Polymarket Geographic Restrictions — Where You Can (and Can't) Trade
Last verified 2026-05-01 · Sourced only from docs.polymarket.com and help.polymarket.com
What this page is — and is not
This is a reference page. It explains Polymarket's published geographic policy using only Polymarket's own primary-source documents. It does NOT recommend VPNs, does NOT name VPN providers, does NOT offer step-by-step bypass guidance, and does NOT advise on circumventing geo-restrictions. If your jurisdiction is restricted, abide by local law and Polymarket's terms of service.
30-second answer
Polymarket publishes a 4-tier geographic policy: (1) fully blocked countries — order placement rejected; (2) frontend UI restricted countries — site UI blocks orders but the API itself isn't restricted; (3) close-only countries — existing positions can be closed but no new orders; and (4) blocked sub-national regions inside otherwise accessible countries (e.g., Ontario in Canada). The lists below render verbatim from docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock and help.polymarket.com.
First trade blocked or account disabled? Start here.
If you see a Polymarket account disabled before first trade message or your first order is blocked, treat it as an access/account-state symptom first — not proof that funds are gone or that a permanent ban happened.
What it could mean
- Blocked geography or IP geoblock
- Frontend-only restriction
- Close-only jurisdiction
- Login/session/authentication issue
- Compliance or support review
What it does not prove
- It does not prove your funds are gone.
- It does not prove Polymarket confiscated a balance.
- It is not a reason to use VPN bypass guidance.
Check the geographic policy, session/auth state, and status page as evidence inputs; do not turn an access error into VPN bypass guidance.
FAQ: Does “account disabled” mean my funds are gone?
No. It is an access/account-state symptom until Polymarket support or official account surfaces say otherwise. Check geoblock/location, session/auth, status page, and support evidence. Do not use VPN bypass guidance.
The 4 tiers
Blocked (no order placement)
Order placement is fully rejected for IPs geolocating to these countries. Polymarket's documented compliance reasons: OFAC sanctions and additional regulatory restrictions.
Orders submitted from these regions are rejected by the geoblock endpoint. The frontend disables order entry.
Frontend UI restricted
Polymarket's docs state these countries are 'blocked only on the Polymarket frontend; the API itself is not restricted.' Render as published — do not interpret further.
polymarket.com app disables order entry; the underlying API endpoints are not restricted at the protocol level per Polymarket's published docs.
Close-only
Users in these countries can close existing positions but cannot open new orders.
Existing positions can be exited; new order placement is rejected.
Blocked sub-national regions
Specific regions/states/provinces inside otherwise accessible countries are restricted.
Same as full block, scoped to the specified region code.
Why market pages can load while API trading requests fail
Polymarket's public market data and authenticated CLOB trading requests are not the same access layer. Public read endpoints can work while authenticated order, cancellation, balance, or API-key requests fail because of geographic eligibility, close-only status, missing L2 headers, wallet-signature problems, or IP/WAF handling.
Not automatically an outage
Seeing markets load while an authenticated request fails is not automatically an outage. Public data, auth headers, wallet signing, geographic eligibility, and IP/WAF handling are separate layers.
User symptom
Markets, prices, order books, or spreads load.
What it means
Read access is not proof that order placement is available.
Source discipline
https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/authentication.mdUser symptom
API key, open-order, balance, cancel, or post-order calls fail.
What it means
Trading endpoints require L2 authentication headers, and order-creation methods can still require a signed order payload.
Source discipline
https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/authentication.mdUser symptom
Order placement is rejected even though a market page loads.
What it means
Builders should check https://polymarket.com/api/geoblock before placing orders from the same network path.
Source discipline
https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblockUser symptom
The website blocks a flow but docs label the country frontend UI restricted.
What it means
Render Polymarket's published tier exactly; do not infer a workaround, permission, or legal conclusion from the API/frontend split.
Source discipline
https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblockUser symptom
403 or access-layer rejection from a specific IP path before app or auth logic completes.
What it means
Treat this as an access-layer symptom, not proof of account loss, market manipulation, or a confirmed outage unless Polymarket publishes one.
Source discipline
No official public source confirmed; keep this as generic access-layer friction.
Developer checklist
- 1Check /api/geoblock from the same network path.
- 2Confirm country, region, and status tier.
- 3Confirm L2 headers for authenticated CLOB calls.
- 4Confirm order payload signing separately from L2 auth.
- 5If the failure is a 403 before app or auth logic, treat it as access-layer friction and do not infer funds or account status from it.
What this does not mean
- It does not mean your funds are missing.
- It does not mean a market resolved incorrectly.
- It does not mean VPN use is recommended.
- It does not prove a platform-wide outage.
- It does not override Polymarket's Terms of Service or local law.
Blocked countries (35)
| Code | Country | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AU | Australia | Blocked |
| BE | Belgium | Blocked |
| BY | Belarus | Blocked |
| BI | Burundi | Blocked |
| CF | Central African Republic | Blocked |
| CD | Congo (Kinshasa) | Blocked |
| CU | Cuba | Blocked |
| DE | Germany | Blocked |
| ET | Ethiopia | Blocked |
| FR | France | Blocked |
| GB | United Kingdom | Blocked |
| IR | Iran | Blocked |
| IQ | Iraq | Blocked |
| IT | Italy | Blocked |
| JP | Japan | Frontend UI restricted |
| KP | North Korea | Blocked |
| LB | Lebanon | Blocked |
| LY | Libya | Blocked |
| MM | Myanmar | Blocked |
| NI | Nicaragua | Blocked |
| NL | Netherlands | Blocked |
| PL | Poland | Close-only |
| RU | Russia | Blocked |
| SG | Singapore | Close-only |
| SO | Somalia | Blocked |
| SS | South Sudan | Blocked |
| SD | Sudan | Blocked |
| SY | Syria | Blocked |
| TH | Thailand | Close-only |
| TW | Taiwan | Close-only |
| UM | United States Minor Outlying Islands | Blocked |
| US | United States | Blocked |
| VE | Venezuela | Blocked |
| YE | Yemen | Blocked |
| ZW | Zimbabwe | Blocked |
Primary source: https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock
Blocked sub-national regions
| Country | Region | Region code |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (CA) | Ontario | ON |
| Ukraine (UA) | Crimea | 43 |
| Ukraine (UA) | Donetsk | 14 |
| Ukraine (UA) | Luhansk | 09 |
Primary source: https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock
Geoblock API endpoint
GET https://polymarket.com/api/geoblock
This endpoint is on polymarket.com, not the API servers.
Response fields
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| blocked | boolean | Whether the user is blocked from placing orders |
| ip | string | Detected IP address |
| country | string | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code |
| region | string | Region/state code |
Example response
{ "blocked": true, "ip": "203.0.113.42", "country": "US", "region": "NY" }Primary source: https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock
Blocking logic
OFAC-Sanctioned Countries
Countries sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Additional Regulatory Restrictions
Countries added for specific regulatory compliance reasons.
Primary source: https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock
Server infrastructure
Primary servers: eu-west-2
Closest non-georestricted region: eu-west-1
Primary source: https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock
Why these restrictions exist
Per Polymarket, geographic restrictions are implemented to ensure compliance with:
- International sanctions and embargoes
- Local financial regulations
- Gambling and prediction market laws
- Anti-money laundering (AML) requirements
- Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations
Primary source: https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock
VPN circumvention and Polymarket's Terms of Service
Polymarket's help center states VPN/similar tools used to bypass geographic restrictions are 'considered violations of the platform's Terms of Service (Section 2.1.4).' We render that statement verbatim. Users should read polymarket.com/terms in full.
"Polymarket strictly prohibits the use of VPNs or similar tools to bypass geographic restrictions. Such actions are considered violations of the platform's Terms of Service (Section 2.1.4)."
Primary source: https://help.polymarket.com/en/articles/13364163-geographic-restrictions
Trading while traveling
Polymarket states permissions are based on physical location rather than residency. Users physically present in a non-restricted country can trade there.
"Polymarket allows trading for users traveling to non-restricted countries. Permissions are based on physical location rather than residency."
Primary source: https://help.polymarket.com/en/articles/13364163-geographic-restrictions
Editorial restraint contract
- This page does NOT name any VPN provider, paid or free.
- This page does NOT provide bypass instructions or workarounds.
- This page does NOT speculate about Polymarket's proprietary VPN-detection technique. Polymarket describes it as proprietary; we quote that and stop.
- Country and status assignments are rendered exactly as published on docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock as of the lastVerified date. Polymarket can revise the list at any time.
- We do NOT make moral or political claims about which jurisdictions should or should not be restricted. We render Polymarket's published policy.
- The sister page /polymarket-view-only-mode covers the connected-wallet UX state mechanism. This page covers the published country/region policy. Reciprocal-linked.
- We do NOT echo community-reported user dollar amounts, wallet balances, or named users.
- The full Terms of Service should be read at polymarket.com/terms; we do not paraphrase TOS sections out of date.
- API access copy distinguishes public read access, authenticated CLOB endpoints, geoblock status, frontend-only restrictions, and access-layer friction; it does not infer a workaround from the distinction.
- IP/WAF/403 language stays generic unless Polymarket publishes an official public source; Community and social posts are signal only, never factual citations.