Polymarket restricted countries, and where Polymarket is legal to use, from its own three lists
On 26 October 2026 Polymarket's help centre, updated 14 August 2026, listed 40 countries as completely restricted (under a heading that says 39) plus 7 regions in Canada and Ukraine, with Singapore, Poland, Thailand and Taiwan also marked close-only. The developer docs, which the terms make binding, class most of the same countries as close-only, add South Korea, and the terms' trading clause adds Hungary and Slovenia.
Polymarket restricted countries number 40 on its own help centre, updated 14 August 2026 and read on 26 October 2026, plus 7 regions: four Canadian provinces and three areas of Ukraine. The heading above the table says "39 countries". Singapore, Poland, Thailand and Taiwan also appear as close-only. Polymarket's developer docs and its terms, read the same day, classify several of the same places differently.
Documents read on 26 October 2026: the help centre article on geographic restrictions, the developer page on the geoblock, and the polymarket.com terms effective 11 August 2026. Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated exchange, has its own rules, covered in Is Polymarket legal in the US?. This is not legal advice.
Polymarket restricted countries, place by place
Every place on any of the three documents is in the table below. "Blocked" is the help centre's word; "close-only" and "block completely" are the developer page's. "Named" means the place is spelled out in the trading clause of the terms; "sanctions" means it is named as a US-sanctioned territory in the Restricted Jurisdictions clause of section 4.1.
| Country or region | Help centre (dated 14 Aug 2026, read 26 Oct 2026) | Developer docs (read 26 Oct 2026) | Terms | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Blocked | Close-only | Named | AU |
| Belarus | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Belgium | Blocked | Close-only | Named | BE |
| Brazil | Blocked | Close-only | No | BR |
| Burundi | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Canada, Alberta | Blocked region | Close-only | Named | CA |
| Canada, British Columbia | Blocked region | Close-only | Named | CA |
| Canada, Ontario | Blocked region | Close-only | Named | CA |
| Canada, Quebec | Blocked region | Close-only | Named | CA |
| Central African Republic | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Congo (Kinshasa) | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Cuba | Blocked | Block completely | Sanctions | |
| Ethiopia | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| France | Blocked | Close-only | Named | FR |
| Germany | Blocked | Close-only | Named | DE |
| Hungary | Not listed | Not listed | Named | |
| Iran | Blocked | Block completely | Sanctions | |
| Iraq | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Ireland | Blocked | Close-only, site only | Named | IE |
| Italy | Blocked | Close-only | Named | IT |
| Japan | Blocked | Close-only, site only | No | JP |
| Lebanon | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Libya | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Malta | Blocked | Close-only, site only, sports only | No | |
| Myanmar | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Netherlands | Blocked | Close-only, site only | Named | NL |
| New Zealand | Blocked | Close-only | Named | |
| Nicaragua | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| North Korea | Blocked | Block completely, and listed close-only | Sanctions | |
| Poland | Blocked, and close-only | Close-only | Named | PL |
| Russia | Blocked | Close-only | Named | |
| Singapore | Blocked, and close-only | Close-only | Named | SG |
| Slovakia | Blocked | Close-only | Named | |
| Slovenia | Not listed | Not listed | Named | |
| Somalia | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| South Korea | Not listed | Close-only, site only | No | |
| South Sudan | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Sudan | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Syria | Blocked | Block completely | Sanctions | |
| Taiwan | Blocked, and close-only | Close-only | Named | |
| Thailand | Blocked, and close-only | Close-only | Named | |
| Ukraine, Crimea | Blocked region | Block completely | Sanctions | |
| Ukraine, Donetsk | Blocked region | Block completely | Sanctions | |
| Ukraine, Luhansk | Blocked region | Block completely | Sanctions | |
| United Kingdom | Blocked | Close-only | Named | GB |
| United States | Blocked | Close-only | Named | US |
| US Minor Outlying Islands | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Venezuela | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Yemen | Blocked | Close-only | No | |
| Zimbabwe | Blocked | Close-only | No |
What is the difference between blocked and close-only?
The developer page defines three groups. "Block completely means no new orders and no closing of existing positions." Close-only "means users can close existing positions but cannot open new ones." A third group is close-only on the Polymarket website while "the API itself is not restricted": Ireland, Japan, Malta for sports only, the Netherlands and South Korea.
The help centre uses different words for the same countries:
The following 39 countries are completely restricted from accessing Polymarket:
The table under that heading has 40 rows. Its own notes then soften the block for some of them. Italy: "Users can view markets and data but cannot trade." Germany: "Existing positions must be held until market resolution to redeem shares, after which funds can be withdrawn without restrictions." Ontario: users "cannot deposit or trade, including via the iOS app."
Which Polymarket list is binding?
The developer page. Section 4.1 of the terms, under "Restricted Jurisdictions", says a user may not "access, use or trade with the Contracts on the Platform" from any jurisdiction "identified as a restricted jurisdiction on the list published at https://docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock, which we may update from time to time without notice". The same clause adds US-sanctioned territories, naming "Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, and the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine."
The trading clause at the top of the terms is stricter on two names. Hungary and Slovenia appear there and on neither list. A user in either country is a "RESTRICTED PERSON" under the terms even if the geoblock lets the page load. The help centre says permissions follow "physical location rather than residency"; the trading clause also catches people who "RESIDE IN" a listed place.
Where is Polymarket legal?
Polymarket does not publish a list of countries where it is legal. It publishes where it restricts itself, and absence from that list says nothing about local law. Three markets show the gap:
- Spain is on none of Polymarket's three lists. Spanish rules are in Polymarket en España.
- India is on none of the three lists. Indian law is in Is Polymarket legal in India?.
- Turkey is on none of the three lists. Turkish rules are in Polymarket nedir?.
The help centre lists France as blocked; the French regulator's own action is in Polymarket en France. For the US exchange versus Kalshi, see Polymarket vs Kalshi.
What happens to funds in a restricted country?
The terms give Polymarket the choice. The paragraph after the trading clause reads:
USE OF A VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK ("VPN") OR ANY SIMILAR TOOL TO ATTEMPT TO OR TO CIRCUMVENT THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. ANY PERSON IN VIOLATION OF THESE TERMS MAY HAVE THEIR WALLETS PLACED IN CLOSE-ONLY MODE AND BE PROHIBITED FROM ACCESSING THE TECHNOLOGY FEATURES IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
Polymarket may also limit the site "to only allow open contracts to be closed" and says it "will not be liable for any losses" from a suspension or termination. Its aggregate liability is capped at $100. Polymarket can ask a user for information "to confirm that you are not a Restricted Person" and terminate access if the answer is late or, in its view, inadequate. How withdrawals work is in Polymarket withdrawal time, and fees in Polymarket and Kalshi fees explained.
Quick answers
How many countries is Polymarket restricted in?
The help centre, updated 14 August 2026, lists 40 countries and 7 regions, under a heading that says 39. The developer page, which the terms make binding, lists 41 countries plus 7 regions across its three groups.
Is Polymarket banned in the UK and Australia?
Both are listed as blocked in the help centre and close-only on the developer page, and both are named in the terms. Details are in the UK and Australia posts.
Is Polymarket restricted in Canada?
Four provinces are: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, per both Polymarket lists read on 26 October 2026. The rest of Canada is not listed; see Is Polymarket legal in Canada?.
Can Polymarket close my account in a restricted country?
Yes. The terms, effective 11 August 2026, let Polymarket place wallets in close-only mode and terminate access at its discretion, with liability capped at $100.
Where can I get help with gambling?
Gambling Therapy, "a global service offered by Gordon Moody", gives free online advice and one-to-one sessions with a trained therapist. National helplines are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Polymarket Help Center, Geographic Restrictions, updated 14 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket documentation, Geographic Restrictions (geoblock), last modified 17 September 2026 per page metadata, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Polymarket.com Terms of Use, effective 11 August 2026, retrieved 26 October 2026
- Gambling Therapy, a global service offered by Gordon Moody, retrieved 26 October 2026
About this piece
Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.