Which accounts a US person can actually open in the UK
Some UK accounts open for a US citizen without fuss; some open with strings; some will not touch you. This is which is which, and the US tax rules that decide it.
Just arrived, or not moved yet?
Before any table here is useful, a bank wants permission to be in the UK, an address you can evidence, photo ID and your US taxpayer number on a tax form. What you need to open your first UK bank account is the checklist, with the UK vocabulary in American.
Accounts, by type
Each page carries the verdict by provider, the conditions where there are any, and a link to the tax rule behind it.
Current accounts
Which UK current accounts open for US citizens, which add strings, and which decline. Verdicts by provider, with the FATCA reason behind each one.
Accounts Of the 61 that offer it, 48 providers open it as you are, 3 providers open it with conditions and 10 providers refuse a US citizen.Savings accounts
Which UK savings accounts accept US citizens, which ask for extra paperwork, and which say no. Per-provider verdicts and the reporting rules behind them.
Accounts Of the 37 that offer it, 28 providers open it as you are, none open it with conditions and 9 providers refuse a US citizen.Cash ISAs
A cash ISA is tax-free to HMRC but not to the IRS. Which UK providers open one for a US citizen, and why the US still taxes the interest.
Accounts Of the 46 that offer it, 1 provider opens it as you are, 16 providers open it with conditions and 29 providers refuse a US citizen. 1 more provider does not offer it at all.Stocks & shares ISAs
Most UK funds in a stocks and shares ISA are PFICs, which the US taxes punitively. Which providers accept US citizens, and why the wrapper rarely helps.
Accounts Of the 43 that offer it, 4 providers open it as you are, 13 providers open it with conditions and 26 providers refuse a US citizen. 7 more providers do not offer it at all.Brokerage accounts
Most UK investment platforms decline US persons. The ones that accept you, what they let you hold, and the PFIC trap on UK-domiciled funds.
Accounts Of the 50 that offer it, 5 providers open it as you are, 25 providers open it with conditions and 20 providers refuse a US citizen. 6 more providers do not offer it at all.SIPPs
A SIPP can work for a US citizen, but most providers restrict what you can hold. Which SIPPs accept you, and how the treaty protects the wrapper.
Accounts Of the 53 that offer it, 11 providers open it as you are, 42 providers open it with conditions and none refuse a US citizen. 10 more providers do not offer it at all.Mortgages
US citizenship is not a barrier to a UK mortgage, but US-source income and FATCA paperwork narrow the lender list. Which lenders work with US citizens.
Accounts Of the 26 that offer it, 12 providers open it as you are, 14 providers open it with conditions and none refuse a US citizen. 5 more providers do not offer it at all.Credit cards
A UK credit card needs UK credit history, not US citizenship. Which issuers accept US citizens, and how to build a UK file from scratch.
Accounts Of the 7 that offer it, 2 providers open it as you are, 5 providers open it with conditions and none refuse a US citizen.Multi-currency accounts
Multi-currency and money-transfer accounts that accept US citizens for holding dollars and pounds, and what FBAR reporting they trigger.
Accounts Of the 22 that offer it, 19 providers open it as you are, 2 providers open it with conditions and 1 provider refuses a US citizen. 17 more providers do not offer it at all.Junior cash ISAs
Which UK Junior cash ISAs open for a child who is a US citizen, which banks have stopped selling one, and how the US taxes the interest.
Accounts Of the 17 that offer it, none open it as you are, 3 providers open it with conditions and 14 providers refuse a US citizen. 12 more providers do not offer it at all.Junior stocks & shares ISAs
Which UK platforms will open a Junior stocks and shares ISA for a US citizen child, why most refuse, and the PFIC problem with the funds inside.
Accounts Of the 13 that offer it, 2 providers open it as you are, 8 providers open it with conditions and 3 providers refuse a US citizen. 27 more providers do not offer it at all.Junior SIPPs
Which UK pension providers will open a SIPP for a child who is a US citizen, run by a parent until they turn 18, and how the US-UK treaty treats it.
Already bank somewhere?
A second account with a bank that already knows you is usually the easier application. Look up your bank to see every account it offers a US person, from savings and ISAs to investments, pensions and mortgages.
The tax rules behind the verdicts
Most refusals trace back to a handful of US rules. These explain why a provider says no, and why a tax-free UK wrapper often is not tax-free to the IRS.
US filing
US citizens file on worldwide income wherever they live. The thresholds, the June 15 deadline abroad, and the two ways the same income avoids being taxed twice.
TaxFATCA
FATCA makes UK banks report accounts held by US persons to the IRS. It is not a tax; it is a reporting trail. Where it bites is access.
TaxFBAR
If your foreign accounts top $10,000 combined at any point in the year, you file an FBAR. What counts, when it is due, and what happens if you miss it.
TaxForm 8938
Form 8938 reports foreign financial assets on your US return. The thresholds for Americans living abroad are higher, and they are not the same as the FBAR.
TaxPFIC
Almost every UK-domiciled fund is a PFIC, taxed by the US at punitive rates with heavy filing. This is why US citizens hold individual shares, not UK funds.
TaxUS-UK tax treaty
The US-UK treaty stops most double taxation, but the saving clause lets the US tax its citizens almost as if it were not there. What survives the clause.
TaxISA US tax
The IRS does not recognise the ISA wrapper. Cash ISA interest and stocks ISA gains are taxable on your US return, and fund holdings drag in PFIC rules.
TaxSaving for a child
How the US taxes a Junior ISA, a junior pension and a Child Trust Fund held by a US citizen child in the UK, and how a 529 plan compares.
TaxSIPP US tax
The US Treasury reads the treaty as leaving UK SIPP growth untaxed until drawn; the treaty's wording is narrower. Contributions, growth and drawdown explained.
TaxWorkplace pension US tax
The US-UK treaty relieves a US citizen's UK workplace pension contributions, up to US plan limits. What it covers, where it stops, and what still gets reported.
TaxForm 3520
A UK pension held in trust can be a foreign trust to the IRS. Rev. Proc. 2020-17 exempts qualifying retirement trusts from Forms 3520 and 3520-A, on conditions.
TaxUK Ltd, US owner
A US citizen who owns a UK limited company faces CFC rules, Form 5471, and GILTI on retained profits. Why a UK Ltd is rarely simple for an American owner.
New and changed accounts, monthly.
Providers change who they will take, and nobody tracks it. Momo does. One email a month with what moved, plus the occasional note on tax and money for US citizens in the UK.
How Momo handles your address: privacy policy.
How to trust this
Every verdict carries a source and the date it was last updated, and only confirmed verdicts go into the structured data and the digest that search engines and AI tools read. Read how the data is checked, or why Momo exists.
Common questions
Which UK accounts open for a US citizen?
Current accounts, savings accounts and mortgages are the open end of the market: essentially every provider checked here takes a US person. Investment platforms, stocks and shares ISAs and some SIPPs are the narrow end, where a large share of providers decline. Cash ISAs sit in between.
Why do UK banks turn away US citizens?
Because of FATCA, a US reporting law that requires non-US financial firms to identify US persons and report their accounts to the IRS. It is an overhead rather than a tax, and a firm with few American customers may decide the compliance is not worth carrying.
Is anything on this site financial advice?
No. Momo is an information service, not a financial adviser, tax adviser or regulated firm. Acceptance policies and tax rules change and your own facts may differ from the general case, so confirm your position with a cross-border specialist before you act.