Stripe Restricted Businesses List

This document is Stripe's Prohibited and Restricted Businesses policy, which forms part of the Stripe Services Agreement and governs which business types, products, and industries are permitted to access Stripe's payment processing and related services. The agreement states that businesses in the prohibited category are barred from using Stripe entirely, while businesses in the restricted category may only use Stripe's services with prior written approval from Stripe, and the terms authorize Stripe to terminate or suspend accounts that are found to operate in these categories. The policy enumerates specific prohibited categories including illegal products and services, adult content, certain firearms and weapons, regulated financial services without proper licensing, gambling and sweepstakes, certain pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, and businesses associated with deceptive practices, among others; the restricted list similarly covers a broad range of industries requiring pre-approval, including cryptocurrency businesses, debt collection, extended warranties, and certain travel services. The policy engages anti-money laundering frameworks, card network rules from Visa and Mastercard, FinCEN regulations, and various sector-specific licensing requirements across multiple jurisdictions, creating compliance dependencies that vary significantly by country given Stripe's operation across more than 40 markets. Merchants in borderline industries should evaluate whether their business model intersects with any enumerated category before onboarding, and should note that Stripe reserves the right to make category determinations unilaterally, with the practical consequence of account termination if a business is found to fall within a prohibited or restricted category without prior approval.