Updated Rules checked 2026-10-29
Which countries does Binance restrict? According to Binance’s official List of Prohibited Countries (updated 2026-01-05), Binance.com does not serve 9 countries and regions: the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, and the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The US entry is the broadest: even US citizens living abroad cannot sign up.
This list is one of the eligibility conditions in Section 2.1 of the Binance Terms of Use (effective 2026-10-27). The list itself says Binance may update it “without prior notice”. Section 25.5 of the Terms adds that services may still be fully or partly restricted in countries not on the list, and that you must not use a VPN to get around the restrictions.
Beyond the prohibited list, Binance also restricts specific products in some regions, such as USDT trading pairs in the European Economic Area and futures and margin products in Hong Kong, while residents of Japan are now served by Binance Japan instead. Below, the full list, the partly restricted services, the VPN and KYC clauses, and what happens to your account when the list changes are set out separately, each with its official source.
Key points:
1. Binance’s prohibited countries list (version of 2026-01-05) has 9 entries: the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, and the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
2. The US is the only country where “citizens” also count: anyone located, incorporated, resident, holding citizenship or operating in the US cannot use Binance.com.
3. Section 2.1 of the Terms of Use also excludes anyone who is not allowed to use Binance services under local law, so a country missing from the list is not guaranteed to be supported.
4. Section 25.5 states that if you are in a prohibited country, your access may be blocked and you may not be able to view your orders and positions; you also must not use a VPN to change your IP address and get around the restrictions.
5. Since 2025-03-31, users in the European Economic Area cannot trade pairs of USDT and other stablecoins that do not comply with MiCA and can only sell them through Convert; since 2026-07-01 they also cannot take part in the Binance Referral Program.
The information below was checked against Binance’s official pages on 2026-10-29 (fact-check date) and is provided for reference.
What is on Binance’s full list of prohibited countries?
Binance’s list is split into three groups, and the difference is who counts as restricted. Here they are, following the conditions in the official text:
| Group | Country or region | Restriction condition in the official text | Scope of the restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
| (i) | United States | Located, incorporated, resident, holding citizenship or operating there | Cannot register or use Binance.com services |
| (ii) | Canada, the Netherlands | Located, incorporated or resident there | Cannot register or use Binance.com services |
| (iii) | Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Crimea (as defined in US Executive Order 13685), the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic (as defined in US Executive Order 14065) | Located, incorporated or resident there | Cannot register or use Binance.com services |
Source and date: Binance List of Prohibited Countries PDF (marked “Updated: 5 January 2026”), viewed 2026-10-29; the list page simply embeds this PDF. The opening of the list states that, besides these countries, Binance may designate other locations “from time to time” and reserves the right to update the list without prior notice.
Read this list together with the Terms of Use. Three points are easy to miss:
- You may be ineligible even outside the list: Section 2.1(f) splits this eligibility condition into two parts. The first covers places where “using Binance services would be illegal under applicable law”; only the second is the prohibited countries list. The Terms also require individual users to be at least 18 and not to be a “Restricted Person”.
- People on sanctions lists: as the Terms define it, a “Restricted Person” includes any person or entity on the sanctions lists of the UN Security Council, the EU, the US and others, as well as anyone located, incorporated or resident in a region on the prohibited countries list.
- Individual products can have their own requirements: Section 2.3 states that Binance may add extra eligibility requirements for specific services or specific regions, and these may differ from region to region. The partly restricted regions in the next section are real examples of this clause.
For corporate accounts with links to the US, the last paragraph of the list explains that Binance uses a separate set of tests to decide whether the company counts as a US user. For a comparison of restricted regions across 13 exchanges, see the crypto exchange restricted countries table.
Which regions can only use some Binance services?
Regions that are not on the prohibited list may still be unable to use some products. These are the region-specific restrictions I found in Binance’s official announcements and Help Center:
| Region | Restricted service | Effective date | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Economic Area (EEA) | All spot trading pairs for USDT, FDUSD, TUSD, USDP, DAI, AEUR, XUSD and PAXG delisted; remaining balances can only be sold through Convert; deposits and withdrawals still available | 2025-03-31 23:59 (UTC) | MiCA stablecoin delisting announcement (2025-03-03, updated 03-25) |
| European Economic Area (EEA) | Margin trading pairs for the stablecoins above delisted; remaining assets and liabilities in Cross Margin accounts automatically converted to USDC, Isolated Margin positions closed and settled | 2025-03-27 07:00 (UTC) | Same as above |
| European Economic Area (EEA) | Spot Copy Trading discontinued | 2024-06-26 | MiCA stablecoin rules announcement (2024-06-03) |
| European Economic Area (EEA) | Cannot take part in the Referral Program in any role and receives no referral commission | 2026-07-01 | Referral Program Additional Notes (updated 2026-09-22) |
| Japan | The global platform stopped serving residents of Japan, who are now served by Binance Japan; global platform accounts that have not passed Binance Japan verification became “withdrawal only” | 2023-12-01 | Announcement on discontinuing the global platform for residents of Japan |
| Hong Kong | No new derivatives accounts, covering all futures, options, margin products and leveraged tokens; when the referee is a Hong Kong resident, neither side earns referral commission | Announced 2021-08-06 | Hong Kong derivatives restriction announcement, Referral Program Additional Notes |
| Germany, Italy | No new futures and derivatives accounts; existing users got a 90-day period to close positions (the same announcement also covered the Netherlands, which is now on the prohibited list) | Announced 2021-07-30 | Germany, Italy and Netherlands derivatives announcement |
| Australia | No new futures accounts from 2021-07-08; extended to options, margin products and leveraged tokens from 2021-08-19 | Announced 2021-08-19 | Australia derivatives restriction announcement |
| Singapore, UK, Turkey | Singapore residents cannot join the Referral Program from 2022-11-18; referral commission removed for UK users; the regular user referral program in Turkey ended on 2024-09-19 | See each entry | Referral Program Additional Notes |
Source and date: the announcements and notes in the table above, viewed 2026-10-29. The 2021 announcements describe the rules at the time they were published; I found no later Binance announcement lifting these restrictions, so the products you can actually use are whatever your account shows after you log in. The regional limits of the Referral Program are covered separately in Binance referral code.
When Binance restricted services in specific regions
The three 2021 dates are announcement dates; the rest are effective dates
- No new derivatives accounts in Germany and Italy
- No new derivatives accounts in Hong Kong
- Australia curbs extended to options and margin
- Japan residents moved to Binance Japan
- EEA delists USDT and other stablecoin pairs
- EEA excluded from the Referral Program
There is also the case of being “served by a local company”. The Terms of Use define “Local Terms” as terms you sign with a Binance affiliate or a third party licensed by Binance; residents of Japan moving to Binance Japan is exactly this situation. The countries where Binance has a licensed or registered local entity are listed in the license table of Is Binance safe?
What happens if you use a VPN or a false nationality?
Section 25.5 of the Terms of Use says users must not get around regional restrictions by any means, including using a VPN to change their IP address. KYC also checks your nationality and residence. According to Binance’s guide to identity verification for individual accounts (updated 2026-07-02), every new user must complete the “Verified” level before depositing and trading, and the first step of verification is choosing your country of residence, the country/region that issued your document and the document type.
Section 7.5 of the Terms lists the information KYC requires: full name, date of birth, nationality, legal domicile, current residential address and contact details, plus a copy of an ID document such as a passport, national ID card or driver’s license. This information must be complete, accurate, true and up to date, and when necessary it must be verifiable through independent sources. Some regions or payment channels also require proof of address. According to the proof of address guide (updated 2026-06-11), the name on the document must match your ID, the address must match the residential address you entered, and the document must be no older than 6 months in most regions, 3 months in some regions and 2 months in India.
If you are found to be ineligible, the Terms allow Binance to act as follows:
- Section 25.1: if a user does not meet or no longer meets the eligibility requirements, there is a problem with identity verification, or the user does anything to get around Binance’s controls, Binance may terminate, suspend, freeze or restrict the account, and may refuse or cancel transactions, “with immediate effect”.
- Section 25.3: when an account is terminated, suspended or restricted, open orders, trades and positions may be closed by the user or by Binance, depending on the circumstances. Futures are leveraged, so if your account is restricted and you cannot adjust in time, your positions may be liquidated.
- Section 31.1(e): users must not use or attempt to use Binance services, directly or indirectly, from any region Binance considers high-risk (including those on the prohibited countries list).
- Section 7.7: if a user comes from a region Binance considers to carry higher money laundering, terrorist financing or sanctions risk, Binance may require enhanced due diligence, and the account may be suspended or restricted until it is completed.
So even if you manage to sign up with a VPN, your account can still be restricted later under the clauses above, and the hardest part then is dealing with your assets and positions. For what generally happens after an account is frozen, see what to do if your exchange account is frozen; for the proper verification steps, see the Binance KYC guide.
What should you do if you move to a restricted region or the list changes?
First, moving and traveling. Section 7.8 of the Terms of Use requires users to notify Binance “immediately” when their address, nationality or citizenship changes. Once you provide sufficient supporting documents, Binance updates your account records, and as a result some services may no longer be available or different regional rules may apply. Short trips abroad matter too: Section 25.5 states that when you are in a prohibited country, services may be unavailable and access may be blocked, which may even affect viewing your existing orders and positions.
Next, changes to the list itself. Section 2.2 says Binance may change the eligibility criteria at any time; it will give advance notice where it can, but for reasons such as regulatory changes it may only notify users afterward. Once an account is closed, the Terms set out this sequence:
- Section 24.2: after the account is closed, the user must withdraw all digital assets in it.
- If you do not withdraw, or do not log in for 90 days in a row, Binance will notify you that it intends to treat the account as dormant.
- Section 24.3: if you do not respond within 30 days of the notice, Binance may mark the account as dormant and may also convert your assets into another digital asset, and the clause states that Binance is not responsible for any resulting loss of profit or tax consequences.
Binance has handled this in practice twice. For global platform accounts of residents of Japan, those that had not passed Binance Japan verification became withdrawal-only from 2023-12-01; among assets that did not comply with Japanese rules, WBETH and BETH were converted to ETH and the rest to BTC, then moved to the Binance Japan spot wallet. For USDT and other stablecoins in the European Economic Area, Binance first limited Convert to selling only and then delisted the trading pairs; it advised users to convert to USDC, EURI or euros themselves before the deadline, and Cross Margin accounts were automatically converted to USDC by the system when the deadline arrived.
Both times there was a notice period, but the Terms keep the right to act without prior notice. So if you live in a region that may be affected, or are planning to move, the safer approach is to confirm your withdrawal route first and, if needed, move your assets to your own wallet. For withdrawal steps, see the Binance deposit and withdrawal guide; for choosing a wallet, see the crypto wallet guide.
FAQ
Can I use Binance in the US?
No. Binance.com does not serve the US, and that includes US citizens living abroad. The prohibited countries list sets the broadest conditions for the US: being located, incorporated, resident, holding citizenship or operating in the US all count. The US has a separate platform, Binance.US. According to its Terms of Use (updated 2026-06-05), it is operated by BAM Trading Services Inc., which shares a common majority shareholder with Binance Holdings Limited but is not part of the same company or management structure, and it has its own list of unsupported states.
Which countries does Binance support?
Binance does not publish a list of supported countries, only the prohibited countries list, which has 9 entries in the 2026-01-05 version. Not being on the list does not guarantee you can use Binance: Section 2.1 of the Terms of Use also excludes anyone who cannot use it under local law, Section 25.5 states that services may be fully or partly restricted in some countries, and some products have regional restrictions (see the table above).
Can I use Binance in Canada or the Netherlands?
No. Both Canada and the Netherlands are on the 2026-01-05 prohibited countries list. The condition is being located, incorporated or resident there; unlike the US, neither country includes “citizens”.
Can I still use Binance in Europe?
EEA countries other than the Netherlands are not on the prohibited list, but some products are restricted. Since 2025-03-31, all trading pairs for USDT, FDUSD and other stablecoins that do not comply with MiCA have been delisted for EEA users, who can only sell them through Convert; USDC, EURI and euro pairs are not affected. Since 2026-07-01, EEA users also cannot join the Referral Program. Germany and Italy are also covered by a separate 2021 derivatives restriction announcement.
Can I use Binance in Hong Kong or Japan?
Neither Hong Kong nor Japan is on the prohibited list, but both have restrictions. Under the 2021-08-06 announcement, Hong Kong users cannot open new accounts for futures, options, margin products or leveraged tokens. Since 2023-12-01, residents of Japan cannot use the global platform and must switch to Binance Japan; global platform accounts that have not completed Binance Japan verification can only withdraw.
What happens to my Binance account if I travel to a prohibited country?
Services may be temporarily unavailable. Section 25.5 of the Terms of Use states that when you are in a location on the prohibited countries list, your access may be blocked, which may affect trading and may also stop you from viewing your existing orders and positions. If you hold futures positions, decide how to handle them before you leave.
Will Binance ban my account if I log in with a VPN?
The Terms explicitly prohibit it, and if it is detected, your account may be restricted or terminated. Section 25.5 prohibits using a VPN to change your IP address to get around regional restrictions, and Section 25.1 allows Binance to suspend, freeze or close an account immediately if the user is ineligible or gets around its controls; open positions may be closed by Binance. KYC also asks for your nationality and residential address, and this information must be true and verifiable.
How often does Binance update its restricted list?
There is no fixed schedule; the latest version is dated 2026-01-05. The list states that Binance may update it without prior notice, and the Terms of Use are revised too: the version found on 2026-10-29 took effect on 2026-10-27. To check the current status, go straight to Binance’s prohibited countries list page and look at the “Updated” date at the top.
For a comparison of restricted regions across 13 exchanges, see the crypto exchange restricted countries table. Binance’s fees, products, pros and cons are in the Binance review, the identity verification steps are in the Binance KYC guide, and how to sign up is in Binance referral code.
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