It depends on the platform and where you are moving. Under the position in October 2026, some UK platforms let non-resident customers keep their accounts with limits, such as no new money or a restricted fund range, while others may close accounts or ask you to move your investments if you live in certain countries. Rules vary between providers, so check your provider's terms before you leave.

Why platforms restrict non-resident customers

A UK platform is set up and authorised to serve UK customers. Once you live elsewhere, the platform has to consider the rules in your new country on providing financial services to its residents. A provider's decision may also reflect the regulatory requirements of the country where you live. A UK provider may be unable to provide ongoing investment services, advice or new contributions even though the account remains legally valid.

As a result, what happens to your account can differ for someone moving to Dubai compared with someone moving to Spain, Australia or the US.

What may happen

Approaches vary, and may include:

  • Account stays open, with limits. You can sell, take income and switch between some investments, but cannot add new money or open new products.
  • Restricted dealing. You can hold and sell, but buying certain funds may be blocked, for example because they cannot be marketed to residents of your new country.
  • Closure or transfer. The platform asks you to transfer to another provider or sell within a set period.
  • Tighter limits for some countries. In practice, moving to the US may lead to more restrictive treatment, but this varies by provider.

Platforms may also require a valid address and contact details, and some need a UK bank account for payments.

ISAs and pensions are a special case

If your platform account includes an ISA, GOV.UK confirms you can keep it open and it remains free of UK tax, but you cannot add new money while non-resident (apart from Crown employees and their spouses or civil partners). You should tell your ISA provider you have become non-resident. The rules allow transfers between ISA managers, but moving to another UK platform is not always available, as a new provider may not accept non-resident customers, so check before you start.

Pensions held on a platform, such as a SIPP, have their own rules and are worth reviewing separately.

Selling up has consequences

If a platform asks you to leave, the choice between transferring and selling matters. Selling can realise gains, and depending on when you sell and where you live, those gains may be taxed in your new country. Selling inside an ISA also loses the wrapper, which you cannot rebuild while non-resident. Where possible, a transfer "in specie" (moving investments without selling them) may avoid a sale, if both providers allow it.

Illustrative example only, not a real client.

Ben has £150,000 on a UK platform, split between a £90,000 stocks and shares ISA and a £60,000 general investment account. He moves to Dubai. His platform lets him keep both accounts but stops new money. Two years later he moves to the US, and the platform asks him to transfer or sell. Assuming he is US resident at the time of any sale, selling could create a US tax liability, and finding a UK provider willing to accept him may be harder. Reviewing the accounts before the second move might have given him more options.

What to check before you move

  • your platform's terms for non-resident customers, and for the specific country you are moving to
  • whether you can still add money, switch funds and take withdrawals
  • whether you need to keep a UK bank account and address
  • how your new country will tax the investments, which may affect what you want to hold

Our guide to investing a lump sum as a British expat looks at where expats commonly hold investments, and if you plan to return, see returning to the UK after living abroad.

Common mistakes

  • Not telling the platform about the move, which can cause problems if the account is later restricted.
  • Selling in a hurry when an in specie transfer may have been possible.
  • Assuming one country's treatment applies to every country.
  • Forgetting that the ISA wrapper is lost if it is cashed in while non-resident.

A regulated financial adviser can help. Get in touch for a free introduction.

Sources and further reading

Last reviewed: October 2026. Tax year: 2026/27. Jurisdictions covered: UK, UAE, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, US. Rates, legislation and guidance change, so recheck before relying on this. Rules can differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; tax residence is fact-specific; treaty outcomes depend on residence, domicile or nationality provisions; examples are simplified and omit reliefs, costs, exchange rates and anti-avoidance rules. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Take advice in the relevant country before acting.