What Stripe Asks For When Verifying an Account

When you set up a Stripe account for live payments, Stripe asks for information about three things: the person opening the account, the business itself, and the people who own or control that business. It also reviews the website or other channels you use to sell. Stripe describes this as part of its "Know Your Customer" (KYC) obligations, and the exact list depends on your country, your business type and the Stripe services you use.

This page walks through the categories Stripe documents publicly, why Stripe collects them, and why the details you give Stripe should match what your storefront shows. It does not replace your own Dashboard. The account status page there is where Stripe tells you what your account still needs.

Why Stripe collects this information

Stripe's account setup guide says its KYC obligations require it to collect and maintain this information for all users, and that regulators and financial partners require it to help prevent abuse of the financial system. Stripe reviews what you provide for compliance with its services agreement and contacts you if it needs anything else. As you use more Stripe services, it may request additional information or verification.

For US accounts, Stripe's beneficial ownership page points to a specific legal basis: US beneficial ownership rules apply to all payment processors, including Stripe.

Verification is also not a one-time event. Stripe's KYC page says you must promptly update your Stripe account with any changes affecting you, and that Stripe may periodically ask you to confirm your details are accurate.

The person opening the account

Stripe's KYC page lists the individual creating the account as one of the parties it collects information about, and its setup guide asks for your relationship to the business. Stripe's document guide shows what it accepts when it asks a person to prove identity or address: identity documents such as a passport, driver's license or other government-issued ID, and address documents such as a utility bill or bank statement. The name, date of birth and address on these must match what is in your settings.

The business

Stripe collects details about the business associated with the account. Depending on your country and business type, its document guide lists types such as:

• Company or entity documents, for example business registration, tax documents or incorporation papers
• Documents showing the company legal name, tax ID and address, which must match what is in your settings
• Relationship documents that show ownership or directorship

For a US business that uses an Employer Identification Number, Stripe lists IRS letters such as Letter 147C or the SS-4 confirmation letter as acceptable documents. Stripe also states that the business name on the document must exactly match the legal business name registered with the IRS. Stripe lists a name mismatch among the usual reasons a document is rejected, so enter the legal name exactly as it appears on your tax records, not a trading name.

Owners and people with significant control

Stripe's KYC page says it collects information about any individuals who ultimately own or control the business. For most privately held US companies, Stripe's beneficial ownership page says you identify one person with significant control of the business and all people who own 25% or more of the company. For each, Stripe collects a name, date of birth, address and, for US persons, a Social Security number.

The same page notes that publicly traded companies, and private companies in a few finance-related industries, can use an exemption process instead.

Your website and what you sell

Stripe's account setup asks for information about your business and your product. Stripe's support page on business websites says it reviews any website, social media profile or mobile app you use to promote your business or sell products, so it can understand your business and verify what you sell. Stripe may also ask you to verify that you own the site. The same page says your business name and description of goods or services must align with the information you have given Stripe, and that you are required to maintain a functioning website with the appropriate information at all times.

Stripe also asks for public business information that your customers see on card statements or Stripe email receipts: your business name and website URL, support email address, phone number and address, a support site URL, and your statement descriptor. Stripe advises making these clearly associated with you, because a customer who cannot recognize a payment might dispute it. Our guide to statement descriptors covers that part in more detail.

Document rules that trip people up

Stripe publishes common requirements for verification documents and says rejected documents usually fail for one of a short list of reasons. Most of them are easy to check before you upload:

• The document is current, not expired
• It is an original photo (JPEG or PNG) or a PDF scan taken directly from the original, not a screenshot
• Photo IDs are in color
• The name on the document exactly matches the name in your Stripe settings
• Nothing is cropped, all borders are visible and no pages are missing
• One document is not being used to meet two requirements, such as identity and address

Stripe also says it only accepts verification documents uploaded through the Dashboard, and asks that you do not send them by email.

Keep your Stripe profile and your storefront consistent

For a research-use-only supplier selling to business and research buyers, the most useful habit is simple: make sure every place that describes your business describes the same business. The legal name, address, support details and description you gave Stripe should be the ones a reviewer finds on your site. If your account describes a laboratory supply business serving qualified buyers, your product pages, policies and checkout should show exactly that.

• The legal business name on your site matches the legal entity name you gave Stripe
• The business address on your site is the one you gave Stripe
• The support email and phone in your Stripe public details are the ones on your contact page
• Your product descriptions match the description of what you sell in your Stripe account
• The site loads without a password, and reviewers can reach the same product pages and policies any visitor sees

Stripe's business website page also lists issues that can delay activation, including sites that are still under construction and sites that block certain regions from viewing them before verification. Our guide to preparing your storefront for a processor review has a fuller pre-review checklist, and how payment processors review a merchant explains the wider review.

When something changes

Tell Stripe when your business changes, rather than waiting for a review to find it. Typical changes include a new owner or representative, a new legal name, a new address, a new website, or a change in what you sell or who you sell to. Describe the change accurately. If Stripe sends a follow-up request, our guide to responding to a processor information request covers how to prepare a clear answer.

If you are unsure what your own legal obligations are, for example around ownership reporting or tax IDs, speak to a qualified lawyer or accountant about your business.

What this page cannot tell you

Stripe's requirements vary by country, business type and the services you request, and Stripe updates them. The account status page in your Dashboard is the authority for your account. Providing complete and accurate information is your part of the process, but it does not decide the outcome. Stripe makes its own decisions about which businesses it supports. For a plain explanation of the business side of this process, see what know your business (KYB) means.

Claddr is compliance software that connects to your existing Stripe account. It is not affiliated with Stripe, and Stripe's verification decision is Stripe's alone.