What the billing country is #
The billing country is the country of the address linked to the customer’s payment method, usually the address on their card or bank account. In WooCommerce it is the Country / Region field in the billing section of checkout. It can differ from the shipping country, which is where the order is delivered. WooCommerce uses the billing country for address formatting, and it can use it for tax and for choosing which payment methods to show.
Billing country vs shipping country #
| Billing country | Shipping country | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Country of the address tied to the payment method | Country the order is delivered to |
| Where it appears | Billing details at checkout, always shown | Shipping details, shown when the customer ticks Ship to a different address? |
| Used for tax | When Calculate tax based on is set to Customer billing address | When it is set to Customer shipping address (the WooCommerce default) |
| Used for shipping rates | Only when no separate shipping address is entered | Yes, it decides the shipping zone |
The tax setting lives in WooCommerce > Settings > Tax, under Calculate tax based on.
How to set the default country at checkout #
WooCommerce pre-fills the billing country from a setting, not from a field editor. You do not need a plugin for this.
- Go to WooCommerce > Settings > General.
- Find Default customer location.
- Pick one of the options below, then click Save changes.
| Option | What the customer sees in the country field |
|---|---|
| No location by default | Empty; the customer must choose a country. |
| Shop country/region | Your store’s base country, from Store Address on the same page. |
| Geolocate | The country WooCommerce detects from the visitor’s IP address. |
| Geolocate (with page caching support) | The same, adjusted to work with full-page caching. |
Returning customers who are logged in see the billing country saved in their account instead.
Force a specific default country with code #
If you want a fixed default that is not your shop country, the classic (shortcode) checkout has a filter for it. Add this with a snippet plugin such as Code Snippets, not by editing your theme. It only fills the field when it is empty, so saved and geolocated countries are kept. Replace US with the two-letter code you need.
add_filter( 'default_checkout_billing_country', function ( $country ) {
return $country ? $country : 'US';
} );Note: if your checkout page uses the Checkout block, test this first. The block builds its form differently and takes its default from the Default customer location setting.
How to limit which billing countries customers can choose #
- Go to WooCommerce > Settings > General.
- Set Selling location(s) to Sell to specific countries (or Sell to all countries, except for…).
- Choose the countries, then click Save changes.
The billing country dropdown then lists only those countries. If you allow a single country, WooCommerce shows it as fixed text instead of a dropdown.
Where WPFactory plugins use the billing country #
- Payment Methods by Product & Country can show or hide payment gateways based on the billing country the customer enters (Pro).
- EU/UK VAT Manager can check that a VAT number’s country code matches the billing country, with the free option Check for matching billing country code.
Adding another country field to checkout #
The billing country field is part of WooCommerce core. If you need a second country, for example country of residence or country of origin for customs, WooCommerce Additional Checkout Fields Customizer can add it as a new field without touching the core one.
- Go to WPFactory > Custom Checkout Fields (also reachable at WooCommerce > Settings > Custom Checkout Fields).
- Open the Field #1 tab and tick Enable/disable field.
- Set Type to Country and enter a Label, such as “Country of residence”.
- Choose the section the field appears in: Billing, Shipping, Account or Order notes.
- Click Save changes.
The free version gives you one custom field of any type. See How to Add a Custom Field to WooCommerce Checkout for every option, and the Checkout Field Types Reference for the other 18 field types.
Frequently asked questions #
Is the billing country the same as the country I live in? #
Usually, but not always. It is the country on the address your bank or card provider has for you, which is normally your home address.
Why does checkout show the wrong country? #
Check Default customer location first. With a geolocation option, a VPN or a server-side proxy can make WooCommerce detect a different country. Logged-in customers see the country saved in their account.
Can I remove the billing country field? #
WooCommerce has no setting for it, and it relies on the field for address formatting and, depending on your tax settings, tax. If you sell to one country only, set Selling location(s) to that country so the field shows as fixed text.
Get more control #
Adding one custom field is free. WooCommerce Additional Checkout Fields Customizer Pro raises the limit to 100 fields, each with the same options. See what Pro unlocks.
Need a hand? Our team answers every ticket on the Additional Checkout Fields Customizer support forum.
