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Changing your App Store country after moving abroad

APPLE ACCOUNTLast Cent editorial teamUpdated August 30, 2026

Moving abroad is the most common reason people need a different App Store region — and usually not because they want to, but because the apps that run daily life in the new country are only published there. Here is how to decide, and how to get through the switch cleanly.

What actually forces the switch

Most content is available everywhere. What is not, and what pushes people into a region change within weeks of arriving:

  • Banking. Local bank apps are almost always restricted to the local storefront, and many are unavoidable — no app, no card management, no transfers, sometimes no login confirmation.
  • Government and identity apps. Tax, residence permit, health and ID apps are published in one country's store only.
  • Transit and parking. City transport, ticketing and parking apps are regional by nature.
  • Mobile operators. The self-service app for your new SIM is usually local-only.
  • Delivery, groceries, taxis. The services people use every day are region-locked more often than not.
  • Payment methods. Your new local card may not be accepted by the old storefront, and subscriptions billed in the old currency become a foreign-exchange cost every month.

If none of those apply — say you have moved somewhere your existing cards and apps still work — you may not need to switch at all. The change is not free, as the next section explains.

What you give up

  • Apps not published in the new store keep working if already installed, but cannot be re-downloaded or updated there. Note the ones you care about before you move.
  • Media libraries can shrink: films, TV and books that are not licensed locally drop out.
  • Subscriptions do not migrate. You cancel and resubscribe at local prices, and any annual plan you have already paid for is lost value.
  • Store credit does not travel. This is the blocker most people hit, and the reason this page exists.
  • Family Sharing requires everyone in the same region, so a solo move can break a family group.
A common alternative: keep the old Apple Account for media and purchases, and create a second Apple Account for the new country, signing into it only in Settings → Media & Purchases. You get local apps without losing your library. The cost is friction: two accounts, two sets of subscriptions, and no shared purchase history.

The order to do it in

1
List the apps you cannot loseAnything not on the new storefront should be installed and up to date before you switch.
2
Cancel subscriptions and let them lapseCancelling stops the renewal but the subscription typically runs to the end of the paid period, and the region stays locked until then. Include iCloud+ — and free up space or move your backups first.
3
Close out anything pendingPre-orders, in-flight refund requests, film rentals, and Apple Cash if you are leaving the US store.
4
Get the balance to exactly 0.00Apple will not switch storefronts while any credit remains — not even a cent. This is where most people stall, because leftovers rarely match a purchase price.
5
Switch, with a local addressSettings → your name → Media & Purchases → View Account → Country/Region. Accept the new terms and choose None as the payment method if you do not have a local card yet — the option appears when the account has no balance, no debts and no active subscriptions.

Stuck on step 4? Last Cent works out the exact purchases that bring your remaining credit to 0.00, sales tax included.

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If the switch is still refused

Apple does not say which condition failed, so work through them in order — every reason a country change gets blocked covers the checks one by one. If the balance is the last thing standing, this guide takes it from an awkward leftover to zero.

Moving to or from the United States

Two specifics worth knowing. Leaving the US store means closing Apple Cash and transferring its balance out first. And arriving in the US store means App Store prices are shown before sales tax from then on, so the amount charged is higher than the price tag and depends on your address — which is also why US balances so often end on a stray cent. How that works.

FAQ

Do I have to change my App Store country when I move?
Only if you need apps that are published just in the new storefront — banking, government, transit and local services are the usual triggers. If your existing apps and payment methods still work, staying put is a valid choice.
Can I keep two Apple Accounts, one per country?
Yes, and many people do. Sign in with the local account under Settings → Media & Purchases while keeping your main account for iCloud. The trade-off is two purchase histories and two sets of subscriptions.
Will I lose apps I already paid for?
They stay in your purchase history and keep working if installed, but apps that are not published in the new storefront cannot be re-downloaded or updated there.
How often can I change country?
There is no published limit, but each change requires meeting the same conditions again — balance at zero, no active subscriptions, no pending purchases — so it is not something to do casually.
Can I change country without a local payment card?
Usually yes. Apple offers None as a payment method when the account has no balance, no unpaid items and no active subscriptions. If None is missing, one of those is still outstanding.
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