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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which Bestinvest accounts accept US citizens

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Bestinvest has been checked for US citizens across 3 account types. All 3 are closed to a US person.

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Account Verdict Last checked
Stocks & shares ISAs Skip
Brokerage accounts Skip
SIPPs Skip

Stocks & shares ISAs

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Three conditions to open anything at Bestinvest, and the third is to be a non-US citizen. It is unusually frank about why, saying its custodian does not comply with IRS reporting for US individuals. Citizenship is the test, so living in Britain does not get you round it.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online and app

Source: Bestinvest eligibility page, 2026-08-17 Last checked Bestinvest's own page

Brokerage accounts

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The stated test is residence, then a birthplace test is layered on top: if you were born, live or pay tax in the United States you cannot open a Bestinvest account. That is wider than citizenship and catches people who have never held a US passport. Bestinvest attributes it to its custodian not complying with IRS reporting, and it covers every account type.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · web and app

Source: Bestinvest eligibility page, 2026-08-17 Last checked Bestinvest's own page

SIPPs

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Bestinvest sets three conditions to open anything, including a SIPP: be 18, be a UK resident, and be a non-US citizen. The test is citizenship rather than residence, so living in the UK does not help.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online and app

Source: Bestinvest eligibility page, 2026-08-17 Last checked Bestinvest's own page

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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

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.

 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

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

SIPP US tax

The treaty generally lets a UK SIPP grow tax-deferred for US purposes, but the protection has limits. How the US treats contributions, growth and drawdown.