Eligibility
Stripe is available in 46+ countries but not directly in most of Africa, South Asia or Central Asia. Founders in unsupported countries use Stripe indirectly by owning a US LLC or UK LTD, which is where 95% of our clients land.
Requirements before you apply
Stripe expects a real business, not a landing page with 'coming soon'. Applying without the essentials below is the single biggest cause of rejection or a permanent restriction.
- A registered legal entity (LLC, LTD, corporation)
- EIN or UTR issued by the tax authority
- A live website with checkout, product/service pages, contact and legal pages
- Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Refund Policy visible in the footer
- A matching business bank account in the same legal name
- A consistent business address across entity, website, LinkedIn and application
The business website checklist
Stripe's risk models visit your website within seconds of submission. A missing footer link or a placeholder product page will drop your score below the auto-approve threshold. Before applying, verify every one of the following.
- SSL certificate active (HTTPS)
- Clear description of what you sell and who you serve
- At least one purchasable product or service
- Working contact form with a business email
- Refund policy consistent with your industry norms
- No copyright or trademark violations
Risk factors Stripe scores
Stripe scores every application on industry, chargeback risk, business model complexity and geographic risk. Higher scores mean deeper reviews. High-risk categories include CBD, adult content, gambling, cryptocurrency, MLM, drop-shipping and travel.
Common rejection reasons
We audit hundreds of Stripe applications a year. The same five reasons account for 80% of rejections.
- Vague business description ('e-commerce', 'consulting')
- Address mismatch between entity, website WHOIS and LinkedIn
- Website missing policies, contact page or SSL
- Prior Stripe account closed for the same person/entity
- Industry restricted in the founder's country of residence
Verification and documents
Stripe will request: certificate of formation, EIN or UTR letter, government-issued ID for beneficial owners, and sometimes a utility bill or bank statement. Uploading clear, unedited scans within 24 hours keeps the review fast.
Business address and bank account
Your business address must be commercial, not residential. Your bank account must be in the exact legal name of the entity. A mismatch between the two triggers a manual review that often results in restriction.
Tips for first-attempt approval
Apply once, cleanly, with everything above ready. Never open two Stripe accounts on the same details. Answer volume questions truthfully — inflating projected volume triggers extra reviews.