Betterment and Wealthfront generally do not accept customers residing outside their supported US locations, including US citizens abroad. Their published military or government-service provisions are narrow exceptions, not a route for ordinary overseas residents. Actual residence matters; a US mailing address alone does not establish eligibility.
This comparison covers the published residence requirements of Betterment, Wealthfront, SoFi Invest and M1, checked on October 25, 2026. It distinguishes residence eligibility, special-service exceptions and territorial login restrictions. The alternatives below are account types to investigate, not guaranteed approvals or equivalent managed portfolios.
What Betterment and Wealthfront actually say
Betterment’s help center says it “currently only operates in the United States, and for regulatory reasons cannot accept international customers residing outside the United States.” It adds that “this includes U.S. citizens residing and/or working abroad.” (Betterment’s page shows an update date of July 22, 2022.)
Betterment requires a permanent US address and an SSN or ITIN. Its eligibility page supports residents of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, excludes Guam, and describes support for US military personnel abroad with a valid US address, including an Army Post Office box. Check those stated provisions rather than treating every overseas address identically.
Wealthfront’s support page is similar. It requires “all Wealthfront clients to have a U.S. social security number, a permanent U.S. residential address, and currently reside in the U.S due to financial regulations.” It says it cannot support clients living outside the U.S., including U.S. citizens abroad.
The page does give one exception: active-duty military or U.S. government employees living overseas without an active U.S. phone number can contact Wealthfront for additional verification steps. For everyone else, it is current U.S. residency that is required, not just a U.S. address.
Wealthfront separately restricts access from certain places. Its “Territorial Access Limitations” page lists North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Russia, Belarus, and the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea regions of Ukraine, and says the list is subject to change. That is a different rule from the address requirement.
It concerns where you are accessing the site from, not your mailing address, so it could affect you while passing through one of those places.
It’s not just those two
SoFi Invest’s page says your physical U.S. address must be within the 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, or a military address (APO, FPO, DPO), and recognized in the USPS database. It also says: “we cannot support individuals residing outside the U.S., including U.S. citizens abroad, due to regulatory reasons.”
M1 Finance’s FAQ lists these requirements: U.S. citizen or permanent resident, age 18+, a current U.S. residential address, and a U.S. phone number. It also says M1 has no immediate plans to expand outside the U.S.
All four require a current U.S. residential address. (M1 says on the same page that it is not a robo-advisor, so we call these four platforms rather than robo-advisors.)
We did not find a workaround for foreign-address users on any of the four pages. Because they require current U.S. residency, a mail-forwarding or virtual-mailbox address on its own would not meet the stated rule.
Why the rule exists
We could not find a detailed explanation. Betterment and SoFi both say only that the rule is for regulatory reasons, and Wealthfront says it is due to financial regulations.
Where this leaves nomads who still want a managed account
For ordinary overseas residents outside the stated exceptions, these platforms’ US residence rules are the obstacle. Investigate a broker that supports your actual country and the account features you need. An existing Fidelity account is a separate case: new accounts for overseas residents are not supported, and existing accounts can have country-specific restrictions.
Some of those brokers may offer managed or automated portfolios. We have not compared them, so check each broker’s own site for what it offers in your country.
| Platform | Foreign address/non-resident situation | Notes for nomads |
|---|---|---|
| Betterment | Generally unavailable outside supported US locations | Permanent US address and SSN/ITIN; Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and military provisions described above. |
| Wealthfront | Generally unavailable to overseas residents | Current US residence and SSN; active-duty military or government employees overseas should contact support about the stated verification provision. |
| SoFi Invest | Not accepted | Requires a U.S. address within the 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, or a military address. |
| M1 Finance | Not accepted | Requires current U.S. residential address and U.S. phone number. |
| Interactive Brokers | Accepts clients from many countries and territories | Check IBKR’s country list for yours; eligibility and account type vary by country. See our full breakdown below. |
| Charles Schwab | Eligibility depends on residence and account type | Has an international division; details in our Schwab guide. |
| Fidelity | No new accounts for customers residing outside the US | Existing clients face country-specific restrictions, potentially including no new purchases or deposits. |
Keeping an old U.S. address on file and then moving abroad is not a real fix. We could not confirm how or when these companies re-check addresses, but the stated rule is current U.S. residency, so an account used that way would be outside their rules.
FAQ
Can I use a US mail-forwarding address to open a Betterment or Wealthfront account?
We would not rely on it. Both companies require current U.S. residency, not just a U.S. address on the form. We could not confirm what either company does if it finds an account held by someone living abroad.
Does military service change these rules?
Both pages mention an exception. Betterment says it supports U.S. military personnel abroad with a valid U.S. address on file, including an Army Post Office box. Wealthfront says active-duty military and U.S. government employees living overseas without an active U.S. phone number can contact it for additional verification steps.
Are there any robo-advisors that do accept a foreign address?
Not among the four checked here. The other route is a broker that accepts non-resident clients, such as Interactive Brokers. Check its country list and its own product pages for what is offered where you live.
Related Reads
- Can You Open a Charles Schwab Account Without a US Address? (2026) — international brokerage eligibility and residence evidence; a mailing address does not bypass residence requirements.
- Fidelity Blocks New Nomad Accounts in 2026: What Still Works — what changed at Fidelity and what existing account holders should do.
- Interactive Brokers Account Without a US Address (2026) — country eligibility, account documents and entity-specific rules to check before applying.
Sources
- Betterment — Who is eligible to use Betterment?
- Wealthfront — I live outside of the U.S. Can I open an account?
- Wealthfront — Territorial Access Limitations
- SoFi — Who may open a SoFi Invest account?
- M1 Finance — Frequently asked questions
- Interactive Brokers — Available Countries and Territories
Eligibility and exceptions were checked on October 25, 2026 against the linked provider pages. Product eligibility can change; confirm your residence and account type directly before applying. This is not personalized financial or tax advice.
