A PSP (payment service provider) is a payment provider that sets up online acquiring, that is, accepting bank cards and other payment methods on a website or in an app. Access depends on the company's country of registration, industry, business model and the place from which the business is actually run. A number of classic offshore jurisdictions, such as the BVI, Seychelles and Belize, are missing from Stripe's list of countries, so the company's country for online sales should be chosen with the payment provider in mind.
Where Stripe is available
As of October 23, 2026, Stripe lists on its stripe.com/global page the countries where a business can open an account. They include the US, the UK, EU countries (including Cyprus and Estonia), Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE. The British Virgin Islands, Seychelles, Belize, Panama, the Cayman Islands and Georgia are not on this list. For a company from a supported country, Stripe allows sales to customers worldwide.
Separately, Stripe offers Stripe Atlas, a service for forming a company in Delaware as a C corporation or an LLC. A US LLC for a non-resident is covered in the guide on US LLC formation, and the Asian option on the page Hong Kong offshore jurisdiction.
Other providers have their own country lists, and they change, so check the list with each chosen PSP before registration.
Restricted and prohibited industries
Every PSP has a list of prohibited and restricted activities. Stripe prohibits, for example, gambling, adult content and pyramid schemes. Industries such as crowdfunding, dating, telemedicine, crypto exchanges and third-party payment aggregation are classed as restricted: they are onboarded after an additional review, and the approval applies to a specific service. If the product falls into such a category, the company's jurisdiction is secondary: first you need to confirm that the provider is willing to work with the business model itself.
Reserves, refunds and chargebacks
A payment provider covers refunds and card disputes if the seller fails to fulfill an order, so it may hold part of the revenue in reserve. According to Stripe, a reserve is set based on the industry, the share of disputes and refunds, financial stability and sharp spikes in volume; the terms (amount or percentage, and duration) are communicated by email. With a rolling reserve, a percentage of each new transaction is held for a set period, for example 30 days, and then released to the balance. Build the reserve into your financial model: it slows down cash flow, especially in the first months.
SCA and 3D Secure for European customers
Directive (EU) 2015/2366 (PSD2, Article 97) requires strong customer authentication (SCA) when the payer initiates an electronic payment. In practice, for cards this means 3D Secure. According to Stripe, the requirement has applied since September 14, 2019 and affects businesses in the European Economic Area that accept cards from EEA customers. Payments authenticated with 3D Secure benefit from a liability shift: in a fraud dispute, liability usually passes to the card-issuing bank.
What to check before registering the company
Card acquiring for a foreign company is connected after the provider's review, so go through this list before registration:
- Whether the chosen PSP supports the company's country of registration and the owners' country of residence.
- Whether your product falls into the provider's prohibited or restricted industries.
- Settlement and payout currencies, payout timing, support for subscriptions and marketplace payouts.
- Reserve terms, fees, limits on refunds and chargebacks.
- Website requirements: refund policy, terms of service, seller contact details, an accurate description of the goods or service.
- A bank account or EMI for payouts. The difference between them is explained in the guide EMI vs bank account.
Example business scenario
An online store with subscriptions registers a company in a jurisdiction that is not on the chosen PSP's list, hoping to save on registration. The provider declines, and the company has to be registered again in a supported country. Checking the country list and industry restrictions before registration saves you this step.
Common mistakes
- Opening a merchant account in someone else's company name or stating a fictitious country of business: this breaches the agreement with the provider and leads to funds being frozen.
- Choosing a jurisdiction by the cost of registration without checking payment providers.
- Working with a single PSP without a backup.
How Offshora helps
Industry walk-throughs of the payment route are in the guides to a SaaS company and to an online store. Preparing for the bank's review is described in a bank account for a foreign company, and the documents for currency payments in the article on currency settlements.
Offshora selects a jurisdiction with the required payment provider and industry in mind, registers the company and prepares the document package for onboarding. Typical structures for IT and trading are described on the page offshore structure for IT, trading and holding companies. To get a proposal, submit a request describing the product, the buyer countries and the expected turnover.
Tell us about your task, and we will propose a jurisdiction, the scope of services and the order of work.
Send a request →