Quick Answer — Alpha Futures Restricted Countries (2026)
- • 70 specific countries restricted as of April 2026 (not OFAC-only)
- • Residency AND citizenship both must be from unrestricted countries
- • Trading prohibited even while visiting a restricted territory (VPN does not resolve this)
- • Accepted: US, UK, most of EU, Canada, Australia, most of South America
- • Restricted: all OFAC-sanctioned nations + select EU members, Balkans, much of Africa, parts of SE Asia
Why you can trust this: I've been trading Alpha Futures since early 2025 with multiple funded accounts, multiple evaluations passed, and around $8,000 cumulative in payouts across 15 months. I'm not a reviewer speculating from marketing pages — I'm a funded trader navigating the same rules, platforms, and payout flows I'm writing about.
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Alpha Futures restricts 70 specific countries as of April 2026 per the firm's Countries With Limitations help-center article. Traders must have BOTH residency AND citizenship in unrestricted countries to open an account, and trading is disallowed even while visiting a restricted territory. This list is substantially broader than OFAC-sanctions-only (used by peer firms like Topstep) and includes select European Union members, Balkan states, much of Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia. The United States, United Kingdom, most of the EU, Canada, Australia, and most of South America are accepted.
This article publishes the complete verified restricted-country list, explains how the residency-and-citizenship rule works, compares Alpha Futures' restriction scope to peer firms, and covers what happens if you try to open an account from a restricted country. For the KYC document workflow see the Alpha Futures KYC guide.
The complete restricted-country list (April 2026)
Alpha Futures restricts the following 70 countries. Both residency and citizenship must be from outside this list to open and operate an account:
| Region | Restricted countries |
|---|---|
| Europe (EU and adjacent) | Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia |
| Eastern Europe / CIS | Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan |
| Middle East | Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestinian Territory, Syria, Yemen |
| Africa | Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Darfur, Tanzania, Zimbabwe |
| Asia (Central + SE) | Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, East Timor |
| Americas + Caribbean | Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela |
| Other | Burma/Myanmar, North Korea, Turkey |
The list above reflects the help-center article as of April 2026. Alpha Futures updates the list periodically — always verify against the live help-center Countries With Limitations article before funding if your country is borderline or if you're near a restricted jurisdiction.
How the residency-and-citizenship rule works
Alpha Futures applies a two-factor test that both must pass:
| Factor | What Alpha Futures checks | How they verify |
|---|---|---|
| Residency | Your current country of habitual residence | KYC proof of address (utility bill, bank statement < 3 months) |
| Citizenship | Your country of citizenship per passport/ID | KYC government-issued photo ID (passport, national ID, driver's license) |
| Login geolocation | Your IP location when accessing the account | Continuous IP monitoring; VPN circumvention prohibited |
If any of the three checks fails — residency in a restricted country, citizenship of a restricted country, or login from a restricted territory — the account is subject to closure. A dual-national who holds citizenship of both an accepted country and a restricted country is typically rejected on the citizenship check even if residency is in the accepted country.
Practical edge cases:
- US citizen living in the US: clean pass, no issues.
- US citizen living in a restricted country as an expat: fails the residency check, account closed.
- Dual citizen (US + restricted country) living in the US: fails the citizenship check, account closed.
- UK resident traveling to a restricted country for business: can hold the account but cannot trade from within the restricted territory.
Accepted countries — the safe list
Alpha Futures accepts traders from the large majority of countries outside the 70-country restricted list. The following are confirmed accepted as of April 2026:
| Region | Accepted countries (not exhaustive) |
|---|---|
| North America | United States, Canada, Mexico |
| Western Europe | United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland |
| Northern Europe | Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania |
| Southern Europe | Greece, Cyprus, Malta |
| Central Europe | Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary |
| Asia-Pacific | Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Australia, New Zealand |
| South America | Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru |
| Africa | South Africa, Egypt, Morocco |
| Middle East | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Israel |
The accepted list is not exhaustive — it shows common jurisdictions for reference. Any country not on the restricted list is accepted subject to standard KYC verification.
How this compares to peer firms
Alpha Futures' 70-country restriction is broader than OFAC-sanction-based lists used by most futures prop firms:
| Firm | Restriction approach | Approximate count |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha Futures | 70-country specific list (beyond OFAC) | 70 |
| Topstep | Primarily OFAC-aligned | ~15 |
| Tradeify | OFAC + select additions | ~20 |
| Take Profit Trader | OFAC + select additions | ~20 |
| TickTickTrader | OFAC primarily | ~15 |
| FundingPips (forex peer) | Approximately 30-country list | ~30 |
(Peer counts approximate, directional rather than precise.)
For traders in "accepted by Topstep but restricted by Alpha Futures" countries: This is a real gap. Topstep or Take Profit Trader will work for you; Alpha Futures will not. Examples: traders in Nigeria, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania — accepted by Topstep, restricted by Alpha Futures as of April 2026.
For traders in OFAC-sanctioned countries: No legitimate prop firm will accept you. Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Crimea, Syria — universally restricted across US-facing and UK-facing prop firms.
What happens if you try to open an account from a restricted country
Alpha Futures' enforcement is mechanical and consistent:
- At account creation: If you declare a restricted country during signup (self-declaration form), the account is blocked immediately.
- During KYC: If KYC documents reveal restricted residency or citizenship, the account is closed and subscription fees forfeited.
- At first payout: If account passed earlier checks but KYC surfaces the issue at payout verification, the payout is denied and the account is closed.
- Via login geolocation: If login IPs consistently show restricted-country origin (even with a VPN masking attempted), the account is flagged and closed.
Do not attempt VPN workarounds. The enforcement is not purely location-based — it is residency-and-citizenship-based, verified through government-issued documentation that a VPN cannot mask. You will lose both your subscription fees and any accumulated payable balance.
Alternative firms for restricted-country traders
If your country is on the Alpha Futures restricted list, these alternatives have more accommodating policies:
| Trader origin | Best alternative | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia | Topstep | OFAC-only, broadly accepts African countries |
| Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam | Topstep or Tradeify | Both accept these SE Asian countries |
| Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia | Topstep or Take Profit Trader | Accept most EU + EU-adjacent |
| Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro | Topstep (check current policy) | Balkan acceptance varies |
| OFAC-sanctioned countries (Iran, Cuba, N. Korea, etc.) | None — universally restricted | No legitimate US-facing prop firm accepts these |
The bottom line
Alpha Futures restricts 70 specific countries as of April 2026 — broader than OFAC-only lists used by peer firms like Topstep. Both residency AND citizenship must be from unrestricted countries, and trading is prohibited even while visiting a restricted territory. US, UK, most of the EU, Canada, Australia, and most of South America are accepted. If your country is on the 70-country restricted list, Topstep or Take Profit Trader with narrower OFAC-only restrictions are the better-fit alternatives. Always verify against the live Alpha Futures help-center Countries With Limitations article before funding — the list updates periodically and this article is a snapshot of April 2026.