Which countries does Ascen support (and which are excluded)?

Last updated: July 23, 2026

Summary: Ascen provides employer-of-record (EOR) employment in the United States and Canada, and supports international independent contractors in most other countries, subject to payout support in the destination country. A small set of countries is excluded entirely for legal, sanctions-related, or payment-infrastructure reasons — workers cannot live or work in those countries on the Ascen platform.

Where we employ workers (EOR)

Ascen acts as the W-2 / T4 employer of record in:

  • United States — all states (state-specific rules like registrations and handbook supplements are handled by Ascen).

  • Canada — with province-specific employment agreements and policies (e.g. Ontario, Quebec).

Where we support independent contractors

For international independent contractors (paid as businesses or individuals, not employed), Ascen supports most countries worldwide. Two things must both be true:

  1. The country is not on the excluded list below.

  2. We can pay out to the country through our supported international transfer network. Coverage is broad (150+ countries), but if a destination isn't supported for payouts, we can't engage a contractor there — ask us to confirm before committing to a placement.

Contractors outside the US complete a W-8BEN (individuals) or W-8BEN-E (entities) before they can be paid.

Excluded countries

Workers on the Ascen platform cannot live in or work from the following countries. This applies at onboarding, to work locations, and to address changes — a move to one of these countries cannot be accepted:

Cuba · Iran · North Korea · Russia · Syria · Myanmar · Haiti · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Chad · Venezuela · Laos · Central African Republic · Gabon · Guinea-Bissau · China · Mozambique · Liberia

These exclusions exist for legal, sanctions-related, and payment-infrastructure reasons. The list can change as regulations and coverage change — if a placement touches a country you're unsure about, check with us first.

What this means in practice

  • Placing a worker: confirm the work location's country is supported before extending an offer.

  • A worker moving abroad: a worker who moves to an excluded country can no longer work on the platform; a worker moving to another supported country may change how they can be engaged (e.g. employment vs. contractor) — talk to us before the move happens.

  • Uncertain cases: contact your Customer Success Manager with the country and the type of engagement (employee vs. contractor) and we'll confirm.

  • Am I a W-2 employee or an Independent Contractor?

  • Why your distribution might be delayed (tax forms & international payouts)