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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which Santander UK accounts accept US citizens

Last checked

Santander UK has been checked for US citizens across 6 account types. 5 are open to a US person (1 with strings) and 1 is closed.

If you already have an account with Santander UK, a second one there is usually the easier application, because Santander UK 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 Skip
Mortgages Opens
Credit cards With strings

Current accounts

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Opens

Santander asks only that you are 18 or over and live in the UK permanently. Nothing on its account pages requires you to be tax resident only in the UK, and nothing excludes US citizens.

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

Account Terms The catch
Everyday Current Account
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Abroad
2.95% conversion fee, though no fee at Santander cash machines in 11 countries including the USA
 —
Santander Edge
Monthly fee
£3 a month
Interest
None on the balance, but the linked Edge saver pays 6.00% AER on up to £4,000
Abroad
No fees on spending or cash withdrawals abroad
 Needs £500 paid in each month and two active direct debits; bill cashback capped at £10 a month.
Santander Edge Up
Monthly fee
£5 a month
Interest
2.10% AER on balances up to £25,000
Abroad
No fees on spending or cash withdrawals abroad
 Needs £1,500 paid in each month and two active direct debits.

Source: Santander current accounts, 2026-08-17 Last checked Santander UK's own page

Savings accounts

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Opens

Santander's terms require only that you are a UK resident, and handle non-UK tax obligations by reporting rather than refusing the account, with no sole-tax-residency condition. The US taxes the interest as ordinary income.

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

Account Terms The catch
Regular Saver
Access
Regular saver
Rate
8.00% AER, variable
Then
3.00%
Max
£2,400 over 12 months
Rate as of
 Needs a Santander current account; 5.00% of the rate is a bonus that ends after 12 months, and deposits stop at £200 a month.
Santander Edge Saver (Issue 5)
Access
Easy access
Rate
6.00% AER, variable
Then
3.50% AER
Min
£1
Max
£4,000 earns interest
Rate as of
 Needs a Santander Edge or Edge Explorer current account, and only the first £4,000 earns interest. The rate includes a 2.50% bonus for the first 12 months.
1 Year Fixed Term Saver
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.20% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£500
Max
£2,000,000
Rate as of
 Pay in within 14 days of opening, then no deposits, withdrawals or closure until 1 October 2027. Interest paid monthly or annually at the same AER.
Limited Access Saver (Issue 9)
Access
Easy access
Rate
3.00% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
£2,000,000
Rate as of
 Drops to 1.00% for any calendar month with 3 or more withdrawals, and after 12 months it becomes an Everyday Saver.
Easy Access Saver (Issue 31)
Access
Easy access
Rate
2.00% AER, variable
Min
£1
Max
£2,000,000
Rate as of
 Rate runs 12 months, then becomes an Everyday Saver. Interest paid monthly or annually at the same AER.
2 Year Fixed Term Saver
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.40% AER, fixed
Term
2 years
Min
£500
Max
£2,000,000
Rate as of
 Pay in within 14 days of opening, then no deposits, withdrawals or closure until 1 October 2028. Interest paid monthly or annually at the same AER.
3 Year Fixed Term Saver
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.40% AER, fixed
Term
3 years
Min
£500
Max
£2,000,000
Rate as of
 Pay in within 14 days of opening, then no deposits, withdrawals or closure until 1 October 2029. Interest paid monthly or annually at the same AER.

Source: Santander savings pages, 2026-08-17 Last checked Santander UK's own page

Cash ISAs

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Opens

Santander asks that you are 18 or over and a UK resident, with the account in your sole name because joint ISAs are not allowed. The key facts carry no sole-tax-residency clause and no US-person exclusion. 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
3 Year Fixed Rate ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.65% AER, fixed
Term
3 years
Min
£500
Rate as of
 Withdrawing means closing the account and costs 120 days of interest.
1 Year Fixed Rate ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£500
Rate as of
 Withdrawing means closing the account and costs 120 days of interest.
Easy Access ISA (Issue 27)
Access
Easy access
Rate
2.00% AER, variable
Min
£500
Max
£2,000,000
Rate as of
 Runs for 12 months, then the balance moves to an ISA Saver at a rate confirmed nearer the time.

Source: Santander ISA key facts, 2026-08-17 Last checked Santander UK's own page

Stocks & shares ISAs

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Skip

Santander draws the line precisely, and the wording is worth quoting to yourself before assuming any bank is the same: you can be a non-UK national, but US citizens cannot open an Investment Hub account. It also asks you to tell it if you become a US citizen, which suggests it acts on the status after opening too.

FSCS £85,000 · Santander ISA Managers Limited

Source: Santander Investment Hub key features, February 2026, read 2026-08-17 Last checked Santander UK's own page

Mortgages

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Opens

Nationality is not a bar and the only status Santander refuses is diplomatic immunity. It accepts a US dollar salary but discounts the sterling equivalent by a quarter, and above 75% loan to value it wants three months of UK bank statements showing the money landing here.

Through a broker · no time in the UK specified up to 75% loan to value

Account Terms The catch
Home mover 5 year fixed
Rate
4.78%, fixed
Then
6.50% standard variable rate
Term
5 years
Max LTV
90%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 Reaching 90% without permanent right to reside needs £50,000 income alone or £75,000 jointly, plus a year in the UK.
Home mover 2 year fixed
Rate
4.81%, fixed
Then
6.50% standard variable rate
Term
2 years
Max LTV
90%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 The loan is capped at £1,000,000 at this loan to value, and early repayment charges apply.

Source: Santander for intermediaries residential lending criteria, 2026-08-17 Last checked Santander UK's own page

Credit cards

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With strings

US persons: it asks for a permanent UK resident, a stiffer test than the others use

No nationality bar, but Santander words its residency test as permanent UK resident, which is stiffer than the plain UK resident the others use and worth checking against your visa before applying. For anyone still spending in dollars its cards are among the best here, since both the Rewards and All in One cards drop the currency fee entirely.

Direct · no Santander account needed

Account Terms The catch
Santander Rewards Credit Card
Representative APR
24.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
No foreign exchange fee on purchases in the local currency
Rate as of
 Needs a guaranteed income of £10,500 and permanent UK residency.
All in One Credit Card
Representative APR
29.8% APR representative
Card fee
£3 a month
Abroad
No foreign exchange fee on purchases overseas
Rate as of
 The £3 monthly fee is charged whether or not you use the card.

Source: Santander UK credit cards pages, 2026-08-17 Last checked Santander UK'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

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

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

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.