
Ask HN: Is it required for a startup to be registered to accept payments? - kamranahmed_se
Maybe a dumb question but do I have to get my company&#x2F;startup registered as a business entity before I start accepting payments through my website?<p>Stripe isn&#x27;t available here in Dubai&#x2F;UAE and I was planning on using any of the checkout.com payfort.com or 2checkout.com but I just found out that each one of them require your startup to be a registered business entity in UAE for which you have to pay loads of money every year. Now, for some one who is not sure that either their product will take off or not, is it necessary to get his startup registered before they could integrate any payment gateway? How are you accepting payments in your products? Is there any other option apart from stripe.com?
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medhi_cko
Hi

This Mehdi from Checkout.com's Dubai office

Unfortunately you are right, you need a legal entity to apply in the UAE.

While in Europe we can operate through our own acquiring licenses and support
sole traders/entrepreneurs, in the UAE we need to use a local acquiring bank
to process payments.

Local acquirers such as Mashreq, NI or NABD (now FAB) all make the legal
entity a requirement which we have no other option but to pass on to you.

Rest assured that we are working hard to bring our services to parity across
regions, so hopefully this will change one day.

In the meantime if we can be of any help, feel free to contact us !

The Checkout.com Team

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db48x
You should ask a lawyer, but you pretty much already have your answer.

