Yes - InvestEngine supports in-specie ISA transfers in for ETFs available on the platform.
This means you can move investments directly from another provider without selling them first, helping you stay invested and avoid being out of the market.
However, there are some important things to be aware of.
ISA transfers may have implications for your investments. Please consider all factors before deciding to transfer.
You can find our full current ETF range here: InvestEngine ETF range - Build Your Own ETF DIY Portfolio.
What is an in-specie transfer?
An in-specie transfer is when investments are moved “as they are” - without being sold and converted into cash. This helps preserve your portfolio structure, avoids selling costs, and can reduce time out of the market.
For ISA transfers, this is sometimes referred to as a re-registration.
When is an in-specie ISA transfer supported?
We can accept in-specie ISA transfers into DIY portfolios only, and only for ETFs available on the InvestEngine platform.
To qualify:
- Your current provider must support in-specie transfers
- The ETFs must match our available ETF list exactly (including share class and ISIN)
Your eligible holdings will be transferred as in-specie by default where possible. If any of your holdings aren’t eligible, those will be sold and transferred as cash instead.
Partial ISA transfers
Please note that partial ISA transfers are processed as cash only.
If you request a transfer of part of your ISA from another provider, your investments will need to be sold by your current provider and transferred to InvestEngine as cash. In-specie transfers are only supported for full ISA transfers.
You can read more about transferring your ISA to another provider here
What we don’t support
We can’t currently support in-specie transfers for:
- Non-ETF investments (shares, funds, trusts, bonds, etc.)
- ETFs not available on the InvestEngine platform
- Transfers into Managed or LifePlan portfolios
For more information about supported instruments, visit our ETF list
What about transfers out?
We understand how important it is to deliver tax-efficient management for your investments whether they’re with us or another provider. We do our best to support in-specie transfers in as many cases as possible under the following conditions:
- The new provider requests an in-specie transfer. Where the mode of transfer is not stated in the request, cash transfer is presumed. The process of requesting an in-specie transfer varies by provider, please check with your new provider’s customer support if you are unsure.
- The transfer request needs to be for the full holding within the tax wrapper account. As is industry standard, We do not support in-specie transfer of only part of an account holding.
- Only full units of an ETF can be transferred. Any fractional holdings cannot be re-registered in specie and will be sold-down and transferred as cash. Examples: if you hold 1.1 units of an ETF, 0.1 units will be sold down and 1 unit re-registered in-specie.
- Your new provider needs to support and accept your current ETFs. If this specific ETF is not available with your new provider, they will instruct us to sell down that ETF. Please use ISIN and/or Ticker when checking availability of ETFs across the platforms.
For GIA accounts:
We accommodate in-specie transfer for GIA accounts as long as the above conditions are met and there is a reasonable case that there will be potential tax implications for selling-down your holdings.
Performing an in-specie GIA transfer is decided on a case-by-case basis. Please contact our support team if you would like to request this.
Please be aware that not all providers will offer an accurate Book Cost value (the price at which you first purchased the securities on their platform) for the securities that you transfer to us in-specie. This will have an impact on how the net loss/return is calculated for these securities on the Capital Gains Tax report and GIA Full Client Valuation report. This may be incorrect for HMRC Capital Gains Tax calculations. You may need to request the accurate book cost details from your old provider to help you complete your Capital Gains Tax Calculations.