Restricted Business List FAQs

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 our 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 we can support your business. However, we independently review 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?

We understand that your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons, including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, 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 Restricted Business List.

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

Broadly speaking, yes. If your account has already been rejected, we ask that you send us a link to the page showing that they have been removed. You can do this by replying to the email we sent about your prohibited items, or by contacting us at our support site.

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 we require this information, we will reach out to you and let you know.

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, we are unable to know if your business will be approved without additional context. Telemedicine businesses applying for a Stripe account will typically need to provide items such as license numbers and information on your processes. Once we identify that your business is processing for telemedicine, we will request all appropriate information. Following receipt of this information, we will then be able 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?

We understand that your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we’re currently not able to work with certain industries. You can see our 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. 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. We understand that your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we’re currently not able to 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 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 we sent to you on the supportability of your business, or by contacting us through our support site.

Are there any payment processors who do allow for products containing cannabis, CBD, or THC to be sold?

If you need an alternative payment processor, we recommend considering PaymentCloud, which works with businesses with a higher level of risk than we’re able to support.

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

We understand that your business may be legal, but for now, due to various reasons including requirements that apply to Stripe as a payment processor, requirements from our financial partners, and the potential risk exposure to Stripe, we’re currently not able to work with businesses that sell or offer adult content or services.

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

Please see our Restricted Businesses list for more details. Generally, we consider adult content or services, 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 our Restricted Businesses list, Stripe and/or our financial partners deem the following travel industries high risk and, therefore, we do not support them: travel reservation services and clubs; airlines; cruises; timeshares.

Vapes and E-Cigarettes
As described in our Restricted Businesses list, we do not currently support the sale of regulated or age-restricted items, including tobacco, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid.

Financial Services
As described in our Restricted Businesses list, we are 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.