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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which DF Direct accounts accept US citizens

Last checked

DF Direct offers a general investment account to a US person, with strings.

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

At a glance

Account type Verdict Accounts Updated
Brokerage accounts Accepts with conditions 1

Brokerage accounts

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Accepts with conditions
Updated

US persons: deposits in US dollars, with an adviser regulated by the SEC rather than the FCA

A robo-adviser built for US expats, so a US passport is the point rather than the problem: its own page says the portfolios are compliant for US expats in the UK. It is run by Dunhill Financial, a Florida firm regulated by the SEC, so the FCA, the Financial Ombudsman and the FSCS are not behind it. The homepage says money goes in from a US bank account, but the funding screen inside an account also gives international wire instructions for a virtual account at JPMorgan Chase, so a closed US account need not rule it out. The money has to arrive in US dollars, the only currency the service supports, and its own funding guides give the route for someone without a US bank account, using the dollar details of an account such as Wise or Revolut. Ask what the wire will cost you. Dunhill says every portfolio is US-domiciled, so there are no PFICs to report, and that only the sterling portfolios are also screened against HMRC requirements, so a UK resident should pick those. The custodian is not named, so ask which firm holds the account and what protection applies before moving money.

Custodian not named for this service · SEC-regulated US adviser, not FCA authorised · funded in US dollars by ACH or wire, international wire included

Account Terms The catch
DF Direct managed portfolio
Min
No minimum
Annual fee
0.50% a year, taken quarterly in arrears
Dealing fee
None from Dunhill Financial. Custodian, transaction and fund charges are paid on top
Can hold
A risk-matched portfolio chosen for you from a questionnaire, in sterling, euro or dollar versions. All are US-domiciled, so no PFICs, and only the sterling ones are also screened against HMRC requirements.
US-domiciled ETFs
Yes
 Deposits in US dollars by ACH or wire, international wire included. The brochure says the fee is negotiable.

Source: DF Direct homepage, its funding guides and account funding screen, Dunhill Financial FAQ and Form ADV Part 2A, 2026-09-18 DF Direct's own page

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.

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

FATCA

Do UK banks report your account to the IRS? Yes, through HMRC, under FATCA. It is a reporting law, not a tax. Where it bites is access.