Stripe might be able to support businesses on its Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list with explicit prior approval. Certain categories, including illegal products or services, are never eligible. Stripe’s review upon account activation ultimately determines whether a business is supported.
This FAQ is to help you understand whether we can support your business. We independently review every account and all relevant information during account activation, and this review determines whether or not a business is supported. The types of businesses listed in our Prohibited and Restricted Business list are representative but not exhaustive.
Why isn’t my business allowed on Stripe?
We understand that your business might be legal, but for now, due to various reasons, including requirements that apply to Stripe as a financial infrastructure platform, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we’re currently not able to work with certain industries. You can find more information in our Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list.
If I remove any prohibited items, can Stripe support my business?
If your account has already been rejected, we ask that you send us a link to the page showing that you have removed them. You can do so by replying to the email we sent about your prohibited items, or by contacting us at our support site.
Adult content is legal where I’m selling it. Why can’t I use Stripe?
Due to various requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we can’t currently work with businesses that sell or offer adult content or services.
How do I know if my business is offering adult content or services?
See our our Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list for more details. The restriction applies to 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, or adult live chat features; sexually oriented items; adult video stores; sexually oriented massage parlors; gentleman’s clubs; topless bars; strip clubs; or any sexually oriented dating services, among others.
What is a content creation platform?
A content creation platform is a marketplace that hosts or distributes third-party content from multiple content creators and enables end users to provide payments to creators. As the host or distributor of this content, content creator platforms are responsible for monitoring that their creators comply with Stripe’s requirements (including the Stripe Services Agreement and our Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list).
Why does Stripe require content creation platforms to be preapproved?
Content creation platforms must have robust policies and controls to, for example, detect and remove illegal content. Therefore, Stripe collects additional information from content creation platforms to confirm that we can support them. If you want Stripe to support your content creation platform, contact us for more information.
I operate a platform whose products enable content creators to distribute their own content (for example, on their own website) and receive compensation for it. Do I require preapproval?
No, you’re not directly distributing your customers’ content and thus don’t require preapproval. Each of your customers would be considered individual content creators and would likewise not require preapproval. They must comply with the Stripe Services Agreement and our Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list (which, for example, prohibits the sale of adult content) and are subject to monitoring by Stripe to ensure compliance.
I am an individual who creates content and receives compensation directly from my own customers (for example, on my own website). Do I require preapproval?
No, because you’re selling your own content directly to your customers and aren’t acting as a platform, you don’t require preapproval. However, you must comply with the Stripe Services Agreement and our Prohibited and Restricted Businesses list (which, for example, prohibits the sale of adult content) and are subject to monitoring by Stripe to ensure compliance.
Where can I find more information on Stripe’s support for content creation?
See Stripe for the creator economy for more details.
What are the requirements for tipping content creators?
See Requirements for accepting tips or donations.
As described in our our Prohibited and Restricted Business list, we can’t 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.
Internet gambling is legal in my region, so why was my application rejected?
Due to various requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we can’t currently work with certain industries. You can see our Prohibited and 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, our policy on gambling includes several businesses that offer similar services. This can include games of skill (or chance) with cash prizes, sweepstakes, pay-in auctions, office pools, or charity raffles.
Marijuana is legal where I’m selling it. Why can’t I use Stripe?
While it might be legal in certain jurisdictions, the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana remains prohibited in many countries. We understand that your business might be legal, but for now, due to to various requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we can’t currently work with certain industries.
My product is a hemp-based topical product, ointment, or lotion with CBD in it. Does it still fall under the marijuana policy?
Our 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 we appreciate that legislation in certain regions has lowered some of the restrictions around the sale of hemp-based products containing CBD, Stripe currently can’t support the sale of these products.
I sell other products in addition to those that have CBD in them. Can I continue processing payments for non-CBD products?
Yes. After you’ve removed all unsupported 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 we sent to you on our support of your business, or by contacting us through our support site.
I do not sell marijuana, CBD, or byproducts (cannabis oil), but I do provide services that support the marijuana industry (marketing, consulting, SaaS services specifically targeted at marijuana sellers or producers, or facilitating cannabis-focused conferences and trade shows). Can I continue providing these services?
If greater than 25% of your marketing consulting or SaaS services are targeted at marijuana sellers or products, or if you facilitate cannabis-focused conferences or trade shows, then you can only provide these services in the following regions: Australia, Canada, the EU, New Zealand, or the UK.
How do I know if my business is considered a pharmacy?
A business is an internet pharmacy if it sells, dispenses, 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 through Stripe?
Maybe, this is a highly-regulated industry, and Stripe must abide by the card network policies in place regarding pharmaceutical merchants. Pharmacies will only be approved for merchants in the US, Canada, the EU, Australia, the UK, and Japan.
Does my telemedicine business require LegitScript certification to use Stripe?
Telemedicine businesses don’t need certification from LegitScript. However, certain licensing and regulatory items must be provided to Stripe for verification as part of the onboarding process. If we require this information, we’ll let you know.
How do I know if my services are considered “telemedicine” offerings?
Telemedicine includes synchronous and asynchronous patient communication that involves diagnosis or treatment conducted over phone, text, email, or video consultations. Education or wellness resources regarding physical and mental health aren’t categorized as telemedicine.
Stripe reviews each business on a case-by-case basis. As no two business models are the same, we can’t know if your business will be approved without additional context. Telemedicine businesses applying for a Stripe account typically need to provide items such as license numbers and information on your processes. If we require this information, we’ll reach out.
As described in our our Prohibited and Restricted Business list, Stripe or our financial partners deem the following travel industries high risk and, therefore, don’t support them: travel reservation services and clubs, airlines, cruises, and timeshares.
As described in our our Prohibited and Restricted Business list, we don’t currently support the sale of regulated or age-restricted items, including tobacco, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid.