How to create a read-only Trading 212 API key

A key that can read your Trading 212 balances and nothing else: no trading, no transfers, no withdrawals. These are the steps Sovereign shows when you connect Trading 212.

Last updated: 25 September 2026

Open Trading 212 ↗

We checked these steps against Trading 212's own documentation on 25 September 2026. Trading 212 can rename a button at any time. If a label differs, look for the same permission.

Before you start

You need a real-money Invest or Stocks ISA account. CFD, SIPP and demo accounts can't connect.
Do this on the Trading 212 website, not the phone app.
Before you create your first key, Trading 212 shows a risk warning you must read and accept.

Permissions

Turn on only:

Account data
Portfolio

Keep these off:

Orders - Execute
Pies - Write
History (not needed)
Orders - Read (not needed)
Pies - Read (not needed)

Steps

Sovereign connects to Trading 212 from one fixed IP address. The connection form in Sovereign shows it next to these steps, with a copy button.

Sign in at app.trading212.com.
Switch to the real-money Invest or Stocks ISA account you want to connect, not the demo account.
Go to ☰ → “Settings” → “API (Beta)” → “Generate API key”.
In “Name”, type Sovereign.
Under “IP access restrictions”, choose “Restrict access to trusted IPs only (Recommended)” and paste Sovereign's IP address into “Allowed IP's”.
Under “Permissions”, turn on only “Account data” and “Portfolio”. Leave every other switch off.
Click “Generate key”. This also accepts Trading 212's API Terms.
Copy the “API KEY ID” and the “SECRET KEY” right away. The secret key is shown only once.
Paste both into the fields of Sovereign's connection form and press “Connect & Sync”.

Where each value goes in Sovereign:

API KEY ID → API KEY ID
SECRET KEY → SECRET KEY (both halves are needed: Sovereign signs in with the pair)

Does a Trading 212 API key expire?

With an IP restriction: No published expiry rule.
Without an IP restriction: No published expiry rule.

Trading 212 publishes no clear expiry rule. If the key stops working, Sovereign marks the connection as expired and asks for a new key.

Each key covers one account. If you have both an Invest account and a Stocks ISA, create a key in each and add a separate Sovereign connection for each. Sovereign calls three read endpoints and no others — your open positions, your account summary, and on older keys the account's currency and cash — so “Account data” and “Portfolio” are the whole of what it needs; History, Orders and Pies add nothing it reads. Trading 212 allows one request every 5 seconds, counted per ACCOUNT rather than per key or per IP address, so a second key on the same account shares the same budget.

If something goes wrong

If the key is rejected: check you made it in your real-money account, not the demo. Demo keys don't work with Sovereign.
If you lost the secret key: delete that key in Trading 212 and create a new one.
If you replace a key: press Reconnect in Sovereign with the new key first, then delete the old one. Deleting a key stops the sync immediately.

Which permissions does a read-only Trading 212 API key need?

Turn on: Account data; Portfolio. Keep off: Orders - Execute; Pies - Write; History (not needed); Orders - Read (not needed); Pies - Read (not needed).

Can Sovereign trade or withdraw with my Trading 212 key?

No. Sovereign's code does not trade or move funds: it reads balances and positions. A key made with this guide also has no trading, transfer or withdrawal permission, so Trading 212 itself refuses such a request.

Sources

Sovereign tracks Trading 212 next to your other exchanges, brokers, wallets and property, in one net worth. Start free or see how we store keys. Guides for other providers: all read-only API key guides.