Is SCHD available in Europe & UK? Alternative ETFs (UCITS)

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is one of the most popular dividend ETFs in the US. It tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, around 100 US companies with high dividend yields and a record of consistent dividend payments, and charges just 0.06% a year.

However, because of regulatory restrictions, SCHD isn’t available to retail investors in Europe and the UK.

In this article, we explain why, what workarounds exist, which alternative ETFs European and UK investors can buy, and how to invest in them.

Why is SCHD not available in Europe & UK?

SCHD is a US-domiciled ETF, and in the European Union it falls under the Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs) regulation.

This regulation requires that investment products sold to retail investors in the EU come with a Key Information Document (KID), which sets out the product’s features, risks and costs in a standard format, so investors can compare products easily.

US-domiciled ETFs like SCHD don’t produce KIDs, because US rules don’t require them. As a result, they can’t be sold to ordinary retail investors on European platforms such as eToro, DEGIRO, Interactive Brokers, Trading 212, Freedom24 and Trade Republic.

In the UK, the PRIIPs rules were replaced on 6 April 2026 by the new Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) regime, with a transition period until June 2027. Instead of a KID, products now need a CCI “product summary”, and platforms can’t sell a product to retail investors without one. So, unless Schwab produces a UK product summary, SCHD remains out of reach for UK retail investors for now.

In some cases, investors classified as professional clients can buy US ETFs, but most retail investors don’t meet the requirements. SCHD is also quoted in US dollars, so buying it would involve currency conversion for most European and UK investors.

Is there any workaround to invest in SCHD?

The only direct way for most European and UK investors to get exposure to SCHD is through contracts for difference (CFDs), on platforms like eToro. A CFD lets you speculate on SCHD’s price movements without owning the ETF. This approach carries significant risks, especially if you use leverage, and most retail CFD accounts lose money.

What are CFDs?

CFDs are financial instruments that let traders take positions on the price changes of an underlying asset, such as SCHD, without owning it. That’s very different from investing, where you own the asset. To learn more, read our article CFDs vs shares: understand the differences.

As far as we know, there is no UCITS ETF in Europe or the UK that tracks the exact index behind SCHD (the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index). The other option, and the one we prefer for long-term investors, is to buy a UCITS ETF that tracks a similar dividend strategy.

How to buy the SCHD CFD on eToro

If you are a European or UK investor and want to trade the SCHD CFD on eToro, follow these steps:

a) Search for SCHD:

• In the eToro search bar, type “SCHD” or “Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF”;
• Select the SCHD instrument from the search results.

b) Open a trade:

• Click the “Trade” button on the SCHD page to open the order window.

c) Set your trade parameters:

• Amount or units: enter the amount of money you want to invest or the number of units;
• Leverage: keep it at x1 to avoid magnifying losses. Leverage amplifies both gains and losses;
• Stop loss and take profit: optional orders to manage your risk. A stop loss closes your trade if the price drops to a set level, while a take profit closes it when the price reaches your target. They are not always guaranteed.

d) Execute the trade:

• Review your order details carefully;
• Click “Open Trade” to place your order.

Best SCHD alternatives for European and UK investors

If you want exposure to dividend stocks without the risks of CFDs, UCITS ETFs are the way to go. They are regulated funds available to retail investors across Europe and the UK, and several of them follow strategies similar to SCHD’s.

The table below shows some of the most popular options. All of them distribute dividends, and the same ETF is usually available in euros on European exchanges and in pounds on the London Stock Exchange, under different tickers:

Keep in mind that none of these ETFs is an exact copy of SCHD:

• VHYL is the largest dividend ETF in Europe, but it invests in high-dividend companies from around the world (over 2,300 stocks), not just the US. It is a good choice if you want a global dividend portfolio;
• SPYD / USDV is the closest in spirit for US exposure. It holds US companies with high dividend yields that have increased their dividends for at least 20 consecutive years;
• FUSD / FUSI and QDVD / HDIQ combine US dividend stocks with quality filters, which is similar to SCHD’s focus on financially strong companies;
• TDIV / TDGB selects dividend leaders from developed markets worldwide.

If you want the closest US-focused alternative to SCHD, SPYD (in euros) or USDV (in pounds) is usually the first ETF to consider. You can compare all the options on justETF.com.

How to buy the SCHD UK alternative (USDV) on Trading 212

If you’re looking for a US-focused alternative to SCHD in pounds, the SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (USDV) is a popular option and one of the largest US dividend ETFs available in the UK.

Investors in other European countries can follow the same steps, using the euro ticker (SPYD) instead.

Here’s how to buy USDV on Trading 212 in the UK:

a) Search for USDV and select it:

• In the Trading 212 app, type “USDV” in the search bar;
• Select the SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF from the results.

b) Review the ETF details:

• Instrument details (ticker, ISIN, currency);
• Dividend details (ex-dividend date, dividend per share, payment date).

c) Open a trade:

• Click “Buy” on the USDV page to open the order window.

d) Set your order:

• Enter the number of shares you want to buy, or the amount of money you want to invest. You can also choose between market, limit and stop orders.

Note: if you invest less than the price of one share (£55.78 in the example above), you will buy a fractional share. Fractional shares can’t be transferred to another broker, so if you ever want to move your portfolio, you would have to sell them first. You can find more information on the Trading 212 website.

e) Execute the trade:

• Review your order details and click “Send buy order”.

By following these steps, you can invest in the SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (USDV) on Trading 212, getting exposure to the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index within a regulated framework suitable for UK investors.

What to look for in an ETF (in GBP and EUR)?

When evaluating an ETF, consider several factors to make sure it fits your goals and strategy:

a) Fees

ETF providers charge an annual fee, usually shown as the ongoing charges figure (OCF) or total expense ratio (TER).

For example, the SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (USDV) factsheet shows a TER of 0.35%:

b) Replication method

ETFs can replicate their index in two ways:

• Physical replication: the ETF holds the actual shares in the index, which gives direct exposure and avoids the complexity of derivatives;
• Synthetic replication: the ETF uses derivatives, usually a swap with a bank, to deliver the index return. This can be cheaper, but it adds counterparty risk.

The SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (USDV) uses physical replication, holding the actual stocks of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index:

c) Use of income

ETFs handle the dividends from their holdings in different ways:

• Accumulating ETFs reinvest the dividends inside the fund, which can boost returns through compounding;
• Distributing ETFs pay out the dividends to you regularly, which gives you a regular income but may be less tax-efficient in some countries.

The best choice depends on your goals. If you want long-term growth, an accumulating ETF may suit you better. If you want regular income, like most SCHD investors, a distributing ETF is the natural choice.

The SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (USDV) is a distributing ETF that pays dividends quarterly:

d) Size

Larger ETFs usually have tighter spreads and a lower risk of being closed down. USDV had over €3 billion in assets in August 2026. The factsheet shows the fund’s net asset value:

e) Currency

ETFs can be listed in different currencies, such as USD, EUR or GBP. This affects your investment in a few ways:

• Currency risk: the listing currency doesn’t remove currency risk. USDV holds US stocks, so its value in pounds or euros still moves with the dollar, whatever currency you buy it in;
• Transaction costs: buying a listing in a currency different from your account currency may involve conversion fees;
• Convenience: buying the listing in your own currency (EUR for European investors, GBP for UK investors) makes things simpler and avoids repeated conversions.

f) Currency hedging

Some ETFs offer hedged share classes that reduce the impact of movements between the euro or pound and the US dollar. Hedging can reduce short-term swings, but it has a cost and can reduce long-term returns if the dollar strengthens.

Looking to backtest your ETF portfolios?

If you are an EU investor looking to backtest your ETF portfolios, check out our Portfolio Analyser. It lets you analyse your portfolios with charts and metrics, so you can compare and evaluate EU-domiciled ETFs.

Bottom line

SCHD isn’t available to retail investors in Europe and the UK: EU rules require a KID it doesn’t have, and the UK’s new CCI regime still requires a product summary. However, several UCITS ETFs offer similar exposure to dividend-paying companies.

These UCITS funds follow European rules on transparency and investor protection. By comparing their fees, replication method, income policy, currency and size, you can choose the one that best fits your goals. Remember that most of them follow a different strategy from SCHD, and some, like VHYL, are global rather than US-only.

For European investors, SPYD (US dividends) and VHYL (global dividends) are two of the most popular options. UK investors can buy the same ETFs as USDV and VHYL.

Platforms such as Interactive Brokers, DEGIRO, Trading 212, Freedom24 and Trade Republic offer access to these ETFs.

We hope this article answered your questions about SCHD in Europe and the UK. Best of luck with your investments!

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