PDFWAC 460-20C-035

Canadian broker-dealers and salespersons.

(1) If you are a Canadian broker-dealer that is a resident in Canada and has no office or other physical presence in the United States and is not an office of, branch of, or a natural person associated with a broker-dealer otherwise registered in the United States, you may transact business in Washington without registering as a broker-dealer pursuant to RCW 21.20.040 under the following conditions:
(a) The business you transact is limited to:
(i) Transactions subject to the exemption provided by RCW 21.20.320(8);
(ii) Transactions with or for a Canadian person who is temporarily present in Washington and with whom you had a bona fide customer relationship before the person entered Washington; or
(iii) Transactions with or for a Canadian person in a self-directed tax advantaged retirement plan in Canada of which that person is the holder or contributor; and
(b) You file the following with the director:
(i) A notice of claim of exemption in the form of a cover letter that provides the location of your head office, identifies a contact person, specifies the jurisdictions in Canada in which you are registered as a broker-dealer, and specifies the self-regulatory organization or stock exchange in Canada to which you belong; and
(ii) A consent to service process on Form U2 pursuant to RCW 21.20.330; and
(c) You maintain membership in a self-regulatory organization or stock exchange in Canada; and
(d) You maintain provincial or territorial registration in Canada; and
(e) You disclose to your customers in Washington that you are not subject to the full regulatory requirements of the Securities Act of Washington.
(2) If you are a salesperson representing a Canadian broker-dealer transacting business in Washington pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, you are not required to register pursuant to RCW 21.20.040 provided that you are registered in the appropriate Canadian jurisdiction.
(3) If you are a Canadian broker-dealer, the transactions conducted by you and your salespersons pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section will be deemed not to involve the "offer" or "sale" of a security, as those terms are defined in RCW 21.20.005, for purposes of compliance with RCW 21.20.140. Nothing in this section limits the duty of you and your salespersons to comply with RCW 21.20.010 and the rules promulgated thereunder.
(4) If you have previously filed a notice of claim of exemption pursuant to subsection (1)(b) of this section, you must promptly notify the director if there is any material change in the information on file with the director. This includes, but is not limited to, any change with respect to the broker-dealer's eligibility for the exemption. An annual filing is not otherwise required to maintain the exemption.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.070 and 21.20.450. WSR 24-19-055, s 460-20C-035, filed 9/12/24, effective 10/13/24.]