How to Start With Apex Trader Funding: Eligible Countries, KYC and PA Activation After You Pass

How do you start with Apex Trader Funding? The 4 steps

Starting with Apex Trader Funding has 4 stages. You create an account and complete identity verification, buy an Evaluation, reach the profit target within 30 calendar days, and once you pass, activate a sim funded account (Performance Account, PA) within 7 calendar days. Payouts are requested from this PA.

Apex replaced its products on 2026-03-01. This page follows the current new products (Intraday Trail and EOD Trail). Legacy, which is being resold for a limited time, is billed monthly and differs in some steps, so it is noted separately where relevant.

3 things cannot be undone later. The platform cannot be changed after purchase. No fees you pay are refunded. The evaluation expires 30 calendar days after purchase and cannot be extended.

The sections below cover what to check before you start, registration, accepted ID documents, the 30-day period and what to do after you pass.

Which countries are allowed at Apex Trader Funding? What to check before you start

At Apex Trader Funding, there are 3 conditions to check before registering: eligible countries, payment methods and where you are located, and how many accounts you can hold. Breaking any of them can lead to account closure or forfeiture of profits.

How eligibility is decided

The Apex Trader Funding restricted countries article (updated 2026-09-10) lists 87 countries and regions where it cannot provide new or additional accounts. The list can change, so check that your country is not on the official restricted countries page before you apply. Not being on the list is not, by itself, a guarantee that you can use the service.

Nationality alone does not decide it. Your valid government-issued ID, primary residence, mailing address and bank account must all be outside restricted countries. The article says that even people originally from a restricted country can take part if all 4 of these are outside restricted countries.

Apex gives sanctions, provider constraints, fraud risk and language or educational support barriers as reasons for the restrictions.

Payment methods from restricted countries and trading while traveling

Using, or trying to use, a card or other payment method issued in a restricted country leads to immediate termination, whether or not it succeeds. While you are in a restricted country, you cannot buy, request payouts or trade.

Masking your identity or location with a VPN, proxy or cloud server is also a prohibited activity. If you plan to travel, check first that your destination is not a restricted country.

Up to 1 individual and 1 business account

You can hold up to 1 individual and 1 business Apex Trader Funding user account. A business must be an entity solely owned by the trader, and documents such as an EIN are required. Accounts over the limit are closed, and profits and affiliate commissions are forfeited. Creating a new account within the same household to get around this limit is also prohibited.

There is no limit on evaluation accounts. PAs are limited to 20 per household in total (Legacy, EOD and Intraday combined).

Source update dates: restricted countries article 2026-09-10, user accounts article 2026-04-16, prohibited activities article 2026-07-31.

How do you sign up for Apex Trader Funding and start trading?

From registration to your first trade at Apex Trader Funding there are 4 steps. Screen details can change, so this section focuses on conditions confirmed in the official help center.

1. Create an account and complete identity verification (KYC)
2. Choose the evaluation type, fee type, size and platform
3. Pay with a Visa, Mastercard or Discover card in your own name
4. Log in to the platform you chose and start trading

Step 1: Create an account and verify your identity

Apex Trader Funding verifies your identity at registration. Accepted documents are listed in the next section. You also decide at this stage whether to register as an individual or a business. An individual account cannot pay to a business account, and the reverse is also not allowed.

The fields on the registration screen and how long verification takes are under review in the primary sources for this page.

Step 2: Choose an evaluation

When you buy an evaluation, you choose 4 things: the type, which sets how the drawdown behaves (Intraday Trail or EOD Trail), the fee type (Standard or No Activation Fee), the account size (25K, 50K, 100K, 150K) and the platform (Rithmic, Tradovate, WealthCharts).

Standard has a lower evaluation fee, and you pay a PA activation fee after passing. No Activation Fee has a higher evaluation fee, but activation is free. There is also a 5-Pack that bundles 5 evaluations of the same size and type, and all 5 accounts share the same 30-day period. PAs cannot be bought in bulk.

Compare prices and total cost for every Apex Trader Funding plan

After purchase, the platform cannot be converted to another platform, and there is no refund if you choose wrong. Decide on your charting software and commissions first, then choose.

See the differences between the 3 Apex Trader Funding platforms

Step 3: Pay

Apex Trader Funding accepts Visa, Mastercard and Discover (credit and debit cards) in your own name. American Express, gift cards and crypto are not accepted.

Prices can change, so check the amount on screen right before you buy.

Step 4: Log in to the platform and set up

After purchase, you trade on the platform you chose. Supported software and connection guides, such as NinjaTrader or TradingView (Tradovate connection), differ by platform. Rithmic does not support Mac, so on a Mac you need a Windows virtual environment.

Level 1 market data is included in the evaluation fee. Additional data such as depth of market (DOM) is at your own cost.

Source update dates: platform article 2026-04-16, refund article 2026-04-15.

What ID does Apex Trader Funding accept for KYC?

Apex Trader Funding identity verification (KYC) is based on a physical government-issued ID. Per the official information checked on 2026-11-04, accepted and rejected documents are as follows.

A driver license or passport, both named as document types, is the most straightforward choice. Whether a specific national ID card is accepted is not stated country by country in official text and is under review.

An ID shown on a smartphone or a photo of a copy cannot be used. Before registering, make sure you have the original on hand and that it has not expired.

Your personal details are also used for payouts

Identity details also matter for receiving payouts. Plane, used by people living outside the US, asks for a government ID number or passport number. Payouts go only to an account in your own name, and you need a bank account in your country of residence.

Source update dates: restricted countries article (including ID documents) 2026-09-10, payout method article (outside the US) 2026-09-03.

How many days do you have to pass Apex Trader Funding? The 30-day evaluation

A new Apex Trader Funding evaluation is a one-time payment and can be used for only 30 calendar days from purchase. It expires at 6:00 PM ET on Day 30, with no extensions or resets.

Apex states official times in US Eastern Time (ET), so convert the expiry to your local time and note it down.

There is no minimum number of trading days, so you can pass in 1 day if you meet the conditions. There is no consistency rule or scaling during the evaluation. If you fail or the deadline passes, you buy another.

Trading day boundaries and no overnight holding

An Apex Trader Funding trading day runs from 6:00 PM ET to 4:59 PM ET the next day. All positions must be closed by 4:59 PM ET, and holding overnight or over the weekend is prohibited.

Agricultural products close earlier: HE, LE and GF at 2:05 PM ET, and ZC, ZW, ZS, ZM and ZL at 2:20 PM ET.

See Apex Trader Funding evaluation rules and how the drawdown works

Legacy is handled separately from the new products. It is billed monthly until you cancel, whether you pass or fail, and evaluations can be reset (reset fee under review). The minimum is 7 trading days (non-consecutive). Check on the purchase screen whether you are buying a new product or Legacy.

Source update dates: trading hours article 2026-04-20, Legacy overview 2026-07-21, Legacy evaluation rules 2026-10-15, Legacy subscription article 2026-10-26.

What do you do after passing Apex Trader Funding? (PA activation)

Apex Trader Funding decides pass or fail on the 4:59:59 PM ET close. After 6:00 PM ET that day, the account status changes to Passed.

If you do not activate the PA within 7 calendar days of Passed, you lose the right to it. The passed evaluation account is locked to prevent further trading, so you cannot keep trading it after passing.

PA activation fee

If you passed a Standard evaluation, a one-time activation fee is charged at activation. Intraday ranges from $89 for 25K to $149 for 150K, and EOD from $109 for 25K to $159 for 150K, with no refunds. It is free on No Activation Fee evaluations.

Compare Apex Trader Funding activation fees and Standard vs. No Activation Fee total cost

After you start trading the PA

The PA is a sim funded account, and payouts are requested from it. A new PA counts the purchase date as Day 1 and needs at least 2 trading days with $50 or more in net profit in the last 30 calendar days. Notices arrive on day 15 and day 20, and the account closes on day 30. A closed PA cannot be restored.

People living outside the US receive payouts through Plane. An invitation email arrives after your first payout is approved, and you need a bank account in your own name in your country of residence.

See Apex Trader Funding payout conditions and how Plane works

Source update dates: the activation deadline and PA inactivity policy articles were checked on 2026-11-04; payout method article (outside the US) 2026-09-03.

How do you contact Apex Trader Funding support?

Apex Trader Funding support works through tickets on the help desk portal (helpdesk.apextraderfunding.com). The previous Zendesk was retired and replaced with the new portal.

Phone and chat channels could not be confirmed in the official help center and are under review. Plan on contacting support in writing through the portal.

Common questions about fees, identity verification, platforms and payouts are covered as articles in the official help center. This page also uses help center articles as its sources.

Source update date: contact article 2026-05-11.

Source: Official site

Apex Trader Funding sign-up change history and items under review

Apex Trader Funding updates its help articles often, and many were updated from 2026-09 to 2026-10. The main change dates are below.

Items under review

• Fields on the registration screen and how long identity verification takes
• Whether specific national ID cards are accepted
• Phone and chat support channels
• Legacy reset fee

The content of this page was checked on the Apex Trader Funding official site and help center on 2026-11-04. Before registering or buying, check the latest official information.

Apex Trader Funding FAQ