How to check whether a prop firm accepts traders from your country
Prop firm accounts may be simulated, and fees may not be refundable; check each firm's terms. Nothing here is financial advice. Risk disclaimer
A firm may accept traders from one country, restrict them in another and exclude a third entirely. Restrictions can also apply at different stages, so "available" at sign-up does not always mean available for payouts or live accounts. This guide explains where to look and what to ask.
Where firms publish restrictions
- Terms of service: for example, in an eligibility or restricted jurisdictions section.
- Help center articles: a list of prohibited or restricted countries.
- Sign-up and checkout: the country list you can choose from. A country missing from this list is a strong hint, but not a full answer on its own.
- Payout or funded-account pages: extra conditions that apply only after you pass.
Read all of them. If two pages disagree, ask the firm which applies and keep the answer in writing.
Kinds of restriction to look for
- Not accepted
- You cannot open an account at all.
- Accepted with conditions
- You can trade, but with limits: for example, you may be kept on a simulated funded account, have a lower payout cap or need extra identity checks.
- Stage-specific
- You can take the evaluation but not move to a live funded account, or you can trade but face limits on how payouts are sent to you.
- Territories
- A country may be accepted while some of its territories are not. Check the exact place you live.
Questions to answer for your country
- Does the restriction depend on where you live, your citizenship, or both?
- Does it apply to the evaluation, the funded stage, live accounts or payouts?
- Which payout methods are available where you live, and do they carry fees?
- When were the pages you read last updated? Note the date you checked them.
Do not treat "Europe" as one market
A firm may set restrictions country by country. The United Kingdom is not part of the European Union and may be treated differently from EU member states, and EU countries may be treated differently from each other. Check your own country, not the region.
A worked example (hypothetical)
This example is made up to show how the questions above apply. It does not describe any real firm.
A firm's help center lists Country A as prohibited and says residents of Country B can pass the evaluation but will stay on a simulated funded account. Its checkout includes Country C, and no page mentions it. For Country C, the reasonable next step is to ask the firm directly and keep its written reply, rather than assuming the absence of a restriction.
How we record availability
In our reviews, availability is recorded separately for each country we track, with a link to the page we checked and the date. We record a country as available only when the firm's official pages say it accepts traders from there; a country that is simply missing from a prohibited list is shown as "Not confirmed by the firm". Conditions are always shown with a note explaining them, and a country we have not checked yet shows "Not yet confirmed". For an example, see the availability section of our TradeDay review.
Our records are a starting point, not legal advice. Local laws may also apply to you; check them yourself.