Hi all,

I will appreciate your help on the following issue:
I was in the US on a student visa between 2008-2013. I studies, worked (and also paid taxes) in the US until I moved back to live in my country in mid-2013. I had/have a SSN while I was living in the US.
Now, I want to open a brokerage account in my country in order to trade US stocks. My broker requires me to fill out a W-8BEN form. In that form it states to fill out a "social security number, if required".
Since I am not a US citizen nor a permanent resident and I have been in my country (out of the US) for almost 4 years, do I still need to state my US SSN on the W-8BEN form?
I appreciate your help,
Ela

The Form W8BEN is used to determine whether you are subject to withholding taxes and in what amount. If you are not a U.S. person who receives U.S.-sourced income then you probably need to fill out the form to indicate that (see the form and instructions for definitions, etc.).