Can You Open a U.S. Brokerage Account? Six Firms, Three Realistic Situations, and the Rules Behind Them
“Non-U.S. citizen” is not an account type. A U.S.-resident student holding an ITIN and someone living in South Korea may need completely different account-opening pathways, even if neither holds a U.S. passport.
Source review: November 5, 2026 · Approach: broker-published requirements, not first-hand account-opening tests · Scope: eligibility at the application stage; approval is not guaranteed
Finding 01 · The missing document changes the answer
SSN and ITIN are not interchangeable at every brokerage
Robinhood’s U.S. onboarding guidance requires a valid Social Security number—not simply a taxpayer identification number. By contrast, Webull states that an SSN or an ITIN can satisfy its listed tax-ID requirement and names F-1 and H-1B among accepted visa types. SoFi Invest also publishes an SSN-or-ITIN route for eligible U.S. non-permanent residents, while requiring a supported visa, a physical U.S. address and recurring residency checks.
Practical consequence: an F-1 student with an ITIN but no SSN should not assume that every app advertising “easy investing” accepts the same documents. A route appearing in a published policy means worth checking, not approved. See the individual issuer requirements in sources [1]–[3] below.
| Broker / application path | Published starting point | What may stop the application | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robinhood (U.S.) | Age 18+, valid SSN, legal U.S. residential address; citizenship, permanent residence or qualifying U.S. visa. | ITIN without SSN does not satisfy its stated SSN rule. | Official requirements [1] |
| Webull (U.S.) | Age 18+, SSN or ITIN, U.S. residential address; specific accepted visas include F-1 and H-1B. | Other identity checks, document validity and actual eligibility review still apply. | Account-opening FAQ [2] |
| SoFi Invest (U.S.) | Age 18+, SSN or ITIN, supported visa for non-permanent residents, qualifying physical U.S. address. | Not a route for people living outside the U.S.; supported-visa status and periodic residency verification matter. | Eligibility help [3] |
| Firstrade (international) | Lists South Korea among supported countries; international individual-account route for applicants meeting its stated non-U.S. status and tax-ID conditions. | Restricted country list and individual-account-only rule; passport and W-8BEN requirements. | International requirements [4] |
| Interactive Brokers (international) | Lists Republic of Korea among available countries/territories. | Being on a country list does not establish suitability, account type, documentation or approval. | Country list [5] |
| Schwab International | Publishes an international-account application route, country-of-residence selection, and $0 account minimum. | Residence-specific offering, identity documents, proof of residence and individual account review require confirmation. | Application steps [6] |
This is an editorial comparison of published pathways, not a firm-wide completeness guarantee. Policies can change without notice. Do not enter private account numbers or actual SSN/ITIN digits into KoruVest.
Finding 02 · Residence is a different test from citizenship
Three situations: what changes first?
F-1 + ITIN, no SSN
Check: Webull’s explicitly listed F-1 and ITIN route; SoFi’s supported-visa and residency policy. Do not assume: Robinhood can substitute an ITIN for the SSN it expressly requests.
Decision gate: verified street address, valid documents, supported visa and broker review.
No U.S. residential address
Check: Firstrade’s international eligibility list and IBKR’s supported-country list. Schwab requires a residence-country-specific path. Do not assume: a U.S.-resident app accepts a borrowed or virtual U.S. address.
Decision gate: residential proof, applicant classification, applicable entity and transfer requirements.
Account now, another country later
Check before funding: how the institution handles a residence change, restricted purchases, tax-document updates and withdrawal methods. A successful opening today does not promise identical services after a move.
Decision gate: written broker answer based on actual future residence; tax residency requires separate analysis.
Finding 03 · What matters before you apply
A five-minute document and evidence check
- Identify the actual account entity and route. U.S.-resident onboarding and international onboarding may be different products, even under the same brand.
- Verify the provider’s tax-ID requirement. Does it explicitly say SSN, ITIN, a local tax number, or a choice? Do not generalize from another broker.
- Confirm what qualifies as your real residential address. Never represent a mailbox, friend’s address or virtual office as your home unless the provider expressly accepts it.
- Check country support and what happens after relocation. Ask about continued holding, buying restrictions, withdrawal capability and supporting documentation.
- Keep dated evidence. Save the source URL, the date checked and the provider’s response. If the information conflicts, rely on the latest broker confirmation for your specific facts.
Question to send before providing sensitive documents
“I currently reside in [country], hold [visa or residence status], and have [SSN / ITIN / neither]. Does your firm currently accept new applicants in my circumstances? If I later move to [country], can I maintain, purchase assets in, and withdraw funds from this account? Please link to the applicable eligibility and fee disclosures.”
Replace the bracketed placeholders with non-sensitive descriptions. Do not email your SSN/ITIN or passport scan to an unverified address.
Prefer a guided checklist?
Use our free Brokerage Readiness Checker to see which official pathways and documents to verify. For a deeper comparison, read Firstrade vs. IBKR vs. Schwab or Robinhood vs. SoFi vs. Webull.
Source ledger and review method
We reviewed six original financial-institution sources on November 5, 2026 and recorded the particular statement relevant to account opening. We did not submit applications, contact support as mystery shoppers or test actual account approvals. A country appearing on an institution’s list is a screening signal, not a guarantee. Changes after this check may invalidate a row.
- Robinhood — What you need to get started (age, SSN and U.S. residence).
- Webull — Opening Your Account (SSN/ITIN, accepted visas and address).
- SoFi — Who may open an Invest account? (supported visa, SSN/ITIN, residence and reverification).
- Firstrade — Can I open an international account? (supported countries and required documents).
- IBKR — Available countries and territories (Republic of Korea listed).
- Charles Schwab International — Open an account (application country, documentation); also international overview ($0 stated minimum).
Research record: November 5, 2026 — initial source-by-source verification table created. Future changes should be dated with an explicit description of the change and the primary source; do not alter a “last checked” date without reviewing the underlying documents.