Well, whaddaya know? After posting the previous message about Scottrade, I got the following email from Charles Schwab responding to my similar querry:

Dear Mr. --------------:

Thank you for your email. I appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

Did you want to request Direct Registration Statements for the securities in your account? As you may know, DRS is a service that allows an investor's ownership of a specific security to be recorded and maintained directly on the books of the issuer, or on the books of the issuer's designated transfer agent, without burdening the investor with the responsibilities of holding a physical certificate. A DRS statement is evidence that the holder is a registered shareholder much like a certificate.

If you would like to order DRS statements for the securities you hold in your account, I would suggest contacting us at 800-435-4000 to further discuss this. The reason being is that most of the securities you hold are foreign ordinary shares. Many of these shares are typically not eligible for DRS statements and a stock certificate will have to be sent. Schwab is charged a variable fee for ORD order outs based on the location of the Transfer Agent. We pass this fee, plus any other transfer fees associated with the transaction, to you. We will have to determine the fee for each foreign ORD stock transfer (per security), and the transfer process can take from 2 to 6 months, sometimes even longer. Therefore, it is best to contact us by phone to determine what securities you would like to receive and discuss the process associated with the security. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Bottom line, it will take forever and cost a fortune!