Your platform partners with Stripe for secure payments. Stripe has certain restrictions for the type of businesses it can support.

In certain cases, businesses listed below may be eligible for processing with explicit prior approval from Stripe. Note, however, that businesses that offer illegal products or services are never eligible to use Stripe. The types of businesses listed in Stripe’s Restricted Business List are representative, but not exhaustive. If you are uncertain as to whether your business is a Restricted Business, or have questions about how these requirements apply to you, please contact us.

This FAQ should help you understand whether Stripe can support your business. However, Stripe independently reviews every account and any relevant information upon account activation, and this review ultimately determines whether or not a business is supportable.

My business is legal, why does Stripe not support it?

Your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons, including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, certain industries are not permitted. You can find more information in Stripe’s Restricted Business List.

If I remove any prohibited items, can Stripe support my business?

Broadly speaking, yes. If your account has already been rejected, please send a link to the page showing that they have been removed. You can do this by replying to the last email from Stripe regarding your prohibited items, or by contacting support.

Telemedicine Businesses

Does my telemedicine business require LegitScript certification to use Stripe?

Telemedicine businesses do not need certification from Legitscript. However, certain licensing and regulatory items must be provided to Stripe for verification as part of the onboarding process. If this information is required, you will receive an email from Stripe concerning this.

How do I know if my services are considered ‘telemedicine’ offerings?

Stripe defines telemedicine as synchronous and asynchronous patient communication that involves diagnosis or treatment conducted via phone, text, email, or video consultations. Education or wellness resources regarding physical and mental health are not categorized as telemedicine.

Will my business be approved to process payments for telemedicine?

Stripe reviews each business on a case-by-case basis. As no two business models are the same, additional context is needed to determine if your business will be approved . Telemedicine businesses will typically need to provide items such as license numbers and information on your processes. Once your business has been found to be processing for telemedicine, all appropriate information will be requested. Following receipt of this information, it will then be possible to determine if your business is approved to process payments for telemedicine.

Pharmaceutical Businesses

How do I know if my business is considered a pharmacy?

A merchant is an internet pharmacy if it sells, dispenses or markets, or facilitates the selling, dispensing or marketing of, a prescription or pharmacy-only medicine in response to orders placed over the internet.

Can my business process payments for pharmaceuticals via Stripe?

In general, no—payments for prescription medication will need to occur outside of Stripe. This is a highly-regulated industry and Stripe must abide by the card network policies in place regarding pharmaceutical merchants.

Gambling Businesses

Internet gambling is legal in my region, so why was my application rejected?

Your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, certain industries are currently unsupported. You can see Stripe’s Restricted Business List for more details.

My account was closed due to a gambling violation, but I don’t offer these services.

While ‘gambling’ is typically associated with casinos, Stripe’s policy on gambling includes several businesses that offer similar services. For example, this can include games of skill (or chance) with cash prizes, sweepstakes, pay-in auctions, office pools, charity raffles, etc.

Marijuana Businesses

Marijuana is legal where I am selling it, why can’t I use Stripe?

While it may be legal in certain jurisdictions, the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana remains prohibited in many countries. Your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, certain industries are currently unsupported.

My product is a hemp-based topical product, ointment, or lotion with CBD in it. Does it still fall under the marijuana policy?

Stripe’s restrictions currently include any products with CBD or THC in them, such as CBD-containing oil or tincture, topical cannabis-based products, or services (like massages) that include cannabis-based products. While legislation in certain regions has lowered some of the restrictions around the sale of hemp-based products containing CBD, Stripe is currently unable to support the sale of these products.

I sell other products in addition to the ones that have CBD in them. Can I continue processing for non-CBD products?

Yes. Once you've removed all unsupportable items, please let us know so we can take a second look at your account. You can do this by either replying to the last email from Stripe regarding the supportability of your business, or by contacting support.

Adult Content

Adult content is legal where I am selling it, why can’t I use Stripe?

Your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, businesses that sell or offer adult content or services are currently unsupported.

How do I know if my business is offering adult content or services?

Please see Stripe’s Restricted Businesses list for more details. Generally, adult content or services includes any business that offers or sells pornography and other sexually explicit materials (including literature, imagery and other media) depicting nudity or explicitly sexual acts; sites offering any sexually-related services such as prostitution, escorts, pay-per view, adult live chat features; sexually oriented items (e.g., adult toys); adult video stores and sexually oriented massage parlors; gentleman's clubs, topless bars, and strip clubs; or any sexually oriented dating services, among others.

Travel Businesses

As described in the Restricted Businesses list, Stripe and/or their financial partners deem the following travel industries high risk and, therefore, they are unsupported: travel reservation services and clubs; airlines; cruises; timeshares.

Vapes and E-Cigarettes

As described in their Restricted Businesses list, Stripe does not currently support the sale of regulated or age-restricted items, including tobacco, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid.

Financial Services

As described in the Restricted Businesses list, Stripe is not able to support many financial services businesses, including investment and credit services, money transmission, bill pay or crowdfunding services, digital wallets, or cryptocurrency-related business (crypto mining equipment, initial coin offerings, or purchase and sales of cryptocurrencies), among others.