 0.08% (min. $1); Platinum: 0.05% (min. $1); VIP: 0.03% (min. $1) | Varies by country of residence |
| Plus500 | Up to 0.70% in US stocks | $100 |
#1 Interactive Brokers
Founded in 1978 and publicly listed on the NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR), Interactive Brokers is a global online broker that has come through major financial crises with a rigorous risk management record. As of June 2026 it held 5.19 million customer accounts and $930 billion in customer equity.
It offers an advanced platform covering stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs, futures, bonds and currencies across more than 170 exchanges and market centres in 40 countries, solid trade execution through IB SmartRouting, and a full set of technical and fundamental tools.
Its currency conversion cost of roughly 0.002% is by a wide margin the lowest of the brokers here, which matters more than the commission if you are moving between shekels and dollars regularly.
The Israel Securities Authority supervises the local capital market and the entities that qualify as Israeli market participants. IBKR is not regulated by the ISA, but operates internationally under its own top-tier regulators.
Want to know more? Check our Interactive Brokers Review and visit the Interactive Brokers website.
#2 Saxo
62% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Launched in 1992, Saxo is one of the most established names in the brokerage industry, with a long track record. It lets you trade over 70,000 financial instruments through two proprietary platforms: SaxoInvestor, aimed at investors who want a simpler interface, and SaxoTrader, available on web, desktop and mobile for more active users.
The range of cash and margin trading products across global markets includes stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds, crypto ETPs, options, futures, CFDs and forex, supported by advanced research tools for both buy-and-hold investors and leveraged traders.
Ownership changed recently. In March 2026 the Swiss private banking group J. Safra Sarasin completed its acquisition of a majority stake, and in July 2026 agreed to acquire the founder’s remaining holding, subject to regulatory approval.
Saxo Bank A/S is a licensed European bank supervised by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, and the group holds authorisations from the FCA, ASIC, MAS, FINMA and DFSA among others. Note that minimum deposits vary considerably by country of residence, so check the figure that applies to you before applying.
To learn more, check our Saxo review and visit Saxo’s website.
#3 Plus500
81% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Founded in 2008, Plus500 is an online broker offering a wide range of financial products, including real shares through Plus500 Invest and CFDs on forex, cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, ETFs, options and indices. It is available in over 50 countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: PLUS).
There are two distinct account types:
- Plus500 CFD: focused solely on CFD products;
- Plus500 Invest: where you can trade real shares.
The web platform is WebTrader, Plus500’s proprietary platform, offering a stable experience across devices including a mobile app. All platforms are user-friendly and responsive, and you can test the features with a demo account.
Customer support is accessible through a chat always visible on the trading platform. Spreads are low, with accounts available in sixteen currencies including USD, EUR and GBP. There is a 0.70% currency conversion fee and a $10 monthly fee after three months without activity. On Plus500 Invest, the commission is small, at $0.006 per share on the US market.
The Israel Securities Authority supervises the local capital market. Plus500 is not regulated by the ISA for this service, but operates under its own top-tier regulators.
If you want to know more about Plus500, check our Plus500 Review or visit the Plus500 website.
This information is NOT relevant to EU residents who are to be serviced by EU subsidiaries of the Plus500 Group, such as Plus500CY Ltd, authorized by CySEC (Reg. 250/14). Different regulatory requirements apply in Europe, such as leverage limitations and bonus restrictions.
Bottom line
Charles Schwab does offer a Schwab One International account to residents of certain countries including Israel, and it has genuine strengths: commission-free US stock and ETF trading, no maintenance fees, and a debit card that works well for withdrawing shekels at Israeli ATMs.
The drawbacks are structural rather than about fees. Everything trades in dollars, moving money in and out of an Israeli bank account is cumbersome, and holding US securities directly exposes a non-US investor to US estate tax above a $60,000 threshold, which is the consideration most worth taking advice on.
The alternatives above give broader market access and, in the case of Interactive Brokers, considerably lower currency conversion costs, which is the fee that matters most when you are converting shekels regularly. Whichever route you take, factor in the Israeli reporting obligation that comes with any foreign brokerage account.
