Change country eShop of Nintendo makes the account has access to exclusive content from another region or that you can buy a set for a cheaper price than at home. The process of changing region is simple, however it is important to pay attention to a few points before leaving the country of account.
Restrictions Before Changing eShop Country
Nintendo does not prevent users from changing their eShop account country, nor does it block them (at least not yet). However, there are some requirements to be met before starting the procedure.
- You need to spend your entire eShop account balance: If there is any credit (even pennies) in the Nintendo store, this amount will need to be spent before the change. Nintendo does not convert the remaining amounts as a credit to another store.
- You may need to cancel Nintendo Switch Online automatic renewal: Due to currency change, you may need to unsubscribe from Nintendo Services to make the change if you have one.
How to Change the Switch eShop Region
- Visit accounts.nintendo.com;
- Log in with your Nintendo account;
- In the User Information section, click Edit;
- Select the new country to change the account;
- Click on save;
- Click on “I agree”.
Important:
The gold coins you earn when purchasing games in eShop will be restricted to the country in which they were purchased. They will not be lost, but do not change countries as the account.
After that, you will need to log in with the Nintendo Switch account again. When you try to access the eShop store, the console will ask you to retype the password for the account that just changed the region.
The next steps will follow the natural process of buying the game from Nintendo eShop, with prices for the currency of the chosen country or region.
It is recommended to use an international credit card or PayPal account to make the payment. Not using gift cards saves you money on your account and you cannot change location until this credit is spent again.
After purchase, the Switch will download the game normally.
Why change the region and not create another account?
Changing the eShop account region allows the same account to have access to different catalogs within the Nintendo store, as well as cheaper games.
Another solution is to create accounts in different countries, but the problem is:
- The game catalog will be fragmented: The titles will be scattered across the various accounts;
- You will need to manage multiple accounts: To create other Nintendo accounts you need to have other email addresses (or aliases) and set a password for each account;
- If you wish to play online, Nintendo Switch Online will be restricted to the account you have signed up with, so you must contract the service twice for accounts with other games.
So far, Nintendo has not made any rules to limit or hinder region changes, nor has it said that it would suspend accounts that abuse this feature to buy cheaper titles.