# Business verification requirements for publicly traded companies

Publicly traded companies are required to provide information for both the business entity itself and for the individual opening the Stripe account. Public companies in the US, Canada, and EU/UK are exempt from providing beneficial ownership information.
Private subsidiaries of publicly traded companies with at least 51% of their equity interest held by a publicly traded entity on a US, Canada, EU, UK or [HMRC-recognized stock exchange](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recognised-stock-exchanges-section-1005-income-tax-act-2007/shorter-tables) may also be exempt.
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### Onboarding eligibility for public companies
- Country
- Eligibility
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- United States (US)
- A publicly traded company, or its parent company, must be listed on a major US stock exchange like the [NYSE](https://www.nyse.com/index) or [NASDAQ](https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/screener).
  Listings on over-the-counter (OTC) or gray markets aren't accepted.
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- European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK)
- A publicly traded company must be listed on a stock exchange within the EU, UK, or another exchange officially recognized by the [HMRC](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recognised-stock-exchanges-section-1005-income-tax-act-2007/shorter-tables).
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- Canada (CA)
- A publicly traded company must have a minimum of $75 million in net assets on its most recent audited balance sheet.
  Its shares must be listed on a [Canadian stock exchange](https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/services/designated-stock-exchanges.html) or an exchange in a country that's a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
### How to onboard a publicly traded company
1. [When setting up an account](https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/onboarding/business-structure) for a government entity, select **Other/I’m not sure** as the business structure.
1. In the **Business representative** section, don't provide personal details. Provide dummy data such as “01-01-1910” for DOB or “1111” for the last 4 digits of the SSN.
1. In the **Business owners** **section**, select **Continue with no owners**. All other information must be provided for the company.
Next, [contact Stripe Support](/contact) and provide:
* **Your company’s market ticker** – an abbreviation that denotes your stock on one of the US, Canada, EU, UK, or [HMRC-recognized stock exchanges](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recognised-stock-exchanges-section-1005-income-tax-act-2007/shorter-tables).
  * Examples: New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), American Stock Exchange (NYSE American), NASDAQ, [Canada Designated Stock Exchanges](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recognised-stock-exchanges-section-1005-income-tax-act-2007/shorter-tables)
* **A letter on company letterhead authorizing you to serve as the designated account representative.** The designated account rep must be a person (it cannot be a company). The official letterhead must match the Stripe legal entity name and must include:
  * Date
  * Stripe account name
  * Business address
  * The body of the letter must contain something like the following:
    * **Example:** “To whom it may concern: I, [user employee name, title], authorize account representative [name, title] to manage the Stripe account.
  * Stripe account ID
    * **Example:** acct_123456.
  * Business name(s)
  * Website URL(s)
  * Business tax IDs
  * Account Rep
  * The letter must be signed by the company official (not the account representative).
Once the information is validated, your account’s business type will be updated to publicly traded company and you won't be required to provide beneficial ownership information.
Below is a sample of the letterhead format accepted by Stripe:
### Requirements for a private subsidiary of a publicly traded company
If your company is not publicly traded, but is a subsidiary of a publicly traded parent company that owns at least 51% of the subsidiary, follow the same initial onboarding steps above.
When contacting Stripe Support, you must provide documentation from the parent publicly traded company.
1. The market ticker and exchange name of the parent company. The parent entity must be listed on a recognized US, Canada, EU, or UK stock exchange.
1. Validation of your company’s ownership by the publicly traded entity. This must confirm that at least 51% of your company's common stock or analogous equity interest is held by the parent entity. This information should be in a public company filing or other publicly accessible document.
1. A letter of authorization from the parent publicly traded company. The letter must:
* Be on the official letterhead of the parent company and contain the address of the parent company.
* Authorize an individual to manage the subsidiary's Stripe account.