Why Did My Forex Broker Reject My Withdrawal?

A rejection is different from a delay. The broker has looked at the request and declined it, which means there is a reason and a fix. Most rejections come from one of a short list of causes, and the broker's message usually hints at which one. This guide covers each, in the order they most commonly occur.

1. Identity verification is incomplete

This is the most frequent cause. If your proof of identity, proof of address, or proof of payment method has not been fully approved, the broker cannot legally pay you out. Check the verification or documents section of your account for anything marked pending, rejected, or expired. A proof-of-address document usually has to be under three months old and show your name and address clearly. Re-upload anything that was rejected, in good light, with all four corners visible.

2. Withdrawing to the wrong method

Brokers generally have to return funds the way they came, up to the amount you deposited, before paying profit anywhere else. If you deposited USD 500 by card and request USD 800 to a bank account, the broker will often reject the whole request and ask you to withdraw USD 500 to the card first, then USD 300 to the bank. Split the request to match the return-to-source rule.

3. An open bonus condition

If you accepted a deposit bonus, the funds, and sometimes your own deposit, may be locked until you trade a required volume. The withdrawal is rejected because releasing it would break the bonus terms. Read the promotion's terms: you can usually either meet the volume requirement or forfeit the bonus and its profit to unlock your original balance.

4. Not enough free margin

You can only withdraw your free margin, which is your equity minus the margin currently held by open positions. If you have open trades using most of your balance as margin, a withdrawal that would drop your free margin too low is rejected, because it would risk an immediate margin call. Close or reduce positions first, or withdraw a smaller amount.

5. An account restriction or compliance review

Sometimes the account itself is flagged: a compliance review, a payment dispute, a jurisdiction change, or suspected use of a prohibited strategy such as arbitrage against the broker's feed. The withdrawal is rejected while the restriction is in place. Ask support, in writing, exactly what is restricted, why, and what you need to provide to clear it. The account restriction guide covers this.

Diego's withdrawal was rejected with a vague "terms not met" message. A check of his account showed a deposit bonus still active, with a trading-volume requirement he had not read. He then forfeited it, which removed the bonus credit and its profit but unlocked his own deposit and trading gains, and the next withdrawal went through. His takeaway was to never accept a bonus without reading exactly what it locks.

What to do next

1. Read the rejection message carefully; it usually names the cause.
2. Check your account for pending documents, active bonuses, open positions and free margin.
3. Fix the specific issue, then resubmit the withdrawal.
4. If the cause is not visible, contact support in writing and ask for the exact reason and the exact remedy.
5. Keep screenshots of the request, the rejection and every reply.

A rejection is more useful than a silent delay, because it means someone looked at it and there is a defined reason. Nine times out of ten it is verification, return-to-source, a bonus lock, or free margin, all of which you can fix yourself in a few minutes. The tenth case is an account flag, and for that you need a clear written explanation from the broker, not a canned reply.

Frequently asked

Related reading

• Why Is My Forex Withdrawal Pending?
• Why Is My Forex Account Blocked or Restricted?
• Why Is My Forex Margin Level Falling?