Summary: Kucoin is one of the biggest exchanges in the world with 20 million customers and availability in 200 countries. Unfortunately, American citizens are not allowed to use Kucoin's services. As such, we recommend FinCEN regulated exchanges that are safe to use in the US such as EToro and UPHOLD. These exchanges are regulated and safe to use, it's beginner friendly and it offers 1000s of digital assets including BTC, ETH, SOL, AVAX, ATOM, DOGE, XRP, XLM and many others!
Can you use Kucoin in the US?
While it is possible for American citizens to signup to Kucoin exchange with a VPN, it comes with limitations.
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As Kucoin is not licensed to operate in the US, users can signup with an email and trade crypto-to-crypto pairs.
This means that users can deposit cryptocurrencies and swap them for other cryptocurrencies.
To access more advanced features requires going through Kucoins KYC process which is not available to US users.
Kucoin is not licensed to operate in the US and as such, the KYC verification is not available for US residents.
For Americans who want want to access a secure and regulated exchange without limitations, we recommend signing up to eToro and Uphold.
Kucoin KYC United States
The Know Your Customer (KYC) process on Kucoin is not available for Americans citizens as they are based in a restricted country.
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Users who have not gone through the KYC process don’t have access to all the features nor the same withdrawal limits.
Is Kucoin legal in the US?
KuCoin is a legitimate cryptocurrency exchange that has been operating since 2017.
At the time of writing it has over 20 million users worldwide and supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies.
Having said that, Kucoin is currently not regulated by any reputable regulatory agency in the United States or Europe.
As such, Kucoin does not have the legal authority to operate and offer it's services to US citizens.
Does Kucoin work in the US?
While Kucoin is not licensed to operate in the US, the platform is still accessed by Americans who enjoy crypto-to-crypto trading.
As Kucoin offers over 700 cryptocurrencies, it makes it a good option for those who want to buy cryptocurrencies that can't be found on other exchanges.
Having said that, users who access Kucoin's services from the US have to use a VPN and only have access to a limited range of services.
Can US citizens use Kucoin?
Some US citizens who only wish to access a limited range of Kucoin's services use a VPN to bypass Kucoin's US IP restrictions.
This means that they signup using only a basic email and avoid the KYC process which they are unable to pass.
Kucoin US customers
At the time of writing, Kucoin does not offer it's services to US customers as it's not licensed to operate in the United States.
When will Kucoin be available in the US?
This is a good question that we don’t have an answer to. It all depends when Kucoin decides to get fully licensed in the US.
In the meantime, we recommend users signup to safe and FinCEN regulated exchanges like eToro and Uphold.
Both of these onshore exchanges are FinCEN regulated and provide a wide range of cryptocurrencies.
Does Kucoin report to the IRS?
Kucoin does not report to the IRS as they are neither licensed in the United States nor enable Americans to go through their KYC process.
Any necessary tax reporting have to be done manually by the users.
Do you need VPN for KuCoin?
You don’t need a VPN to access Kucoin, but in many cases, people who want to have extra privacy online use VPNs for this purpose.
This option is also useful for regular users who want to access Kucoin while traveling in the US.