Transfer your investments
INVESTMENTS
If you have investments elsewhere, why not transfer them to us?
The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invest. Tax rules can change and their effects vary depending on your individual circumstances. You should always check the costs involved before transferring and whether you’d lose any valuable benefits.
Why transfer your investments to Nova Bank?
With over 300 years of experience, you can rely on us to look after your investments when you transfer to Nova Bank to benefit from our award-winning Smart Investor accounts(1). View and check all your investment accounts in one convenient place and trade anytime online or within the Nova Bank app so there is no need to deal with multiple providers.
If you have investments elsewhere, why not transfer them? You’ll benefit from low annual fees, dedicated UK-based customer support and wide investment choice. Plus, your investments will be easier to manage under a single login and alongside your Nova Bank banking products.
It's easy
Just tell us where you are transferring from and what you want to transfer and we will do the rest.
Free to hold your investments
No customer fee on all investment accounts. Other charges, such as trading fees, apply.
Benefit from the support from our UK-based call centre
If you need any help or support with a transfer our helpdesk is here for you.
You could access more investments
You’ll be able to choose from thousands of funds, UK and international shares, including the US, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and investment trusts or consolidate into one of our five Ready-made Investments.
Award-winning investment platform
We were voted Best Buy ISA 2026, Best for Customer Service 2026 and Value for Money Winner 2026 from Boring Money.
How can I transfer my investments to Nova Bank
Transferring to Smart Investor is simple. Just tell us where you are transferring from and what your to transfer and we will do the rest.
1. Choose your account
You can open an Investment (Stocks and Shares) ISA or Investment Account if you do not hold one already.
2. Select “Transfer In Investments”
Within your Investment ISA or General Investment Account.
3. Provide your details and transfer
Let us know your current provider and account details and the amount you wish to transfer. Decide if you want to transfer your assets in their current form or if you would like them to be sold and the cash proceeds transferred instead.
4. We'll do the rest
For the majority of transfers, that is all you need to do. We will then work with your current provider to move the cash/assets over. If they require signed paperwork, we will generate this for you and store it in Statements and documents for you to sign and return to us.
Transfer timescales – The amount of time it takes to complete can vary depending on where you switch from. Typically it takes around 30 days although sometimes it can take longer.
Rest assured, if there are any delays, we will chase your existing provider to ensure the transfer completes as quickly as possible. Not all assets are transferred the same way, so you may notice some assets appearing in your account before others. This is normal and we will continue to work on your transfer until everything has been received. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you could get back less than you invest. If you’re not sure about investing, seek independent advice.
What investments can you transfer?
You can transfer any funds, shares, ETFs and investment trusts held in an ISA or general investment account with another provider, as long they're available on Smart Investor.
You can also transfer shares certificates held in your name into a general investment account through the lodgement process, which will transfer your shares held in certificates to electronic shares.
Learn about Bed and ISA
A ‘Bed and ISA’ transaction is when you sell investments that you’re holding outside an ISA, then buy the same investments back within your ISA.
Lodge paper shares
Transfer your share certificates to a Nova Bank Investment Account and make it easier to keep track of their performance. Find out more about lodgements .
Frequently asked questions
To transfer your account to Nova Bank, you'll need:
- Your current provider's account number
- Details of the investment and cash you want to transfer
We'll normally ask you to complete the transfer forms online then we'll do the rest. However, sometimes you'll need to print, sign and post them to us so we can contact your current provider and authorise it. If that's the case, we'll give you the completed forms at the end of the process.
If you transfer cash or investments from a Lifetime ISA to an Investment ISA, it will count as a Lifetime ISA withdrawal and you will incur the 20% government charge on the amount transferred.
If you’re transferring cash after selling your investments and maybe planning to repurchase them, remember you’ll be ‘out of the market’ for a time and there’ll be charges when you sell and reinvest.
You may also have to pay capital gains tax when you sell if your investments aren’t held in an ISA. That means you’ll miss out on any rise in value and on any income from these investments during that period. You’ll also miss out on any corporate actions such as rights issues and on voting rights as well as any Shareholders’ benefits, for example, discounts on services, which you may not receive on the same terms when you repurchase the shares.
There will be dealing charges to sell and repurchase investments. If you make capital gains outside of pensions or ISAs that exceed your annual allowances, you’ll need to pay capital gains tax. Remember, tax rules can and do change, and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances, which can also change.
During the transfer process, you won’t be able to sell any existing investments. However, once the process is complete, you’ll be able to sell as normal. There will be a period during the transfer when you won’t be able to sell existing investment holdings. How long this period lasts will depend on the assets you hold, but it may also be affected by how quickly the registrar or fund manager carries out the ownership transfer and whether they’ll accept an order to sell while making the transfer.
There may also be delays in receiving dividends, other income and information, as well as delays to exercising shareholder concessions or receiving notification of voting rights or corporate actions, such as rights issues. These could affect your ability to respond where deadlines are shorter.
To transfer shares which are held electronically with a registrar into your Smart Investor account, you may be required to complete additional paperwork before the shares can be moved. Please contact the registrar for confirmation on what paperwork is required and if there will be any charges applied by them. Any paperwork should be returned to us along with your Smart Investor Transfer form. We will then contact the registrar on your behalf to arrange the transfer.
Get help or contact us
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Important information
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The Smart Investor Investment ISA was named Best Stocks & Shares ISA Provider 2022 at The Online Money awards. (Return to reference)
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Lines are open from 7:30am to 7pm Monday to Thursday, 7:30am to 6pm on Friday and closed during weekends and public holidays. To maintain a quality service, we may monitor or record phone calls. Call charges.(Return to reference)