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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which HSBC accounts accept US citizens

Last checked

HSBC has been checked for US citizens across 6 account types. All 6 are open to a US person (2 with strings). Also listed below, not yet verified: a stocks and shares ISA and a general investment account.

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

Some verdicts below are not yet verified and are marked as such; treat those as leads until confirmed. They are kept out of this page's structured data until a person has checked them.

At a glance

Account Verdict Last checked
Current accounts Opens
Savings accounts With strings
Cash ISAs Opens
Stocks & shares ISAs HSBC InvestDirect Opens Not yet verified · last checked
Brokerage accounts HSBC InvestDirect With strings Not yet verified · last checked
Mortgages HSBC UK Opens
Credit cards HSBC UK Opens
Multi-currency accounts HSBC Expat With strings

Current accounts

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Opens

High-street accounts accept US persons; HSBC Expat serves non-residents but expects a minimum balance around £50,000.

FSCS £120,000 · app, online or branch

Account Terms The catch
Bank Account
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Abroad
2.75% non-sterling fee; cash abroad costs 2.75% plus a 2% cash fee
 —
Premier Bank Account
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Abroad
2.75% non-sterling fee, but no HSBC cash fee on withdrawals outside the UK
 Needs £100,000 annual income paid in, or £100,000 in savings and investments with HSBC.

Source: Greenback; VisaWise, 2026-04 Last checked HSBC's own page

Savings accounts

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With strings

US persons: apply by phone, not online, and you need an existing HSBC account

HSBC opens its savers to a US person, but you need an existing HSBC UK account and must apply by phone rather than online because you hold more than one tax residency. The US taxes the interest as ordinary income.

FSCS £120,000 · online or branch

Account Terms The catch
Online Bonus Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
3.35% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
None stated
Rate as of
 Bonus only in a month with no withdrawal, on the first £50,000; otherwise 1.05%.
Regular Saver
Access
Regular saver
Rate
5.00% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£25 a month
Max
£3,000
Rate as of
 Fixed for 12 months; pay in 25 to £250 a month, no withdrawals; needs an HSBC current account.
Fixed Rate Saver (2 year)
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.80% AER, fixed
Term
2 years
Min
£2,000
Max
£1,000,000
Rate as of
 Needs an HSBC current or savings account kept for the term, one deposit only, and closing early costs up to 90 days of interest. Interest paid monthly or annually at the same AER.
Flexible Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
1.05% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
None stated
Rate as of
 None; instant access.
Fixed Rate Saver (1 year)
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£2,000
Max
£1,000,000
Rate as of
 Needs an HSBC current or savings account kept for the term, one deposit only, and closing early costs up to 90 days of interest. Interest paid monthly or annually at the same AER.

Source: HSBC UK, Online Bonus Saver, 2026-08-09 Last checked HSBC's own page

Cash ISAs

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Opens

HSBC states the statutory test word for word: resident in the UK for tax purposes, or a Crown servant serving overseas. Its phone-only route exists for people with no National Insurance number or UK address, which is not a US-specific step. The IRS still taxes the interest as US income, as the wrapper gives no US relief.

FSCS £120,000, shared with First Direct and M&S Bank · online, app, phone or branch

Account Terms The catch
Fixed Rate Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.00% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£500
Rate as of
 Deposits within a 30 day window, and any withdrawal closes the account and triggers a fee.
Loyalty Cash ISA
Access
Easy access
Rate
3.00% AER, variable
Min
£1
Rate as of
 Top rate needs an HSBC Premier current account; other HSBC customers get 2.50%.

Source: HSBC cash ISA, 2026-08-17 Last checked HSBC's own page

Stocks & shares ISAs

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HSBC InvestDirect

Opens
Not yet verified · last checked

HSBC runs two stocks and shares ISAs with opposite answers, which is why the bank cannot be answered as one. This one sets only a UK tax residence test and carries no citizenship test anywhere, while its Global Investment Centre ISA says HSBC cannot open or maintain an account for a US person. That makes this the only realistic direct-share route among the high street ISAs, but it rests on the absence of a test rather than a stated permission, so ask first.

FSCS £85,000 · needs an HSBC current account and online banking

Account Terms The catch
InvestDirect Stocks and Shares ISA
Annual fee
£42 a year, charged quarterly
Dealing fee
£10.50 an online UK trade, falling to £7.95 after the ninth in a quarter. US shares $29.95, and only on InvestDirect Plus
Can hold
UK shares, ETFs, investment trusts and gilts, plus US and euro shares through InvestDirect Plus. The ETFs are UK listed, so PFICs; the direct shares are not.
Individual shares
Yes
US-domiciled ETFs
No
 Needs an HSBC current account and online banking. US dealing requires extra IRS paperwork, and HSBC publishes no currency conversion rate.

Source: HSBC InvestDirect ISA key features and terms, 2026-08-17 HSBC InvestDirect's own page

Brokerage accounts

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HSBC InvestDirect

With strings
Not yet verified · last checked

US persons: no published US rule either way, plus an HSBC current account and extra IRS paperwork before US dealing starts

HSBC publishes no US citizen rule for InvestDirect either way and sets only a residence test, so acceptance is unconfirmed. You also need an active HSBC current account and online banking, new InvestDirect accounts are closed so the only route in is InvestDirect Plus, and US dealing is switched on only once HSBC holds the IRS paperwork.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · needs an HSBC UK current account

Account Terms The catch
InvestDirect Plus
Annual fee
£10.50 a quarter for each investment account, so £42 a year
Dealing fee
£10.50 an online UK share or ETF trade, £7.95 after your ninth in a quarter. US shares $29.95 online. Gilts £39.95
Can hold
UK shares, investment trusts, gilts and UK-listed ETFs, plus US shares on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Euro and dollar cash accounts are available.
Individual shares
Yes
US-domiciled ETFs
No
 HSBC does not publish an FX charge, converting at its own rate, so the true cost of a dollar trade is not visible before you place it.

Source: HSBC InvestDirect product page, key features and terms, 2026-08-17 HSBC InvestDirect's own page

Mortgages

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HSBC UK

Opens

The only lender on this page with a written US persons policy, and it is worth reading before you assume the worst: it covers marketing preferences, drawing the money into a UK account, and not consolidating US debt. The United States is an approved country for income, so dollar salary counts, with a haircut. Without indefinite leave you need twelve months here or £75,000 income, and stop at 85% loan to value.

Direct or through a broker · settled status, or twelve months here or £75,000 income

Account Terms The catch
5 year fixed
Rate
4.56%, fixed
Then
6.24% variable
Term
5 years
Max LTV
60%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 This is the 60% loan to value tier. Foreign nationals without settled status stop at 85%, where the rate is higher.
2 year tracker
Rate
4.40%, tracker
Then
6.24% variable
Term
2 years
Max LTV
85%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 Tracks the base rate, so the payment moves.

Source: HSBC intermediary criteria, 2026-08-17 Last checked HSBC UK's own page

Credit cards

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HSBC UK

Opens

HSBC asks that you are over 18, resident here and earning £6,800, and says nothing about nationality. The trap for a new arrival is the shape of the range: the Classic card, the one built for a thin credit file, is the single card that requires an active HSBC current account, so the easiest card to be accepted for is the one you cannot reach first.

Direct · also the lender behind M&S Bank cards

Account Terms The catch
Rewards Credit Card
Representative APR
26.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
2.99%
Rate as of
 Needs £6,800 a year, and you cannot hold an HSBC basic bank account.
Classic Credit Card
Representative APR
29.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
2.99%
Rate as of
 Only for holders of an active HSBC current account, with the limit capped at £1,000.

Source: HSBC UK credit cards pages, 2026-08-17 Last checked HSBC UK's own page

Multi-currency accounts

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HSBC Expat

With strings

US persons: its investing arm is closed to US persons, though the bank account itself is not

The account is booked in Jersey with HSBC Bank plc, so protection is the Jersey depositors scheme at £50,000 rather than the £120,000 you get from a UK bank. You need £75,000 in savings or investments to qualify, or £10,000 if you are already HSBC Premier elsewhere, and falling below costs £50 a month.

Jersey scheme £50,000, not FSCS · online, app or phone

Account Terms The catch
Expat Bank Account
Monthly fee
Free while you hold the relationship balance
Interest
None
Currencies
GBP, EUR or USD, with savings in up to 19 currencies
Cost to convert
Not published
Rate as of
 Needs £75,000 in savings or investments, and dropping below costs £50 a month.

Source: HSBC Expat bank account, 2026-08-17 Last checked HSBC Expat'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.