US-listed · NASDAQ · FIF-eligible (above NZ$50K)
Vanguard Total International Stock ETF
Tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex-US Index — ~8,000 stocks across developed + emerging markets outside the US.
Updated Reviewed quarterly
About this fund
What is VXUS?
VXUS is the US-listed ticker for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF, issued by Vanguard. Tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex-US Index — ~8,000 stocks across developed + emerging markets outside the US. TER is 0.05% per year. Distributions are paid quarterly.
Next typical distribution: December.VXUS typically pays in Mar · Jun · Sep · Dec. Issuer sets the exact date — verify on the distribution calendar before relying on a payment date.
Platform availability
Where to buy VXUS from New Zealand
Based on each platform's advertised market coverage and fee schedule. Verify with the platform before transacting — instrument coverage can change.
| Platform | Per-trade fee | FX | Min | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9% per trade | 0.5% | NZ$0 | Beginners, fractional shares, mixing NZ + US ETFs | |
| US$3 per trade (≤300 shares) | 0.5% | NZ$0 (US$1 to invest) | NZ investors who want US-only ETFs (SPY, VOO, QQQ, SCHD, JEPI) | |
| US$0 trades | 0.70% | NZ$0 | Frequent US-share traders who hate per-trade fees | |
| From US$0.35 / trade (Tiered) or US$1 flat (Fixed) | ~0.002% (US$2 min) | US$0 | Larger portfolios, frequent traders, multi-market investors | |
| US$2 flat per US trade (to 200 shares) | 0.50% | NZ$0 | NZ investors who want NZ + US + Asian markets in one account | |
| From NZ$29.90 per trade | Undisclosed margin on conversion | NZ$0 | US trading must be switched on by request, and covers a curated list of US securities — check this ticker is on it. | |
| NZ$30 per NZX trade | Bank rates (~1%) | NZ$0 (ASB customer) | Existing ASB customers wanting one login for banking + brokerage |
Showing 7 platforms that list this ETF. Full platform comparison: all 11 NZ brokers → · Full coverage matrix: availability matrix →
NZ tax treatment
How is VXUS taxed for NZ investors?
VXUS is US-domiciled. NZ investors apply Foreign Investment Fund rules once total overseas-share cost basis crosses the de-minimis threshold. Below it, only dividends are taxable.
The FIF de-minimis threshold is NZ$50,000(source) of overseas-share cost basis. Below it, FIF rules do not apply and only dividends are taxable.
Most NZ retail investors use Fair Dividend Rate (FDR): deemed income = 5% × opening market value × your marginal rate. Comparative Value (CV) can be lower in flat or down years.
FDR vs CV method → · PIE vs FIF comparison →
🧮 Model your own after-tax outcome
Mechanical NZ-tax calculator comparing PIE @ PIR vs FIF @ FDR vs FIF @ CV on your principal, assumed return, time horizon, PIR, and marginal rate. → Open the after-tax calculator
General information only — not personalised tax advice. Confirm your treatment with a registered NZ tax adviser before transacting.
Add up to 4 more tickers to compare TER · yield · distribution · NZ tax structure.
Similar ETFs
ETFs with similar focus to VXUS
Same asset class, issuer cousins, and exchange peers — ranked by closest match. Click any row to compare side-by-side in the multi-compare tool.
| Ticker | Name | TER | Yield | Distribution | NZ tax | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNZ | NZ Top 50 (FNZ) Smartshares · NZX | 0.50% | 3.2% | Semi-annual | PIE | VXUS vs FNZ |
| NZ20 | Kernel NZ 20 Kernel · Unlisted | 0.25% | — | Quarterly | PIE | VXUS vs NZ20 |
| TNZ | NZ Top 10 (TNZ) Smartshares · NZX | 0.60% | 1.9% | Semi-annual | PIE | VXUS vs TNZ |
| VTI | VTI Vanguard · NYSE Arca | 0.03% | 1.0% | Quarterly | FIF | VXUS vs VTI |
| QQQ | QQQ Invesco · NASDAQ | 0.18% | — | Quarterly | FIF | VXUS vs QQQ |
Distribution history
Last 12 distributions — VXUS
VXUS typically distributes mar · jun · sep · dec. Per-payment history (amount + ex-date + payment date for the last 12 distributions) is published authoritatively on the issuer's own fact sheet and corporate-actions page. We have not yet verified a per-payment history for this fund against the issuer's records, so we point at the authoritative sources below rather than estimating.
Next typical distribution month: December. The exact ex-date and payment date are set by Vanguard — verify on the issuer source below before relying on a specific date.
Authoritative sources for distribution history
- Vanguard VXUS product page — corporate actions + distribution announcements
- Vanguard VXUS fact sheet PDF — historical distribution table
See /calendar/distributions/ for the rolling 12-month forward calendar across all covered ETFs.
FAQ
Common questions about VXUS
What is the VXUS ETF?⌄
VXUS is the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF — it tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex-US Index, holding ~8,000 stocks across developed (Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia) and emerging markets (China, India, Brazil, Korea, etc) outside the US. TER is 0.05%, distributions paid quarterly. Yield ~—. The "completion" fund for VTI to give global equity exposure.
VXUS vs VEU — what's the difference?⌄
Both are Vanguard ex-US equity funds. VXUS (Total International) tracks ~8,000 stocks across all market caps (large + mid + small). VEU (FTSE All-World ex-US) tracks ~3,500 stocks across large + mid only — no small-caps. Holdings overlap heavily on the large-cap side. VXUS has slightly broader coverage; long-run performance of the two has historically been close. Check each issuer's fact sheet for current TERs (VXUS: 0.05%).
Can NZ residents buy VXUS?⌄
Yes. VXUS is available via Hatch, Stake, Sharesies (US market), and Interactive Brokers. Above NZ$50,000 cost basis FIF rules apply (FDR method most common). The fund itself sits in the FIF regime as a US-domiciled ETF, even though its underlying holdings are non-US.
Why hold VXUS alongside VTI or VOO?⌄
Holding VXUS alongside US equity (VTI / VOO) gives full global equity exposure. The S&P 500 is ~60-65% of global market cap; VXUS fills the remaining ~35-40%. A common allocation is 60% VTI + 40% VXUS (roughly mirroring global market weights), though the right split for an NZ investor depends on home-country exposure (NZX), USD currency tolerance, and tax preferences (some NZ-PIE alternatives exist).
Where to buy VXUS from New Zealand
The platforms below all support VXUS. Each link opens the platform's site directly — we don't take any payment for placement or for clicks.
Fees + platform details verified against each provider's published rate card. Always check the current schedule before transacting.Full platform comparison →
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Sources for this VXUS data
The figures on this page come from the documents below. We do not pull live prices; the data is reviewed against issuer fact sheets and exchange listings (last reviewed 2026-07-05). Which figures have been checked against the issuer by machine, rather than by eye, is stated below — an unchecked figure is labelled as such rather than left ambiguous.
- ○Total expense ratioNot independently verified — check the issuer documents below before relying on it. We review unsourced figures by 2027-03-04; if no issuer publishes one by then, this figure is removed rather than left standing.
Issuer product page
investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vxus
Fact sheet (PDF)
fund-docs.vanguard.com/F3369.pdf
External links open in a new tab. We do not earn commission on issuer product pages. See our methodology + disclosure.
Compare
VXUS against the alternatives
4 side-by-side comparisons covering fee, yield and NZ tax wrapper. Characteristics, not recommendations.
| Comparison | The other fund | Its TER |
|---|---|---|
| VXUS vs VTI | VTI | 0.03% |
| VXUS vs SCHE | SCHE | 0.06% |
| VXUS vs KGM | Kernel Global 100 | 0.25% |
| VXUS vs EMF | Emerging Markets (EMF) | 0.59% |
Related ETFs and resources
VTI — Vanguard Total Stock Market (US)
US-equity counterpart. VTI + VXUS = global equity coverage.
VOO — Vanguard S&P 500
US large-cap alternative for combined US+international exposure.
SCHE — Schwab Emerging Markets
EM-only alternative if you already hold developed-international elsewhere.
NZ-listed global ETFs (PIE-tax)
NZX-listed global equity alternatives that avoid FIF.
FIF tax explained
When FIF applies and how to file.