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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which Barclays accounts accept US citizens

Last checked

Barclays has been checked for US citizens across 8 account types. All 8 are open to a US person (4 with strings).

If you already have an account with Barclays, a second one there is usually the easier application, because Barclays has already checked who you are. Each account below carries its verdict, the evidence behind it and the date it was checked.

At a glance

Account Verdict Last checked
Current accounts Opens
Savings accounts Opens
Cash ISAs Opens
Stocks & shares ISAs Barclays Smart Investor With strings
Brokerage accounts Barclays Smart Investor With strings
Mortgages With strings
Credit cards Amazon Barclaycard Opens
Credit cards Barclaycard Opens
Multi-currency accounts With strings

Current accounts

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Opens

Onboards US persons once a UK address is proven, with W-9 and FATCA self-certification at sign-up.

FSCS £120,000 · app, online or branch

Account Terms The catch
Barclays Bank Account
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Abroad
2.99% non-sterling fee on purchases, cash withdrawals and refunds
 —
Premier Current Account
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Abroad
2.99% non-sterling fee on purchases, cash withdrawals and refunds
 Needs gross annual income of £75,000, or £100,000 in savings and eligible investments.

Source: Greenback, 2026-06-19 Last checked Barclays's own page

Savings accounts

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Opens

Barclays sets savings eligibility at 16 or over and UK resident, with no sole-tax-residency test and no US-person exclusion; its own help pages say a US person simply supplies a US taxpayer identification number for reporting. The US taxes the interest as ordinary income.

FSCS £120,000 · app, online, branch or phone

Account Terms The catch
Rainy Day Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
3.96% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
None stated
Rate as of
 Needs paid Blue Rewards membership or Premier banking, and the rate applies only to the first £5,000; above that it drops to 0.70%.
Blue Rewards Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
2.51% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
None stated
Rate as of
 Needs paid Blue Rewards membership or Premier banking, and only in a month with no withdrawal; otherwise 0.60%.
Reward Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
1.85% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
None stated
Rate as of
 Only in a month with no withdrawal; otherwise 0.60%. Open to everyone.
Everyday Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
1.00% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
None stated
Rate as of
 None; unlimited withdrawals on the whole balance.

Source: Barclays savings and FATCA help pages, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclays's own page

Cash ISAs

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Opens

Barclays asks only that you are 18 or over and resident in the UK for tax purposes, which is the statutory ISA test. Nothing in its cash ISA terms limits you to UK-only tax residency or excludes US persons. The IRS still taxes the interest as US income, as the wrapper gives no US relief.

FSCS £120,000 · online, app, phone or branch

Account Terms The catch
Single Access 2-Year Flexible Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.30% AER, fixed
Term
2 years
Min
£1
Max
£1,000,000
Rate as of
 One withdrawal of up to 10% of the balance during the term.
Single Access 1-Year Flexible Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.30% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£1
Max
£1,000,000
Rate as of
 One withdrawal of up to 10% of the balance during the term.
Reward ISA
Access
Easy access
Rate
2.75% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
£10,000,000
Rate as of
 Drops to 0.85% in any month you make a withdrawal.
Instant Cash ISA
Access
Easy access
Rate
1.00% AER, variable
Rate as of
 Unlimited withdrawals, and the rate applies to the whole balance.
Premier Triple Access 1-Year Flexible Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Rate as of
 Only for Barclays Premier Banking customers. Limited withdrawals during the term.
Premier Triple Access 2-Year Flexible Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
2 years
Rate as of
 Only for Barclays Premier Banking customers. Limited withdrawals during the term.
Premier Triple Access 3-Year Flexible Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
3 years
Rate as of
 Only for Barclays Premier Banking customers. Limited withdrawals during the term.

Source: Barclays cash ISAs, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclays's own page

Stocks & shares ISAs

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Barclays Smart Investor

With strings

US persons: a restricted service range, and no trade without a signed W-9

The ISA eligibility clause asks only for UK tax residence, and the US rule sits several clauses away: a US citizen who is not US resident gets only a restricted range of investment services, and Barclays will place no trade at all without a signed W-9. It does not publish which services survive the restriction, so ask before you transfer anything across.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online, app and phone

Account Terms The catch
Investment ISA
Annual fee
None. Barclays removed its customer fee across Direct Investing
Dealing fee
£6 a trade in shares, ETFs, trusts, bonds and gilts, nothing on funds
Can hold
Funds, UK and international shares, ETFs, investment trusts, bonds and gilts across ten global exchanges. The funds and UCITS ETFs are PFICs; the direct shares are not.
Individual shares
Yes
US-domiciled ETFs
No
 Currency conversion tapers from 1% on the first £5,000 to 0.1% above £250,000, plus an international brokerage fee.

Source: Barclays Smart Investor terms, clauses 13.6 to 13.8, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclays Smart Investor's own page

Brokerage accounts

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Barclays Smart Investor

With strings

US persons: a signed W-9 before any trade, and a restricted service range Barclays will not publish

Barclays does not shut a UK resident US citizen out, it narrows what it will do for one, saying it can provide only a restricted range of investment services. It will not place any trade without a signed W-9 carrying your US tax number, and it does not publish which services survive the restriction, so ask before you move anything across.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online, app and phone

Account Terms The catch
Investment Account
Annual fee
None. Barclays removed its platform charge on 31 May 2026, so holding investments is free
Dealing fee
£6 an online share, ETF, trust, bond or gilt trade, £25 by phone. Fund trades free. FX 1% on the first £5,000, tapering to 0.10%
Can hold
More than 8,000 investments: UK and international shares, ETFs, investment trusts, bonds, gilts and funds. The funds and UCITS ETFs are PFICs for US tax; the direct shares are not.
Individual shares
Yes
US-domiciled ETFs
No
 No trade is placed until Barclays holds a signed W-9 with your US tax number, and your service range is restricted in ways it will only explain on request.

Source: Barclays Smart Investor terms and fees, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclays Smart Investor's own page

Mortgages

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With strings

US persons: salary must land in a UK account, and under a year here means 75% loan to value

Barclays assesses time in the UK and right to reside and never nationality, so being American is not itself the issue. It publishes no foreign currency income policy, and its checks want three months of payslips showing salary paid into your own UK account, so dollar pay is the likely sticking point.

Direct or through a broker · over a year here gives 90%, under a year gives 75% and Premier only

Account Terms The catch
5 year fixed
Rate
4.85%, fixed
Then
5.74% residential tracker
Term
5 years
Max LTV
90%
Product fee
£899
Rate as of
 Loans from £5,000 to £640,000, with a 4% early repayment charge.
2 year tracker
Rate
4.48%, tracker
Then
5.74% residential tracker
Term
2 years
Max LTV
85%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 No early repayment charge, but the payment moves with the base rate.

Source: Barclays intermediary residential criteria, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclays's own page

Credit cards

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Amazon Barclaycard

Opens

No longer a NewDay card. The UK Amazon card is now the Amazon Barclaycard, underwritten by Barclays, and the old NewDay Amazon cards are closed to new applications. That puts it on the same balance sheet as Tesco Bank, so applying to both is one lender looking twice.

Barclays Bank UK, trading as Barclaycard · same lender as Tesco Bank

Account Terms The catch
The Amazon Barclaycard
Representative APR
28.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
2.99%
Rate as of
 App first: you need the Barclays or Barclaycard app to activate and manage the account.

Source: Amazon UK credit card page, 2026-08-17 Last checked Amazon Barclaycard's own page

Barclaycard

Opens

The mainstream pick for anyone spending in dollars: no foreign transaction fee, no annual fee, and a stated zero fee on all cash withdrawals, against 2.99% on its standard cards. The catch is that Barclays underwrites on UK credit history alone, so a recently arrived American may be declined and should run the soft eligibility check first.

Barclays Bank UK · online, app and phone

Account Terms The catch
Barclaycard Rewards
Representative APR
28.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
No foreign transaction fee, and no fee on cash withdrawals. Currency taken out abroad still gets the interest free period if you repay in full.
Rate as of
 Some applicants are offered 31.9% instead. Acceptance depends on your UK credit history.

Source: Barclaycard Rewards card page, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclaycard's own page

Multi-currency accounts

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With strings

You can hold euros or dollars beside sterling, but only if you are UK resident, 18 or over, and have held an active Barclays sterling current account for at least six months, and you open it by phone or in branch. Neither account pays interest and the exchange margin is not published.

FSCS £120,000 · opened by phone or in branch

Account Terms The catch
Foreign Currency Account
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Currencies
US dollars alongside sterling
Cost to convert
Reference rate plus an unpublished margin set by payment size
Rate as of
 Needs six months of an active Barclays sterling account; £6 to receive an international payment over £100.

Source: Barclays international account tariff, 2026-08-17 Last checked Barclays's own page

Account names link to the provider's own site. momo has no active affiliate partnerships; if that changes it will be disclosed and will never change a verdict. Every institution, A to Z.

Confirm your own position with a cross-border specialist. Acceptance policies and tax rules change, and your facts may differ from the general case. Rates and terms here are the provider's published figures rather than an offer, and the provider decides each application on its own criteria. Use this as a map, not a ruling. Last checked .
Tax

FATCA

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.

 Tax

FBAR

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.

 Tax

ISA 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.

 Tax

PFIC

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.