ActBlue, the leading fundraising platform for Democratic candidates and mission-aligned causes, is updating its passport verification tools, allowing U.S. citizens living outside the country to once again make political contributions through the platform. The update reflects ActBlue’s broader commitment to removing unnecessary barriers to civic participation. As Americans prepare to make their voices heard this fall, ActBlue is implementing a secure, workable solution that protects election integrity while ensuring eligible U.S. citizens living abroad can fully participate in our democracy.
Millions of U.S. citizens live abroad at any given time, including military service members, Foreign Service officers, students, and private citizens. All of them retain the right under federal law to contribute to U.S. political campaigns. When ActBlue suspended overseas contributions in 2025, those citizens lost access to the platform they relied on to support candidates and causes they believe in.
This passport verification update restores what’s become a fundamental tool for donors while continuing to screen out non-citizen donations from abroad. ActBlue’s products and policies continuously evolve over time to meet the needs of the movement, apply best practices, and remain compliant with laws and regulations. This update is part of that commitment.
How the New Verification Tool Works
When a donor selects a non-U.S. location in their Express account, ActBlue’s updated system prompts them to submit a photo of their U.S. passport and a contemporaneous headshot for verification through Stripe Identity, the platform powering this tool. The system then reviews the passport for authenticity and that it matches the person making the contribution.
This update builds on the security infrastructure ActBlue already has in place, which includes:
- Level 1 PCI DSS certification — the highest payment security standard available for merchants — to protect donor data;
- Industry-standard fraud detection software that evaluates more than 140 signals per transaction, including card type, issuer country, and address history;
- Address Verification Service (AVS) cross-checks that match cardholder addresses against bank records;
- CVV requirements on all credit card donations, in place since 2024; and
- Manual reviews of any transaction flagged by automated systems.
The Need for This Update
Federal law permits U.S. citizens living overseas to contribute to political campaigns and causes. In 2025, amid unprecedented attacks on ActBlue from President Trump and his allies, our organization took the proactive step of temporarily suspending all contributions from outside the United States. Over the past several months, ActBlue’s team worked with a respected third party to conduct the first forensic review of ActBlue’s contribution data and compliance records, which verified that ActBlue accurately described to Congress and others its multilayered systems for vetting contributions associated with foreign addresses.
ActBlue has now further enhanced its verification process to allow eligible Americans with a U.S. Passport who are located abroad to participate through the platform while maintaining the robust security and compliance standards that donors, campaigns, and the public expect. As leaders in the industry, ActBlue is continuously optimizing our offerings in order to remain best in class.
For more than two decades, ActBlue has been a trusted, secure and vital part of American democracy, providing Democratic campaigns, organizations, and donors with a full suite of tools to participate and win at every level of the ballot. To learn more about ActBlue, visit www.actblue.com
Never miss a blog post!
Get updates on what’s happening at ActBlue, straight from the source
Built for you. Built to win.
- Fundraising
- Field Tools
- Website Builder
