On Nimb, anyone anywhere can read the map, market pages and docs. Trading follows Polymarket's location rules: Polymarket lists the United States, the United Kingdom, France and about 35 other countries and regions as close-only (you can close positions but not open new ones), and sanctioned places are blocked completely. Nimb checks Polymarket's geoblock from your browser before every order.
What do "blocked" and "close-only" mean?
Polymarket restricts order placement from some locations because of sanctions and local financial, gambling and prediction-market rules. It sorts them into two groups that matter to you:
- Blocked completely
- No new orders, and existing positions cannot be closed. Applies to sanctioned jurisdictions.
- Close-only
- You can sell or close positions you already hold, but cannot open new ones.
Nimb sends orders to Polymarket, so the same rules apply. Nimb does not decide them and cannot override them. This is not legal advice: whether prediction markets are lawful where you live is a question for local law, which can be stricter than Polymarket's list.
Which countries can't trade on Polymarket?
This is Polymarket's published list as of 2026-11-07. It changes, so check Polymarket's geographic restrictions page for the current version.
| Group | Countries and regions |
|---|---|
| Blocked completely (sanctions) | Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria; the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine |
| Close-only | Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec), Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and its Minor Outlying Islands, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe |
| Close-only on Polymarket's website (not its API) | Ireland, Japan, Malta (sports markets only), Netherlands, South Korea |
Nimb is a website, so it treats the last group as close-only too.
Why is France close-only?
Polymarket lists France among regulatory-restricted jurisdictions, close-only on both its website and its API. It does not publish a reason per country; its stated grounds are local financial regulation, gambling and prediction-market law, and anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer rules. In practice, from France you can close positions you hold but cannot open new ones.
How does Nimb check your location?
- Before any order, your browser calls Polymarket's geoblock endpoint (
polymarket.com/api/geoblock). It answers with your detected country, region and whether you are blocked. - The call runs from your browser, not from Nimb's servers, so it checks your own connection.
- If you are blocked or close-only, Nimb switches off buying and opening orders. In close-only locations, selling existing positions stays available.
- Polymarket also rejects orders from blocked regions on its side, whatever the front-end does.
The geoblock is Polymarket's check of where a request comes from, used to refuse orders from restricted locations. Nimb stores no record of the result.
Can you still read markets on Nimb from a restricted country?
Yes. Reading the market needs no wallet and no check: the map, every market panel, the markets pages, holders, themes and these docs are open everywhere. Market reading is useful on its own, as a running, priced view of what traders expect. Only the order ticket's buy button depends on location. More on what Nimb does is on how Nimb works.
What happens if you travel?
The check uses your location at the time of each order, not your nationality or where you opened the wallet. In a restricted country you cannot open positions, even with a wallet funded elsewhere; in a close-only one you can still sell. Your funds and positions are unaffected: they stay in your wallet on Polygon, and you can trade again once you are in an eligible location. Polymarket's terms may also restrict users by residence, not just location; read them.
What about Polymarket's US product?
Polymarket runs a separate platform for US users, regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and accessed through registered brokers, with its own app, account and identity checks. It is a different product from the international Polymarket that Nimb reads and trades. At the time of writing, Nimb does not support it: from the US, you can read on Nimb but cannot trade.
For a regulated US alternative, see Polymarket vs Kalshi.
Should you use a VPN?
No. Using a VPN or any other tool to get round the location check breaks Polymarket's terms. Do not try it: it puts your account at odds with the terms you agreed to, and Polymarket rejects orders from restricted regions on its side as well. Nimb does not help anyone bypass the check. If you believe you are restricted in error, contact Polymarket support.
Trading prediction markets carries risk; you can lose your whole stake. See the risks of prediction markets, getting started and the FAQ.
Last reviewed 2026-11-07 · Data from Polymarket · Not financial advice · Nimb is not affiliated with Polymarket.