YRM Prop Restricted Countries 2026: Complete List & What If You're Affected

YRM Prop's restricted-country list runs to 19 jurisdictions as of April 2026, covering Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Mali, Russian Federation, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela, and Yemen. The drivers behind the list are a stack of external constraints rather than YRM-specific business preferences: international sanctions regimes (OFAC, EU, UN), FATF high-risk and grey-list classifications, active or recent armed conflict, and the compliance posture of Rise Works (riseworks.io), which is YRM's sole payout rail and brings its own KYC and AML scope. If you're a citizen of one of the 19 but reside permanently in an eligible country, YRM runs a case-by-case review through support@yrmprop.com.

This article is the complete YRM Prop geographic-eligibility reference. It covers the full list with the underlying compliance category for each country, what changed between PTV's earlier coverage and the current published list, the citizens-residing-elsewhere workaround, how the list interacts with VPN and VPS use, the explicit US-trader position, and what happens at KYC if you signed up while restricted. For the broader rule framework see the YRM Prop rules overview.

The full restricted list (19 countries)

The current list is published on YRM's Help Center and verified as of April 2026. Each country is mapped below to its dominant compliance category, not the only reason it appears, but the most operationally relevant one. Several countries sit on multiple lists at once (an OFAC sanctions regime plus FATF concerns plus active conflict, for example).

A note on the categories: "OFAC comprehensive sanctions" means the US Treasury maintains broad restrictions on financial dealings with the country; this is the strictest tier and applies to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. "OFAC sectoral sanctions" applies narrower restrictions, generally to specific industries or named individuals; Russia and Venezuela fall here. "FATF high-risk" or "grey list" countries face enhanced due-diligence requirements that often make them uneconomical to onboard for a small fintech. "Rise Works compliance" is the catch-all for cases where Rise's banking partners decline to support the country regardless of the public sanctions picture.

What changed in 2026

PTV's earlier coverage of YRM Prop's restricted countries listed 14 jurisdictions. The current Help Center list is 19. The five additions, all confirmed against the live YRM Help Center as of April 2026, are:

• Congo (Brazzaville)
• Congo (Kinshasa)
• Guinea-Bissau
• South Sudan
• Tunisia

The first four trace to a combination of UN/EU sanctions, regional conflict, and FATF posture; the additions are consistent with the broader pattern of Sub-Saharan Africa being more tightly screened by fintech compliance providers since late 2025. Tunisia is the outlier in the sense that it's a relatively stable Mediterranean country, but it's been on FATF's grey list at various points and Rise Works' acceptance posture there shifted during the 2026 update cycle.

If you're reading older PTV content or third-party prop-firm comparison sites that still show "14 countries" for YRM Prop, treat that as outdated. The 19-country list is the current truth.

What if you're a citizen but living elsewhere

YRM's Help Center is explicit on this case: citizens of a restricted country who reside permanently in an eligible country can request a review. The mechanism is email to support@yrmprop.com or the live chat icon at the bottom-right of the Help Center site. There's no public form; the review is human and case-by-case.

A practical email template for this request:

> Subject: Eligibility review — citizen of [restricted country], resident in [eligible country] > > Hello YRM team, > > I'm interested in purchasing a [Starter Challenge / Instant Prime] account. I'm a citizen of [restricted country] but I've resided permanently in [eligible country] for [duration]. I can provide: > > - Passport from [eligible or restricted country, whichever is relevant] > - Proof of address dated within the last three months ([utility bill / bank statement / lease]) > - [Any residency permit, visa status, or tax document that strengthens the case] > > Could you confirm whether my situation is eligible before I purchase? Happy to share documents over a secure channel of your choosing. > > Thank you, > [Name]

Two practical points. First, ask before you buy. Purchasing a Starter and then failing the eligibility review is harder to unwind than checking up front. Second, the review YRM does is not the same as the KYC Rise Works does later. YRM can clear you on the citizenship-vs-residence question, and Rise can still block at the payout stage if the documents don't line up. Aim for both to be clean before you commit funds.

YRM Prop accepts US traders

US residents and citizens are explicitly accepted at YRM Prop. The US is not on the restricted list, and the standard purchase flow works on yrmprop.com without additional eligibility steps. Many futures prop firms either ban US traders outright or run a complicated state-by-state filter; YRM doesn't.

A few caveats worth surfacing for US traders:

• State-level futures regulation generally targets brokerages and futures commission merchants, not simulated-evaluation prop firms. YRM's evaluation phase runs on simulated accounts, and the Live Account stage operates through the firm's own risk allocation, so retail-broker rules don't directly apply.
• Tax treatment of payouts is on you. YRM and Rise Works will issue documentation when required, but US traders should treat funded-payout income as 1099-style or self-employment depending on their setup; talk to a CPA before scaling.
• Some US states have unusual rules around financial-product solicitation. If you're in a state with a history of restrictive interpretations (Arizona, New York at various times for various product types), confirm your specific position; the same caveat applies at every futures-prop firm and isn't unique to YRM.

For the broader account-mechanics view as a US trader, the YRM Prop rules overview and the payout rules cover the operational specifics.

What about Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk

These four are not explicitly named on YRM's published 19-country list. That's a gap worth being honest about: the published list isn't 100% comprehensive of every sanctioned jurisdiction in the world. What fills the gap is Rise Works compliance, which inherits OFAC, EU, and UK sanctions automatically.

In practice, applications from Belarus, Crimea (currently Russia-annexed under international sanctions), Donetsk, and Luhansk (the latter two as separately sanctioned regions) will face one or more of the following:

• Outright purchase rejection at checkout if YRM's billing processor recognises the address
• KYC failure at Rise Works before first payout
• Account suspension if address documentation surfaces region of residence after purchase

The same logic applies to other heavily sanctioned regions and territories that aren't full UN-recognised countries. The 19-country list is the published baseline; the operational reality is broader.

Why the restricted list matters for VPN/VPS users

VPN and VPS use is allowed at YRM Prop but monitored, which is structurally different from "banned outright." The full mechanics are in the VPN policy article. The interaction with the restricted-country list is the part that catches people:

• A trader in an eligible country routing through a VPN for privacy reasons isn't a problem, even if the exit node is in a restricted country, as long as it's an occasional pattern and KYC documents are clean.
• A trader physically located in a restricted country routing through a VPN to make the platform accept the purchase is a different scenario. Account creation may complete, the evaluation may pass, payouts may even queue up, and then KYC at Rise Works will block first payout when ID and address documents come back to a restricted jurisdiction.
• The failure mode is account closure plus profit forfeit. There's no partial credit for "we passed the evaluation but failed KYC." The structure is binary at the payout gate.

Pattern abuse, like simultaneous logins from multiple countries, rapid country-hopping, or multi-user access from inconsistent geographies, gets accounts flagged for review even when the trader's underlying country is eligible. Use a VPN for legitimate privacy reasons and keep your KYC documents aligned with your real residence.

Comparison to other prop firms

Restriction lists vary widely across the futures-prop sector. A rough sense of the landscape as of April 2026:

The takeaway is that YRM's 19-country list is on the shorter end of the spectrum, especially for traders in Latin America, much of Asia outside the named restrictions, and most of Africa outside the active-conflict belt. AlphaFutures' roughly 70-country list is closer to the high end and reflects a tighter compliance posture. Topstep's historical US-only stance has loosened in some regions but remains tighter than YRM's for many international traders.

This isn't a blanket "YRM is more accessible" argument; it's a structural observation. YRM's compliance filter sits at the Rise Works payout step rather than at the country gate, which gives broader initial access in exchange for a strict ID-and-address verification later. Both models work; they catch different traders at different points.

What happens if you sign up while restricted

The end state is uniform: account closure plus forfeit of any accumulated profits. The path to that end state has a few common shapes:

• Detected at purchase: the billing processor sees a card or address tied to a restricted country and the transaction declines. No account is created. This is the cleanest failure mode.
• Detected at Volumetrica/Quantower/ATAS login: repeated logins from a restricted-country IP without a VPN trigger an internal review. The account may be paused while support investigates.
• Detected at first KYC: Rise Works runs identity and address verification before the first payout. This is the most common detection point. ID showing restricted-country citizenship without verified eligible-country residence triggers rejection. Account closes; any profits accumulated in the simulated-evaluation phase are not paid.
• Detected mid-cycle via address change: if a trader moves into a restricted country during a funded cycle and updates address documents, Rise Works flags the change and the account is paused.

The lesson is consistent: KYC happens, and it's the binding compliance step. Cross-reference the payout rules article for how Rise Works fits into the broader withdrawal flow, and the is YRM Prop legit overview for context on the firm's compliance posture overall.

The bottom line

If you're outside the 19 restricted countries, YRM Prop is open to you. The list as of April 2026 is Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Mali, Russian Federation, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela, and Yemen, driven by a stack of OFAC, EU, UN, FATF, and Rise Works compliance overlays rather than firm-specific preferences. Citizens of restricted countries who reside permanently in eligible jurisdictions can request a case-by-case review at support@yrmprop.com. US traders are accepted without additional gates. Heavily sanctioned regions outside the published list (Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk) are filtered de facto at the Rise Works KYC step rather than at the public country gate. VPN use is allowed but doesn't override KYC, so attempting to bypass the geographic restriction means losing your account at first payout. Lists update; verify your specific country at the YRM Help Center before purchase if you're near any of the borderline categories.

For the broader picture of how geography fits into YRM's overall framework, the YRM Prop rules overview is the pillar; for what happens at payout once you've cleared eligibility, see the payout rules; for the legitimacy and trust angle that backs the compliance posture, the is YRM Prop legit review covers the firm-level credibility. If you're researching the platform side after eligibility, the account types and trading platforms articles are next, and the main review is the consolidated reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many countries does YRM Prop restrict in 2026?

Nineteen, as of April 2026. The current list covers Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Mali, Russian Federation, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela, and Yemen. PTV's earlier coverage referenced 14 countries; the additions are Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Guinea-Bissau, South Sudan, and Tunisia. The list is published on YRM's Help Center and can be updated when sanctions or compliance requirements shift.

Can US traders sign up at YRM Prop?

Yes. The United States is not on YRM Prop's restricted list, and US residents and citizens can purchase Starter Challenges, Instant Prime accounts, and proceed through the funded Prime stage. The same federal-level futures regulation that applies at any US-friendly futures prop firm applies here. State-level rules around securities solicitation are not directly relevant since YRM operates simulated futures evaluations on third-party data feeds, but residents in states with unusual financial-product rules should verify their local position.

What if I'm a citizen of a restricted country but live somewhere else?

YRM Prop runs case-by-case reviews. Email support@yrmprop.com from the address you intend to use on the platform, state your citizenship, your current country of permanent residence, and how long you've been resident there. Be ready to back this up with documents at KYC time, since Rise Works will run identity and address verification before your first payout. Approval is not guaranteed and depends on the specific country pair plus current sanctions posture.

Why is Tunisia on the YRM Prop restricted list?

Tunisia is a recent addition that wasn't on PTV's earlier list. The most likely driver is its current FATF status and broader compliance reviews across North Africa rather than direct OFAC sanctions on the country. YRM's Help Center publishes the list without per-country reasoning, and the firm has discretion to add jurisdictions where its banking, payout, or compliance partners (notably Rise Works) decline to onboard users. If you're a Tunisian resident, the case-by-case email path is your only route.

Does YRM Prop accept traders from Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk?

These regions aren't named explicitly on YRM's published 19-country list, but they're heavily sanctioned by OFAC, the EU, and the UK, and Rise Works typically declines to onboard users from these regions independently. In practice you can expect the application or KYC step to fail even if the public list doesn't call out the region by name. The restricted list is not a ceiling on what compliance will block; it's a floor.

Can I use a VPN to sign up from a restricted country?

Technically you can complete checkout from a restricted country with a VPN, but it's a setup designed to fail. KYC is mandatory before your first payout and runs through Rise Works, which verifies government-issued ID and proof of address. A passport or ID showing a restricted-country citizenship without a verified address in an eligible country is grounds for rejection. The result: account closure plus profit forfeit. See the VPN policy article for the full mechanics.

What documents will YRM and Rise Works ask for at KYC?

At minimum, government-issued photo ID (passport or national ID), proof of address dated within roughly the last three months (utility bill, bank statement, or government correspondence), and a selfie or liveness check. Rise Works runs the verification end-to-end. If your address documents come from a restricted country, KYC fails and the account closes regardless of how well the evaluation went. This is the practical enforcement layer behind the published country list.

How does YRM Prop's restricted list compare to other prop firms?

Restriction lists vary widely across firms. AlphaFutures runs roughly 70 restricted countries, which includes many in Africa and parts of Asia that YRM accepts. Topstep, Apex, and FundedNext each maintain their own lists with different coverage. YRM's 19-country list is on the shorter end of the futures-prop spectrum, which makes it accessible to a wider international audience than many competitors. The trade-off is that YRM relies on Rise Works compliance to do the harder filtering at payout time.

Does dual citizenship help if one of my passports is from a restricted country?

It can, but the answer is case-by-case. The relevant question for YRM and Rise Works is which document you present and where you reside. If you hold a passport from an eligible country and your address documents support that country of residence, you'll typically clear KYC. If your only verifiable address is in a restricted country, the eligible passport on its own won't override the geographic block. Email support before you purchase if your situation is non-trivial.

What happens if YRM adds my country to the restricted list after I've signed up?

The Help Center doesn't publish a blanket grandfathering policy for newly restricted jurisdictions. In practice, accounts already in good standing are generally allowed to complete their cycle, but new account purchases from the newly restricted country are blocked. If you're sitting on a payout when a change lands, expect Rise Works KYC to apply current rules at the moment of verification. Email support@yrmprop.com immediately if a change directly affects your status.

Are EU traders covered without restrictions?

All 27 EU member states plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway, and the broader EEA are accepted at YRM Prop. None appear on the restricted list. The relevant compliance overlays are GDPR for data handling and EU sanctions which Rise Works reflects automatically. Traders in EU countries that border or have dual-citizenship ties to restricted jurisdictions occasionally see additional KYC steps; these are normal and not a back-door rejection.

Can I move countries mid-cycle and keep my YRM Prop account?

Yes, if you're moving from one eligible country to another. Notify support@yrmprop.com when your address changes so Rise Works can update your KYC profile before your next payout. Moving from an eligible country into a restricted country puts your account at risk; YRM and Rise Works can pause or close the account when verified address data shifts into a sanctioned jurisdiction. Don't try to hide a country change — KYC catches it eventually.