About & methodology
Who this is for
US citizens and green-card holders ("US persons") who live outside the US or are about to move. Because of FATCA and US citizenship-based taxation, many non-US banks and brokers won't serve US persons. Some US brokers also restrict customers with a foreign address.
What the statuses mean
Sourcing rules
- Every entry cites a source (a URL, or for reader reports a clearly labelled community datapoint) and records a short verbatim excerpt ("evidence") in the dataset.
- official The institution's own FAQ, help centre, terms or official staff reply. reported Reputable financial journalism. community Forum, Reddit or reader reports, published only when clearly labelled. Reader reports sent to us directly are marked "not yet confirmed by the institution".
- We don't infer policies. If we can't find a source, the institution isn't listed. Where a source only implies acceptance (for example, it explains W-9 paperwork for US persons), the note says so.
- Some sites block automated fetching or render content with JavaScript. Those entries are marked "checked via search index" and are queued for a manual re-check.
- A policy that applies in several countries is one statement in our data, shown on each country page.
Freshness
An automated checker re-downloads every source page and flags any whose text changed, or where our evidence quote no longer appears. A human then reviews flagged pages and updates the "last confirmed" date or status. Changes are logged on Recent changes.
How we make money
Right now the site has a small number of paid relationships: affiliate links for SafetyWing Nomad Insurance. Each one is labelled where it appears. We may later add clearly labelled affiliate links (for example Wise, Interactive Brokers, and expat tax preparers), labelled sponsors, featured adviser listings, and newsletter sponsorships from expat tax CPAs and cross-border advisers. Affiliate and sponsor relationships never change a status or note. Institutions can't pay to be listed or to change an entry. Full details: Disclosure: how we make money.
Corrections
Spotted an error? Submit a datapoint with a source.
Frequently asked questions
What is a "US person"?
In this database, a US person means a US citizen (including dual citizens who also hold another passport) or a US green-card holder. Because of FATCA and US citizenship-based taxation, many non-US banks and brokers won't serve US persons, and some US brokers restrict customers with a foreign address.
What do the statuses mean?
"Opens new accounts": Accepts new US-person customers (sometimes with paperwork such as a W-9/SSN). "Keeps existing only": No new US-person accounts; existing customers may stay (often with limits). "Restricted": Accepts or keeps US persons but blocks some products, e.g. US ETFs or foreign stocks. "Refuses": Does not open, and may close, accounts for US persons. "Unclear / conflicting": The institution's own sources conflict or don't say clearly. Confirm with the institution before applying.
Where does each entry come from?
Every entry links to its source and records a short verbatim excerpt ("evidence") with a last-confirmed date. "Official" means the institution's own FAQ, help centre, terms or an official staff reply; "reported" means reputable financial journalism; "community" means forum, Reddit or reader reports, published only when clearly labelled. We don't infer policies: if we can't find a source, the institution isn't listed.
How do you keep entries up to date?
An automated checker re-downloads every source page and flags any whose text changed or where our evidence quote no longer appears. A human reviews flagged pages and updates the last-confirmed date or status, and changes are logged on the Recent changes page.
Does a status guarantee I'll be accepted?
No. A status describes what a published source said on the last-confirmed date. Institutions change policies without notice and apply them case by case, so confirm with the institution and a qualified tax or legal adviser before acting. Nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice.
How do I submit a datapoint?
Use the Submit a datapoint form: tell us the institution, the country you live in, your US status, what happened and roughly when. Don't include account numbers or sensitive personal data. Submissions are reviewed by a human before anything is published, published datapoints are anonymous and labelled as community reports, and we look for an official source before upgrading them. You can also reply to any newsletter email.
Can institutions or advertisers pay to change an entry?
No. Statuses come only from sources. Affiliate links and sponsors are labelled where they appear and never change a status, note or position. Institutions can't pay to be listed, removed or to change an entry; corrections need a source.
Dataset
Download the full dataset as CSV or JSON. It currently has 167 entries (92 policy statements) across 81 institutions and 22 countries.