Which Bestinvest accounts accept US citizens
Last checkedBestinvest has been checked for US citizens across 5 account types. All 5 are closed to a US person.
At a glance
| Account type | Verdict | Accounts | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks & shares ISAs | Declines US citizens | — | |
| Brokerage accounts | Declines US citizens | — | |
| SIPPs | Declines US citizens | — | |
| Junior stocks & shares ISAs | Declines US citizens | — | |
| Junior SIPPs | Declines US citizens | — |
Brokerage accounts
Compare with other providersThe 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 (opens in a new tab) Bestinvest's own page (opens in a new tab)
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 (opens in a new tab) Bestinvest's own page (opens in a new tab)
Junior SIPPs
Compare with other providersThe same eligibility rule governs the Junior SIPP: Bestinvest's checklist to open any account, including one a parent or guardian opens for a child, requires being 18 or over, UK resident and a non-US citizen, and its EDD checks on a child account run against the parent's own country of birth. A Junior SIPP needs a paper application form rather than the online flow, but the same eligibility page governs it.
Source: Bestinvest 'Who can open a Bestinvest account?' page and Junior SIPP application process, 2026-09-11 (opens in a new tab) Bestinvest's own page (opens in a new tab)
Account names link to the provider's own site. No link on this page is paid. How Momo makes money. Every institution, A to Z.
Why this is the rule
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.
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.
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.
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.