In the US, the system behind the move is called ACATS, and it's worth knowing a few specifics. Essentially you request the transfer at the new brokerage, and they handle pulling everything over from your old one. 

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The timeline is fairly predictable

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ACATS (Automated Customer Account Transfer Service) is genuinely automated — most transfers complete in about 4 to 10 business days from request to completion. There's a validation step in the first day or two where the two institutions confirm account details, followed by the actual asset transfer. It's not instant, but it's a more standardized process than a lot of people expect.

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Your account type affects the paperwork

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The main account types you'll run into are taxable brokerage accounts, IRAs (Traditional and Roth), and employer plans like 401(k)s:

• Taxable brokerage accounts typically transfer in-kind through ACATS without much friction

• IRA-to-IRA transfers (Traditional-to-Traditional or Roth-to-Roth) move similarly, usually within 3 to 10 business days

• 401(k)s work differently — moving one to an IRA is a rollover, not an ACATS transfer, and it's a separate process with its own paperwork

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You generally can't directly convert one account type into another. Moving a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA isn't a same-type transfer — it's a Roth conversion, which is a taxable event. If that's part of what you're picturing, it's a different process than simply moving an existing IRA from one broker to another.

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The rollover trap

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If you take a distribution from an old 401(k) or IRA yourself — instead of requesting a direct (trustee-to-trustee) rollover — your old provider is required to withhold 20% for taxes automatically. You'd then need to come up with that withheld amount out of pocket to deposit the full original balance at the new institution within 60 days, or the withheld portion gets treated as a taxable distribution (and possibly an early-withdrawal penalty). There's also a rule limiting indirect IRA-to-IRA rollovers to one per year.

A direct rollover avoids all of this — the money never passes through your hands.

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One fee to know about going in

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Your current provider may charge an outgoing transfer fee (commonly $50–$100). Many receiving brokerages will reimburse this once the account lands — again, worth asking about up front.