UK brokerage accounts that accept US citizens
Momo checked 51 providers. 44 offer a general investment account; 7 no longer do. Of those 44, 4 will take you outright and 14 attach conditions, usually extra US tax paperwork. 26 refuse. Last checked .
The hardest account on this site, and the answer splits by how much you have. Several of the providers that do not refuse you have simply said nothing either way. Below about £100,000 your realistic choice is individual shares or a tax problem. Above it, several UK firms have built whole practices around this exact situation.
A general investment account, sometimes called a dealing account, is investing with no tax wrapper around it. There is no ISA allowance and no pension protection, so both tax authorities see everything, and a US person meets the underlying problem with nothing to soften it.
That problem is a squeeze from both sides. US tax punishes non-US pooled funds, which the IRS calls PFICs, passive foreign investment companies, and nearly every UK fund and UCITS ETF is one. The obvious escape is to buy US funds instead, and in Britain you generally cannot, because UK rules require a key information document that US-domiciled ETFs do not produce. Across every execution-only platform checked here, not one can sell you a US-domiciled ETF. That is the rule working as designed, not a gap in the research.
If you have a portfolio rather than a pot
Three UK wealth managers run dedicated services for US-connected clients, and they solve the problem properly rather than working around it. Canaccord Wealth is the bluntest, saying it has acted for US expats for decades and does not turn US citizens away, typically for people with over £100,000 to invest. Rathbones supports US citizens, green card holders and US visa holders through a team regulated by both the SEC and the FCA, says its portfolios avoid PFICs, and describes its service as typically for £300,000 or more. Evelyn Partners has run a US service for more than twenty years, from a £350,000 minimum, and custodies assets with a New Jersey custodian that produces the US tax reporting for you. Neither Rathbones nor Evelyn offers a route to pick your own investments: the manager decides, which is a different thing from opening an account at a platform.
All three build portfolios from individual shares and bonds, and all three can use US-listed funds. Canaccord's approach is the neatest: US-listed funds that also carry UK reporting status, which satisfies both tax systems at once instead of trading one problem for the other. What you are buying from these firms is a compliance team, not a clever product, and the fees reflect it.
If you are doing it yourself
Charles Schwab International is the one execution-only account that escapes the squeeze, because it is a US broker opening a US-domiciled dollar account rather than a UK platform, so US-domiciled ETFs are simply available. It also avoids the trap that shuts Schwab's ordinary checking account to an emigrant, accepting a UK utility bill as proof of residence. The cost is protection rather than eligibility: SIPC at $500,000 instead of the FSCS at £85,000.
Otherwise the workable route is individual shares, which are not PFICs however many you own. Interactive Brokers and Barclays both offer them to a US person with a W-9 on file. XTB and CMC Invest offer them too, but neither publishes anything about US persons beyond the FATCA reporting clause every UK firm carries, so ask before you apply. Interactive Brokers also issues US persons a consolidated 1099, its UK tax pages say, so dividends and sales arrive on the form a US return expects, with a copy sent to the IRS. Sidekick is the most interesting attempt at squaring the circle, because its Custom Index holds the actual companies in the index rather than units in a fund, so index exposure arrives as real shares. Read its row carefully though: acceptance is read from its terms being silent on citizenship, and its custody runs through a US firm, so ask which compensation scheme covers you.
Who will not take you, and who never could
Twenty-six providers refuse a US citizen outright, and the refusals are blunt. Robinhood closes from both sides at once: its UK agreement makes you represent for the life of the account that you are not a US person, while its US arm requires a US residential address, so someone who has moved to Britain fails both tests. Interactive Investor's product page asks only that you are 18 and a UK tax resident, while its terms of service require a confirmation a US citizen cannot truthfully give. Trading 212, Freetrade, Moneybox, Chip, Plum, True Potential, Willis Owen, Redmayne Bentley and RBC Brewin Dolphin all bar US persons in their own words, several with a clause letting them close the account if you become one later. Bestinvest's test is wider than the rest, turning on where you were born rather than what passport you hold.
One caution on how these bars are published, learned from Moneyfarm. Its account opening terms carry no US person test at all, so the contract alone would tell you the door is open. The refusal lives in its FAQ instead. Where a provider's terms say nothing about US persons, Momo does not read that as welcome, because silence is not an offer.
Seven more offer nothing to anyone here, which is a different fact and is listed separately. Pepperstone and Spreadex sell only contracts for difference and spread bets, where you never own the share. Trade Republic has no UK arm. Stake left the UK in November 2024 and moved its book to Freetrade, which bars US persons, so those customers landed somewhere that will not keep them. Wombat is now Quilter Invest, and DEGIRO has closed UK onboarding.
AJ Bell remains the clearest reason to ask these questions one product at a time: it bars US citizens from this account and from its ISA, and accepts them for its SIPP, all in the same document.
Read what the PFIC rules do to UK funds before you buy anything here, and the pension page for the one UK wrapper the treaty does protect, which is where this money is usually better off.
The accounts you can open
Read the "what you can hold" column before the fees. A US person is taxed punitively on non-US pooled funds, which the IRS calls PFICs, and nearly every ordinary UK fund and UCITS ETF is one. Unlike a pension, none of this is protected by the US-UK tax treaty, so an account offering only ready-made fund portfolios is open to you and close to useless to you.
Annual fee is shown as each provider charges it. Percentage charges and flat fees sort separately because they are not the same measurement: a percentage grows with your holdings and a flat fee does not, so above a certain balance the flat fee wins.
You can hold individual shares
Direct holdings in single companies, which is the way round the PFIC problem: the tax penalty falls on pooled funds, and a share in one company is not one.
| What you can hold as a US person | The catch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaccord Wealth (formerly Hargreave Hale) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · typically from £100,000 · managed, not execution only Updated Source: Canaccord Wealth, investing for US expats, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Investment management for US expats (opens in a new tab) | — | — | Individual shares and bonds, plus US-listed funds approved for UK tax reporting. UK funds, investment trusts and most UCITS funds are deliberately avoided as PFICs. | No rates are published; the fee is linked to portfolio size and service, and each client is priced individually. Typically for portfolios over £100,000, and it does not do one-off share sales below £250,000. Tax reporting is produced in dollars for the US year and sterling for the UK one. |
| Evelyn Partners FSCS £85,000 investment cover · SEC registered · assets custodied in New Jersey Updated Source: Evelyn Partners USA service page and Form CRS (August 2026), 2026-09-15 (opens in a new tab) | Discretionary management for US-connected clients (opens in a new tab) | — | — | Directly held shares and bonds, with US mutual funds and ETFs used where the client is US resident. | Its Form CRS publishes a tiered management fee starting at 1.05% a year on the first $325,000, with custody and dealing charged separately by its custodian, and a minimum account of £350,000 or the dollar equivalent. Discretionary only. |
| Interactive Brokers UK SIPC $500,000, not FSCS · FCA authorised but assets custodied with IBKR LLC in the US Updated Source: IBKR US tax information page, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | IBKR brokerage account (opens in a new tab) | None. No account, custody or inactivity fee | US shares from $0.005 a share, minimum $1.00 an order. UK shares 0.05%, minimum £3.00. FX 0.03% built into the automatic rate | Individual shares, bonds, funds and options across global markets, US-listed stock included. UCITS ETFs are PFICs for US tax. | US-domiciled ETFs publish no UK key information document, so IBKR blocks them for retail clients. They open only if you are reclassified as an elective professional, which means giving up retail protections. |
| Rathbones FSCS £85,000 investment cover · SEC and FCA regulated · discretionary, typically from £300,000 Updated Source: Rathbones investment services for US taxpayers and individuals and families pages, 2026-09-12 (opens in a new tab) | Investment management for US taxpayers (opens in a new tab) | 1.10% to £750,000, then 0.90%, 0.70% and 0.50% on higher tiers, plus VAT | None. Rathbones says it adds no dealing, commission, custody or platform charges | Direct shares and bonds plus selected US ETFs and other US-compliant vehicles, with PFICs avoided. | One to one discretionary management only, with no advisory or execution only route. The US taxpayer pages publish neither fees nor a minimum, so confirm both at enquiry. ISA income and gains are included in the US reports it produces. |
| Barclays Smart Investor Accepts with conditions US persons: a signed W-9 before any trade, and a restricted service range Barclays will not publish FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online, app and phone Updated Source: Barclays Smart Investor terms and fees, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Investment Account (opens in a new tab) | None. Barclays removed its platform charge on 31 May 2026, so holding investments is free | £6 an online share, ETF, trust, bond or gilt trade, £25 by phone. Fund trades free. FX 1% on the first £5,000, tapering to 0.10% | More than 8,000 investments: UK and international shares, ETFs, investment trusts, bonds, gilts and funds. The funds and UCITS ETFs are PFICs for US tax; the direct shares are not. | No trade is placed until Barclays holds a signed W-9 with your US tax number, and your service range is restricted in ways it will only explain on request. |
| Charles Schwab International Accepts with conditions US persons: a US-domiciled dollar account with SIPC rather than FSCS, and a W-9 SIPC $500,000 including $250,000 cash, plus excess cover at Lloyd's. No FSCS Updated Source: Schwab International US expat investing pages, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Schwab One International Account (opens in a new tab) | None. No service fee and no minimum to open | $0 on online US stock and ETF trades, $25 broker-assisted, options $0.65 a contract | US-listed shares, US-domiciled ETFs, options, bonds and offshore funds. The only account here where the US funds are actually available, which answers the PFIC problem outright rather than working around it. | UCITS ETFs are not available online at all and cost $50 broker-assisted. Sterling converts on the way in and out by wire, with no separate conversion commission published and $25 on outgoing wires. |
| Charles Stanley Direct Accepts with conditions US persons: no US bar in its terms, but overseas dealing needs a W-8BEN you cannot sign FSCS £85,000 investment cover · a trading name of Raymond James Wealth Management Updated Source: Charles Stanley online investing business terms, clauses 1.5.5 and 1.7.2, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Investment Account (opens in a new tab) | 0.30% a year across all your accounts, minimum £60 and maximum £600 | £10 an online share trade and £4 a fund trade, with £50 of trading credits every six months | More than 12,500 investments including UK and international shares, funds, trusts and ETFs. US-domiciled ETFs are out of reach for want of a UK key information document, so ETF exposure means UCITS funds, which are PFICs. | US shares deal online as depository interests at £10 plus an international charge from 1.00% falling to 0.15% on the largest trades. Shares without a depository interest are phone only at 1%, minimum £50. |
| CMC Invest Accepts with conditions US persons: no US rule published either way, so confirm before you apply FSCS £85,000 investment cover · holdings may be pooled in omnibus accounts Updated Source: CMC Invest fee tariff, December 2025, its plans page and general terms of business, read 2026-09-24 (opens in a new tab) | General investment account, Core plan (opens in a new tab) | Free | No commission on trades; currency conversion 0.99% | More than 4,000 US shares, large-cap UK shares, over 400 ETFs, investment trusts and REITs, with fractions available. The ETFs are UK and European listed, so PFICs; the direct shares are not. | No minimum balance, and the smallest deposit is £1. No commission on trades. Uninvested cash earns 1.26% in sterling or dollars, variable. |
| CMC Invest Accepts with conditions US persons: no US rule published either way, so confirm before you apply FSCS £85,000 investment cover · holdings may be pooled in omnibus accounts Updated Source: CMC Invest fee tariff, December 2025, its plans page and general terms of business, read 2026-09-24 (opens in a new tab) | General investment account, Plus plan (opens in a new tab) | Up to £6.99 a month | No commission on trades; currency conversion 0.50% | More than 6,100 global shares and ETFs, over 1,000 funds, mid and small-cap UK shares and AIM shares, with dollar and euro wallets. The funds and UK-listed ETFs are PFICs; the direct shares are not. | No minimum balance, and the smallest deposit is £1. No commission on trades. Uninvested cash earns 2.27% in sterling and 2.53% in dollars, variable. |
| CMC Invest Accepts with conditions US persons: no US rule published either way, so confirm before you apply FSCS £85,000 investment cover · holdings may be pooled in omnibus accounts Updated Source: CMC Invest fee tariff, December 2025, its plans page and general terms of business, read 2026-09-24 (opens in a new tab) | General investment account, Premium plan (opens in a new tab) | Up to £10.99 a month | No commission on trades; currency conversion 0.39% | The Plus range, and the plan that also carries a SIPP. The funds and UK-listed ETFs are PFICs; the direct shares are not. | No minimum balance, and the smallest deposit is £1. No commission on trades. Uninvested cash earns 3.30% in sterling or dollars, variable. |
| Hargreaves Lansdown Accepts with conditions US persons: a paper W-9 instead of the online form, no treaty rate, no transferring in online, and a funds bar written against US residents FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online, app and phone Updated Source: HL overseas dealing, transfer and online terms and conditions pages, 2026-09-12 (opens in a new tab) | Fund and Share Account (opens in a new tab) | 0.35% a year on funds to £250,000, then 0.25% to £1,000,000 and 0.10% to £2,000,000. Shares and ETFs 0.35% capped at £12.50 a month | £6.95 a share trade, £3.95 after 20 trades last month, £1.95 a fund trade. FX 0.99% on the first £10,000, then less | UK and overseas shares, investment trusts, ETFs, bonds and gilts across US, Canadian and 15 European markets, plus over 3,000 funds. The funds and UCITS ETFs are PFICs for US tax; the direct shares are not. | A US citizen files a W-9 on paper before dealing in US shares and gets no treaty reduction on the withholding. |
| HSBC InvestDirect Accepts with conditions US persons: closed to new customers, and the platform replacing it will not take a US person FSCS £85,000 investment cover · closed to new customers · needs an HSBC UK current account Updated Source: HSBC InvestDirect rates and fees, 26 November 2021, and the Global Investment Centre pages and terms, read 2026-09-25 (opens in a new tab) | InvestDirect Plus (opens in a new tab) | £10.50 a quarter for each investment account, so £42 a year | £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 | 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. | 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. Stamp duty is 0.5% on UK share purchases and the takeover levy £1 over £10,000. |
| IG Accepts with conditions US persons: barred from US-incorporated stock in the share dealing account, and a paper Form W-9 FSCS £85,000 investment cover · client assets held in segregated trust accounts Updated Source: IG help centre, W-8BEN and US citizens, 2026-09-12 (opens in a new tab) | IG share dealing account (opens in a new tab) | None. No platform, custody or inactivity fee | No commission on shares and ETFs. FX 0.49%, a reduced rate held until 4 September 2026 | UK and international shares and ETFs, but not US-incorporated stock if you are a US citizen. Every UCITS ETF you can buy here is a PFIC for US tax. | Switching to manual currency conversion removes the FX fee but brings back £3 commission on UK shares. |
| Killik and Co Accepts with conditions US persons: no published US policy either way, and a £100,000 minimum FSCS £85,000 investment cover · minimum portfolio £100,000 Updated Source: Killik and Co terms and conditions (May 2026), Silo page and stockbroking rate card, 2026-09-15 (opens in a new tab) | Stockbroking Service (opens in a new tab) | 0.5% custody on the first £250,000, then 0.1% | 0.5% commission, minimum £50, plus £10 a trade | UK and overseas shares, corporate bonds, gilts and funds. The funds are PFICs for US tax; the direct shares are not. | Execution only, for investors making their own decisions. Minimum portfolio £100,000, and currency conversion costs 0.35%. |
| Quilter Cheviot Accepts with conditions US persons: a Form W-9 at application, and a £250,000 minimum FSCS £85,000 investment cover · minimum portfolio £250,000 Updated Source: Quilter Cheviot private client application form, UK terms and conditions and target market summary, 2026-09-15 (opens in a new tab) | Discretionary Portfolio Service (opens in a new tab) | — | — | Bespoke portfolios of direct shares, bonds and funds. Whether the funds could be kept out of a US person's portfolio is exactly what to ask about. | No percentages are published; the fee is quarterly and calculated on portfolio value, covering management, custody and reporting. Minimum £250,000 and currency conversion 0.75%. |
| Sidekick Accepts with conditions US persons: no published US bar, but execution and custody sit with a US firm Custody with DriveWealth LLC in the US · app only · confirm which compensation scheme applies Updated Source: Sidekick investment management agreement and fee schedule, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Custom Index (opens in a new tab) | 0.50% a year including VAT | None to execute or hold, with about 0.10% of market spread passed through | The individual US company shares that make up a rules based index you can tilt or exclude from, held directly. This is the rare UK product where index exposure does not arrive as a PFIC. | No currency conversion fee at all. Minimum first investment of £1,000, and US regulatory fees are passed through on sales. |
| Webull UK Accepts with conditions US persons: nothing published about US persons, and the protection is not what it looks like FCA authorised as agent only · your account is opened with its Australian entity · do not assume FSCS on investments Updated Source: Webull UK help centre and pricing pages, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Webull individual account (opens in a new tab) | None | No commission on US shares, and none on UK shares and ETFs for the first 90 days | US shares, UK shares and ETFs, Hong Kong and China A shares, and US options. The ETFs are London listed, so PFICs for US tax. | Currency conversion of 0.50%, or 0.35% on its higher tier. Webull routes customers through a W-8BEN with its US clearing partner, which is the form for people who are not US persons, so ask first. |
| XTB Accepts with conditions US persons: no published US policy either way, beyond the reporting clause every UK broker carries FSCS £85,000 investment cover · FCA authorised Updated Source: XTB UK terms of business (version 14 July 2026), promotion terms and account fees page, 2026-09-15 (opens in a new tab) | XTB investment account (opens in a new tab) | None, though £10 a month applies after a year without trading and 90 days without a deposit | No commission up to €100,000 of monthly turnover, then 0.2% with a £10 minimum | Real shares and ETFs on UK, US and European exchanges, including fractions. The ETFs are European listed, so they are PFICs for US tax; the direct shares are not. | Currency conversion costs 0.5%, rising to 0.8% at weekends. No custody fee up to €250,000. |
Ready-made funds only
These will open an account for you and then offer you nothing but pooled funds, which US tax treats as PFICs. Open to a US person, and of little use to one.
| What you can hold as a US person | The catch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF Direct Accepts with conditions US persons: deposits in US dollars, with an adviser regulated by the SEC rather than the FCA Custodian not named for this service · SEC-regulated US adviser, not FCA authorised · funded in US dollars by ACH or wire, international wire included Updated Source: DF Direct homepage, its funding guides and account funding screen, Dunhill Financial FAQ and Form ADV Part 2A, 2026-09-18 (opens in a new tab) | DF Direct managed portfolio (opens in a new tab) | 0.50% a year, taken quarterly in arrears | None from Dunhill Financial. Custodian, transaction and fund charges are paid on top | 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. | Deposits in US dollars by ACH or wire, international wire included. The brochure says the fee is negotiable. |
| Prosper Accepts with conditions US persons: the door may open, but the shelves hold only funds FSCS £85,000 investment cover · app first, web available Updated Source: Prosper terms and conditions version 7.0, March 2026, read 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | General investment account (opens in a new tab) | No platform fee, with fund manager fees refunded on more than 30 funds | None, and no transfer or exit fee | More than 200 index, portfolio and mutual funds and ETFs. No individual shares, so nothing here escapes the PFIC rules. | Private market investments carry a 1% upfront fee, and Prosper keeps the interest on uninvested cash. |
| Sidekick Accepts with conditions US persons: no published US bar, but execution and custody sit with a US firm Custody with DriveWealth LLC in the US · app only · confirm which compensation scheme applies Updated Source: Sidekick investment management agreement and fee schedule, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | Core and ready-made portfolios (opens in a new tab) | 0.25% on core holdings, 0.50% on personalised ones | None to execute or hold | Ready-made and themed ETF portfolios plus managed strategies. This is the pooled side of the platform, so these are PFICs for US tax. | No currency conversion fee. Fund charges are levied by the ETF provider on top. |
An institution's name opens its page on Momo, with every account checked for it across the site. Account names link to the provider's own site. No link on this page is paid. How Momo makes money.
Who will not take you
Checked and confirmed to refuse US persons, so you can skip the application. The reason matters: some bar US citizenship outright, others require that you are tax resident in the UK and nowhere else.
| Institution | Why | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| AJ Bell AJ Bell's own site (opens in a new tab) | AJ Bell states it plainly for this product: if you are a US citizen, or a US tax resident, you cannot open a dealing account. Do not read across from its SIPP, which does accept US citizens. AJ Bell sets the rule product by product, and this is the one where the answer is no. Source: AJ Bell Dealing account key features, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Bestinvest Bestinvest's own site (opens in a new tab) | 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. Source: Bestinvest eligibility page, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Chip Chip's own site (opens in a new tab) | Chip has chosen not to accept US persons, or anyone not solely UK tax resident, as customers. The forward-looking clause is the worse half: if you later become a US person you must tell Chip and the account will need to be closed, which lands on someone who naturalises years after opening. Source: Chip group terms of business, April 2026, read 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Dodl by AJ Bell Dodl by AJ Bell's own site (opens in a new tab) | Dodl states it plainly: you cannot open its general investment account if you are a US citizen or US tax resident. It reproduces the AJ Bell split exactly, because its pension rule bars only Canadians, so a US citizen turned away from this account can still open the Dodl pension. Source: Dodl general investment account key features, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| eToro UK eToro UK's own site (opens in a new tab) | Both eToro doors are shut and they shut on opposite groups. The UK terms treat US residents and citizens as a blocked country, while the US arm says it cannot serve US citizens who live outside the States, which is precisely where you are. Source: eToro help centre, US citizens living abroad, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Fidelity UK Fidelity UK's own site (opens in a new tab) | Fidelity's client terms restrict accounts to UK residents over 18 who are not US persons, and the definition covers any US citizen and any US passport holder wherever they live. It also reserves the right to sell your investments and close the account if it merely suspects you will become one. Source: Fidelity, Doing Business with Fidelity client terms, April 2026, read 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Freetrade Freetrade's own site (opens in a new tab) | Freetrade sells a general account with no fee and no commission, and its terms make not being a US person under FATCA a condition of every account it offers, including citizens and residents of the States. The bar bites before you reach its separate fund restrictions. Source: Freetrade general terms, clause 7.2.5, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Halifax Share Dealing Halifax Share Dealing's own site (opens in a new tab) | Halifax puts a citizenship test in its eligibility list beside the residence one, requiring that you are not a US person, a US citizen, or US tax resident by any other route. Both tests must be met, so living in Britain does not rescue it. Source: Halifax Share Dealing terms and conditions, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Interactive Investor Interactive Investor's own site (opens in a new tab) | The marketing page and the contract disagree, and the contract wins. The product page asks only that you are 18 or over and a UK tax resident, which a US citizen in Britain passes. The terms of service then require you to confirm you are neither a Canadian resident nor a US person, and a later clause lets ii close your positions if it believes you are one. Source: ii terms of service, clauses on eligibility and 20.2, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| InvestEngine InvestEngine's own site (opens in a new tab) | A general account exists and is open to eligible clients, and US persons are not among them: InvestEngine cannot open accounts for US citizens or US tax residents. It sells only ETFs in any case, so every holding here would be a PFIC even if the door opened. Source: InvestEngine help centre, who can open an account, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| iWeb (now Scottish Widows Share Dealing) iWeb (now Scottish Widows Share Dealing)'s own site (opens in a new tab) | Worth knowing that iWeb is no longer called iWeb. It is now the Scottish Widows Share Dealing Account, run by the same Lloyds business as Halifax, and it carries the same bar: the application criteria require that you are not a US citizen or US taxpayer. Source: Scottish Widows Share Dealing Account application criteria and terms, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Lightyear Lightyear's own site (opens in a new tab) | Lightyear declines on citizenship rather than residence, naming US citizens and US tax residents among the cases where it cannot offer services, so living in the UK does not help. Source: Lightyear eligibility page, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Moneybox Moneybox's own site (opens in a new tab) | Moneybox states the bar on the product page itself: you must be 18 or over and resident in the UK, and not a US citizen. That is a citizenship test rather than a residence one, so living here does not help. Its individual US shares are offered in the ISA rather than in this account in any case. Source: Moneybox general investment account support page, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Moneyfarm Moneyfarm's own site (opens in a new tab) | Worth reading as a warning about how these bars are published. Moneyfarm's account opening clause carries no US person test at all, so the contract alone would tell you the door is open. Its FAQ closes it: Moneyfarm decided not to accept further US persons as customers, counting citizens, green card holders and anyone born in the States. Only people who opened before March 2021 are carried on, and only while they live in the UK. Source: Moneyfarm FAQ, 2026-08-24 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Nutmeg (J.P. Morgan Personal Investing) Nutmeg (J.P. Morgan Personal Investing)'s own site (opens in a new tab) | A general account is one of the products and the terms are flat: it does not provide portfolios or services to US persons. The clause that reaches forward is worse than the refusal, warning that if you become a US person it may sell your investments and withhold cash against US withholding tax. Source: J.P. Morgan Personal Investing terms, clauses 1.2 and 20.6, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Plum Plum's own site (opens in a new tab) | The account declaration you sign says you are not a US person as the IRS defines one, so the door shuts on citizenship rather than residence. Plum's help centre is blunter still, saying American citizens, including those with dual citizenship, cannot use the funds feature in the app. Source: Plum key feature documents and help centre, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| RBC Brewin Dolphin RBC Brewin Dolphin's own site (opens in a new tab) | The client terms say it may not provide services if you are or become a US person, and reserve the right to withdraw them if you become one, with US person defined to include any citizen or resident of the States. The site disclaimer adds that no offer is made to any US person. Source: RBC Europe Limited retail client terms, clause 121, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Redmayne Bentley Redmayne Bentley's own site (opens in a new tab) | Its own forms require you to confirm that you are not a United States person as FATCA defines one, nor a Canadian resident, and state that the application cannot proceed if the box is not ticked. The account opening page adds that the process is for UK residents only. Source: Redmayne Bentley portfolio authorisation form and account opening pages, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Revolut UK Revolut UK's own site (opens in a new tab) | Revolut closes both doors and its own wording spells out the trap: trading entities outside the US cannot serve US persons living outside the US, and only its US entity may serve US persons, who must be living in the US. Note this is Revolut's trading arm; its everyday and savings accounts are a separate matter. Source: Revolut help centre, trading accounts and US persons, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Robinhood UK Robinhood UK's own site (opens in a new tab) | The cleanest double trap on this site. The UK agreement makes you represent for the life of the account that you are not a US person as the Internal Revenue Code defines one, while the US arm requires a legal US residential address, so an American who has moved to Britain is locked out at both ends by design. Note also that the UK brokerage assets are not FSCS protected: they sit with Robinhood Securities in the US under SIPC. Source: Robinhood UK customer agreement, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Saxo UK Saxo UK's own site (opens in a new tab) | Saxo will not take you. Its UK help centre says it cannot offer services to anyone classified as a US person, and expressly includes dual citizens living outside the US. The only route back in it names is a certificate of loss of nationality. Source: Saxo UK help centre, can a US person have an account, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Trading 212 Trading 212's own site (opens in a new tab) | The Invest account is the one outside a wrapper, and the bar is set at platform level rather than per product. Trading 212 does not offer accounts to US persons, and defines those to include US citizens, anyone born in the States, green card holders and anyone with US tax obligations. Source: Trading 212 help centre, identity and tax details at setup, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| True Potential True Potential's own site (opens in a new tab) | To open one you must be resident in the UK and not be a United States person or citizen. Its definition is the widest on this page, catching anyone born in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam or the US Virgin Islands, and anyone with a US citizen parent. The account holds only True Potential's own funds, so it would be no use even without the bar. Source: True Potential ISA, JISA and GIA terms, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Vanguard UK Vanguard UK's own site (opens in a new tab) | The terms say the accounts and funds are not available to US persons, and define one to include any US citizen and any US passport holder whatever their residence. The help pages repeat it in plain words. Source: Vanguard UK client terms, August 2026 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Wealthify Wealthify's own site (opens in a new tab) | The general account test starts as residence, being over 18 and living in the UK or the Channel Islands, and then adds a nationality test in the same breath: you must not be a US passport holder. A later clause lets Wealthify end the agreement if you stop meeting those conditions after opening. Source: Wealthify investment terms clause 2.1, June 2025, read 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Willis Owen Willis Owen's own site (opens in a new tab) | The broadest shelf of this group, taking funds, shares, investment trusts and ETFs, and the application stops a US citizen dead: you must confirm that you are a UK resident and not a US person. So the direct shares that would have solved the PFIC problem stay out of reach. Note it has been part of the Moneyfarm group since December 2024, which also declines US persons. Source: Willis Owen general investment account application, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) |
No longer offering this, or never did
Nothing to do with your citizenship: these are providers that do not offer a general investment account to anyone in the UK. Several are still recommended in forums and guides, which is why they are listed rather than left out.
| Provider | Why not | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| DEGIRO DEGIRO's own site (opens in a new tab) | DEGIRO says it cannot serve a US person, because US law follows the person rather than the address, so living in the UK does not help. It does take other new UK clients. Worth noting how it reaches them: flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is an overseas firm not authorised by the FCA, and the FCA register shows the old DEGIRO B.V. permission cancelled on 18 July 2023, so the FSCS does not cover you and the FCA does not supervise the firm. Source: DEGIRO UK helpdesk, US persons, and FCA register, 2026-09-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Investec Wealth and Investment Investec Wealth and Investment's own site (opens in a new tab) | There is no longer an Investec Wealth and Investment UK to apply to. The business joined Rathbones Group in 2023 and client investments have migrated across, so a US citizen should read the Rathbones row and its US taxpayer service instead. Source: Rathbones guidance on the Investec Wealth and Investment migration, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Pepperstone Pepperstone's own site (opens in a new tab) | Not a share dealing account, and not a refusal either. Pepperstone offers only leveraged derivatives, and says plainly that you do not own or have rights in the underlying asset, so a contract for difference on Apple is not an Apple share. Its terms say nothing about US citizens either way. Worth knowing because it is often suggested alongside brokers, and it is a different product with different tax treatment again. Source: Pepperstone UK terms and conditions and account pages, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Spreadex Spreadex's own site (opens in a new tab) | Another firm that never gives you the share. Spreadex offers spread bets, contracts for difference and options, and confirms you do not own shares when you take a spread bet, with no voting rights passed on. Its customer agreement never mentions US citizens, and its only US rule bites if you move to the States rather than if you are American here. Source: Spreadex customer agreement and shares FAQs, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Stake Stake's own site (opens in a new tab) | Stake closed its UK operation on 15 November 2024 and moved eligible accounts to Freetrade, so there is nothing to open, and its UK site now carries only the closure notice. Accounts that were not eligible for the move stayed with DriveWealth, Stake's US broker, which holds the assets until the owner asks for them back. Freetrade bars US persons under FATCA, so it is no alternative either. Note also that Stake never held your assets under the FSCS: custody sat with DriveWealth in the US under SIPC. Source: Stake UK closure announcement, 14 November 2024, read 2026-09-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Trade Republic Trade Republic's own site (opens in a new tab) | Two reasons this is not available to you. Trade Republic says plainly that US persons cannot open an account and that it does not accept US citizens or US taxable persons, and separately it is not FCA authorised and does not serve the UK, so there is no UK account to apply for. Cash sits under the German deposit guarantee rather than the FSCS. Source: Trade Republic support, US account eligibility, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) | |
| Wombat Invest (now Quilter Invest) Wombat Invest (now Quilter Invest)'s own site (opens in a new tab) | There is no Wombat account to open. Quilter bought the app in 2024, it became NuWealth that June and Quilter Invest in October 2025. The successor does run a general investment account, and its terms require that you are not a US person on an ongoing basis, with a duty to tell them immediately if that changes. Source: Quilter Invest app terms and conditions, 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) |
New and changed accounts, monthly.
Providers change who they will take, and nobody tracks it. Momo does. One email a month with what moved, plus the occasional note on tax and money for US citizens in the UK.
How Momo handles your address: privacy policy.
Common questions
Which UK brokers accept US citizens?
A minority of UK investment platforms do; most decline US persons because of the reporting overhead. The ones that accept you vary widely in what they let you hold, and that matters more than the fees do.
Can I buy US-domiciled ETFs from a UK broker?
Rarely. UK rules require a key information document that US-domiciled funds do not produce, so most UK brokers cannot sell them to a retail client. A broker where they are available solves the PFIC problem outright rather than working around it.
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.
TaxFATCA
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.