# As an European citizen living temporary in the USA on a VISA (US Person), choose Vanguard or Schwab?

**URL:** <https://community.brokerchooser.com/t/as-an-european-citizen-living-temporary-in-the-usa-on-a-visa-us-person-choose-vanguard-or-schwab/419>\
**Category:** Broker FAQ 📈\
**Tags:** deposit-withdrawal, charles-schwab\
**Created:** [February 19, 2024, 7:15am UTC](https://community.brokerchooser.com/t/as-an-european-citizen-living-temporary-in-the-usa-on-a-visa-us-person-choose-vanguard-or-schwab/419 "2024-02-19T07:15:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KeySevenYearHelicopter9259](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8baadc/32.png) [@KeySevenYearHelicopter9259](https://community.brokerchooser.com/u/KeySevenYearHelicopter9259)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 7:15am UTC](https://community.brokerchooser.com/t/as-an-european-citizen-living-temporary-in-the-usa-on-a-visa-us-person-choose-vanguard-or-schwab/419/1 "2024-02-19T07:15:39Z")

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Hello,

I understand that as long as I live in the US, I’m able to deposit and withdraw money to the account, regardless Vanguard or Schwab.

Now I target the following scenario.  
The first year or two, (or maybe more), I want to build an ETF portfolio. Then I move back to Europe, and I want to withdraw the dividends and occasionally sell some of the assets. So I will no longer hold a valid VISA, nor a Social Security number, and live in Europe, while still keeping the US-based brokerage account open. And then every now and then transfer money to my European account (in EUR).

Which is best? Schwab or Vanguard?

Note: I have no 401k, nor do I have an IRA account.

Thanks,  
K.

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**Author:** ![nadam](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.brokerchooser.com/nadam/32/4_2.png) [@nadam](https://community.brokerchooser.com/u/nadam)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 5:21am UTC](https://community.brokerchooser.com/t/as-an-european-citizen-living-temporary-in-the-usa-on-a-visa-us-person-choose-vanguard-or-schwab/419/2 "2024-02-21T05:21:47Z")

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Hey K,

thank you for your message. Due to tax reasons (FATCA), US expats have difficulties using brokers if they’re not in the US. That’s why I always recommend using a broker that is available in both the US and the country of residency (in your case, this will be an EU country later).

Because of this reason, Schwab seems a better option as it also accepts more non-US clients if you have a minimal account size ($25k+). If you click on “Open an account”, and select the preferred EU country, you can check if that’s available at Schwab: [https://international.schwab.com/](https://international.schwab.com/)

In addition, Interactive Brokers ([https://brokerchooser.com/broker-reviews/interactive-brokers-review](https://brokerchooser.com/broker-reviews/interactive-brokers-review)) is a great option as it’s available in many countries globally.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Best,  
Adam