First steps

Apply online for a free demo account and practise trading with £10,000 in virtual funds. When you’re ready, you can apply for a live account.

No. Our spread betting and CFD accounts offer trading on forex, alongside indices, commodities, shares and more.

We aim to help you start trading as quickly as possible. In many cases, we can open a live account in as little as 60 seconds, though the length of the process can vary based on factors such as your location and eligibility.

If you're a UK resident, you'll get a response from us within 60 seconds of submitting your online application form. At this point, your account will either be open, or you'll have received an email from us asking you to supply additional documents to support your live account application.

If you’re a non-UK resident, the live account application process typically takes two days. Once you've submitted your documents, we'll contact you within one business day. The account opening process may be delayed if you cannot provide us with the required supporting documents.

To complete your live account application, you may be asked to provide:

1) A scanned copy or clear photograph of your valid UK photo driving licence, showing your current address;

Or:

2) A clear and readable copy of one document from List A and one document from List B, below:

List A:

• Valid passport

• Valid photo driving licence

• Valid national ID card

List B:

• Bank statement in your name, posted to your residential address (no online statements)

• Mortgage statement in your name

• Utility bill (please note we cannot accept final demands, reminders, online bills or mobile phone bills)

All documents in List B should be dated within the last three months. We need to see complete documents. Online bank statements printed and stamped at your local bank branch are acceptable. You can email scanned versions of your documents to newaccounts@cmcmarkets.co.uk. Alternatively, hard copies can be sent to us by post at the below address:

Client Management team
CMC Markets
133 Houndsditch
London EC3A 7BX
UK

To apply for a live trading account, follow these steps:

Desktop: Log in to your demo account, select the ‘Open a Live Account’ button at the top of the screen and follow the on-screen instructions.

iPhone or iPad: Open the app and log in, then select the 'More' button (with the three dots), tap the ‘Open a Live Account’ button, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Android: Open the app and log in, then tap the three lines at the top of the screen, tap ‘Open a Live Account’, and follow the on-screen instructions.

You don't need to deposit funds to 'activate' your account, but you'll need to fund your live account in order to place trades.

Once your application for a live account is successful, you can log in to your account after clicking on the verification link that we send to your registered email address. However, you won’t be able to place a spread bet, CFD trade or any other type of trade until there are sufficient funds in your account to open a position.

If you'd like to practise using our trading platform with £10,000 in virtual funds in a risk-free environment, you can open a free demo account.