How to buy U.S. ETFs πŸ¦… from Europe?

In many countries, buying U.S. domiciled exchange traded funds (ETFs) is very hard or seemingly impossible to do. Are you also wondering how to buy U.S. ETFs from Europe/U.K.?

Like you, I was looking to spend some money on πŸ—½ liberty-containing financial instruments. Based on my findings, I have compiled a free and easy guide that will let you buy any U.S. ETF you like, such as:

  • Vanguard VOO, VTI and VXUS
  • ARK Invest ARKK, ARKQ, ARKW, ARKG, ARKX, and ARKF
  • ProShares UPRO, TQQQ, SPXU, and SQQQ
  • Direxion SOXL, DFEN, SPXL, and TECL
  • Invesco TAN, CQQQ, QQQM, and QQQJ
  • Covered call ETFs QYLD, QYLG, XYLD, RYLD, JEPI, KNG, …

Ways to buy U.S. ETFs

Despite all the boring πŸ’€ regulation (PRIIPs) requiring specific documentation for ETFs (Key Information Document, or KID/KIID), there still are ways for Europeans to legally buy U.S. domiciled πŸ“ˆ ETFs. It’s not even much of a hassle and has very little costs. Let’s have a look at the options.

Method #1: Buy ETFs cheap and easy via πŸ’ Tastytrade (formerly Tastyworks)

Difficulty: πŸ‘Ά Easy

Minimum: πŸ’Ά ~€2,000

Access: πŸ’― All ETFs

This method is by far the most accessible of all. It works by simply using a U.S. based broker instead of a European one. Besides offering ETFs, the broker has to support funding from Europe with low fees πŸ’΅ for this to be attractive. So far, I’ve found it works great with Tastytrade.

Tastytrade also doesn’t charge any fees for buying stocks and ETFs, a major advantage compared to most European brokers. Follow the steps below and you’re good to go.

Tastytrade also doesn’t charge any fees for buying stocks and ETFs, a major advantage compared to most European brokers. Follow the steps below and you’re good to go.

  1. Open a Tastytrade accountΒ here.

    Click here for detailed instructions.

  2. Open a CurrencyFair accountΒ here.

    Transfer €2,000+ for a €50 free bonus 🎁, click here for instructions.

  3. Transfer funds from your bank to Tastytrade.

    Initiate cheap transfers via πŸ’± CurrencyFair, click here for instructions.

  4. You can now start buying U.S. ETFs! πŸŽ‰

    Click here to read how to place an order on Tastytrade.

Still got questions? Place a comment below!


Method #2: Get U.S. ETF exposure 🌎 via CFDs

Difficulty: πŸ‘Ά Easy

Minimum: πŸ‘› ~€500

Access: πŸ›’ 250+ ETFs

Though CFDs aren’t available for all U.S. ETFs, it may still be a good option if you’re mainly interested in the popular ones. The ease and low minimum deposit makes this an attractive option for people looking to buy common U.S. ETFs through a European broker.

Click this link to check out the simple guide I wrote to help you setup your eToro account, and get 🧠 informed about what CFDs are and how to use them to trade U.S. ETFs.


Method #3: Obtain πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’Ό professional investor status, trade unrestricted

Difficulty: 🧠 Medium

Minimum: πŸ’° ~€500,000

Access: πŸ’― All ETFs

Got a large (€500,000+) πŸ’° portfolio and want to stick with a European broker when buying U.S. exchange traded funds? In that case, obtaining professional status might be suitable for you. Find the instructions here, but be aware this method will only suit a very select group of people.


Method #4: Buy ETFs by exercising options, for experienced traders

Difficulty: 🀯 Hard

Minimum: πŸ’³ ~€10,000

Access: πŸ”₯ Most ETFs

Still work in progress…





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99 comments

  1. Hi,

    Thanks for the article. I have been investing in efts through CFDs (etoro) as a european with not that big of an account. Could you please highlight some risks this might have. I know of the risk of not owning the asset and not being able to move it to another broker. I am into dividend etfs and plan on holding for a long time.

    1. If you don’t have that much in it anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Some people care about owning the underlying, but to me that is not very important. Even ETFs have this “issue” sometimes, if they’re so called “synthetic” ETFs that work with swaps. Upside with those is that they’re generally lower on fees, too. Similarly, some people prefer real gold over funds that represent it, whereas others don’t care.

      I’m not telling you what you should buy or care aboutβ€”it’s everybody’s decision to make and a matter of conscience and preference. But personally I would prefer ETFs over CFD more so because of the costs than whether I would own the underlying or not.

  2. Just discovered https://leverageshares.com/
    They offer leveraged ETPs on some popular US stocks like 5x QQQ and 5x SPY. Those ETPs are traded on European exchanges.
    Disclaimer: not an investment advice. Leveraged products bear higher risk.

  3. Thank you for such detailed information. Really looking forward to the options section. I will be eternally grateful! I don’t really want to add another broker besides IB

  4. Really useful piece on buying US ETF’s from within the EU, thank you!

    I hope you’ll post more again in the future. Is there a way to sign up for email alerts in case of new posts? Or are you active somewhere else instead nowadays (e.g. X)?

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