Guide
A US or UK company to get Shopify Payments? What merchants report
Checked against the sources on 11 October 2026
Sellers in countries Shopify Payments doesn't serve often hear: form a company in the US or UK. Some do. Here is what merchants report in Shopify's own community, and what to check first. This is not legal or tax advice.
The short version
- Verification can ask for more than a company: a US tax number, or proof of operations there.
- Merchants report refusals even with a company and a bank account abroad.
- Forming and running a company abroad has its own costs, filings and tax questions.
- Check whether Whop pays out to your own country before you decide.
What merchants report
- In 2023, a merchant with a US-registered business was asked for an SSN to activate Shopify Payments (Shopify Community).
- In 2026, a store run from Turkey through a US LLC with a US bank since 2019 was asked for proof of US physical operations (Shopify Community).
- A Bangladeshi seller formed a UK company and was declined for having no UK warehouse (Shopify Community).
These are individual reports, not Shopify's rules. Shopify decides each case.
Questions to answer before you form a company
- Who are the owners and the representative, and what documents will verification ask of them?
- Where will the company pay tax, and what yearly filings does it need?
- How will money move from that company to you at home, and what does it cost?
- What happens to the store if the account is reviewed or paused?
Another option to check first
Whop pays out to more than 200 countries and territories, in the local currency of the country you register; check that yours is on the list (Whop's payout list).
Whop verifies every business before it pays out, payout options vary by country, and Whop can hold a reserve or pause an account under its own rules (payout setup, reserves). Some products can't be sold on Whop at all (what is not allowed).
Where CheckoutSwitch fits
CheckoutSwitch gives your Shopify store a checkout page of its own. Shoppers pay inside Whop's payment box, into your own Whop account, and every payment becomes a paid Shopify order. Your theme, products and cart stay as they are.
Every payment is checked against its order every 15 minutes. If our plan ever stops, your store falls back to Shopify's own checkout with the same cart.
It costs $49 a month for your first store and $29 for each store after it, and 0% of your orders. Whop's own card fees (from 2.7% + $0.30 per domestic card) are paid to Whop, not to us. Your first store has 7 days free.
See the checkout before you decide: the demo store runs on Whop in test mode, in all three layouts.
Sources
- Shopify Community: Can't activate Shopify Payments without SSN (2023)
- Shopify Community: Is a US LLC and bank account not enough without physical operations? (2026)
- Shopify Community: Request for Shopify Payments availability in Bangladesh (2024-25)
- Whop docs: Set up payouts
- Whop docs: Reserves
- Whop docs: What is not allowed on Whop
Read 11 October 2026. Availability, rules and fees change; check the source before you decide.