Re: Not a resident but looking for Shopify Payments

Not a resident but looking for Shopify Payments

Hamebhi
Shopify Partner
5 0 0

Hello, I want Apple pay and google pay to be at my store hence the best option stands out to be Shopify payments. Apart from me(owner) everything from fulfillment to returns happens in US itself. I've a LLC in Delaware and EIN with me. Every business activity/operation takes place in US itself.  But the only thing I don't have is an SSN. Is there any way that I can legally show my taxes and use Shopify Payments?

 

Please help me if you know it really well

 

Thankyou

Replies 14 (14)

Trevor
Shopify Staff (Retired)
3408 463 1003

Hey, @Hamebhi

We can allow the use of Shopify Payments while operating out of a country that does not support Shopify Payments; however, we have very strict and specific requirements that must be met to review the request. To use Shopify Payments while operating outside of a supported country you will need all of the following:

  • Government-issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, etc. - non-US ID may be accepted)
  • An SSN will be reqiured
  • Business registration document (Registered in the US with the government)
  • Proof that the business is actually operating from the US. This can include tracking showing you are shipping from the US or proof of a physical US address (not a forwarding address).
  • A USD checking account opened with a real US banking institution, located on US soil. Virtual banks and currency services will not work for this, it has to be a real US bank

If you do not have all of the documents required, then you can still use the available payment providers for your country. If you do have all the documents, then I can send your request up for review; however, keep in mind that we can not guarantee that you'll be able to use Shopify payments even if you are able to supply all the documents. What country are you currently living in?

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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Hamebhi
Shopify Partner
5 0 0

Currently I m a resident of India. I might fulfill all the above requirements. Can you please tell me how will I be going ahead or a official team or mail where I can reach you as I might gave to contact sometime later.....

 

Thankyou!

Trevor
Shopify Staff (Retired)
3408 463 1003

@Hamebhi 

You will need to have all required documents before a request can be escalated for review. Once you have confirmed that you have all documents then I can verify your store, or you can reach out to our 24/7 Support through our help centre, Twitter, or Facebook

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Yanez
Tourist
6 0 2

Hello Peter,

 

Following on the topic. I might be missing something.

It seems people in the US can sell abroad, for example in Chile, relatively easy using Shopify. They do not have to have local Tax IDs, or businesses, or any SSN related matters. However, it seems that for the reverse it is almost impossible. Sorry for the question and maybe I am missing something but if you could help me on this id appreciate it.

Trevor
Shopify Staff (Retired)
3408 463 1003

@Yanez 

I can appreciate why it would appear that way, but that isn't necessarily the case. Each payment processor is different, but almost all payment providers available, no matter the country, will require that you verify your identity and business. Payment providers are set up to accept payments from customers worldwide, so even if you're based in the United States, you're still able to accept payments from customers in any other country so long as the customer has an appropriate payment method (i.e. credit card, PayPal account, etc.). 

That said, your question and/or confusion is more surrounded by taxes and what (if any) taxes needed to be paid by store owners when selling internationally. It doesn't matter what country you're operating from, you, as the business owner are required to pay taxes when required. It is the business owners' responsibility to talk with a local tax consultant to ensure they are paying appropriate taxes both domestically and internationally when filing their taxes each year. Shopify is unable to provide guidance on if you should charge taxes when selling to other countries as we are not tax experts. 

In short, the advantage (when comparing payment options) that the United States would have over someone from Chile would be the number of payment providers they have available to use, and the currency they can sell in. Whether you're a business owner in the United States or Chile, you will still need to verify your business with your payment provider, while adhering to your local & international tax laws if applicable.

How this all connects to this specific forum thread, is that if you wish to use a payment provider that is available in a different country than the one you live in (Shopify Payments), then it would require you to verify your business through the exact same process as a business owner who lives in the country the payment provider is available for. 

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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Hamebhi
Shopify Partner
5 0 0

Hello, I was just going through the web and found out this service which helps you get a US bank account... this is a fin-tech start up(Aeldra) and helps you get an account Blue Ridge bank. I was just wondering if this can be considered as a bank on the US soil as the bank practically opens an account with Blue Ridge bank which has a physical presence in the US....

https://www.aeldra.com

Here's a screenshot of the website of the bank:

Hamebhi_0-1634490734790.png

 

Please guide me through....

 

 

Regards

Yuvraj

 

Trevor
Shopify Staff (Retired)
3408 463 1003

@Hamebhi 

I can't say for certain whether a bank will be classified as a virtual bank. If the bank operates in the United States and has physical locations, then it is likely that you'll be able to use their services; however, our banking partners may reject a bank for a number of reasons. Should that happen, then it would require using a different banking institution. 

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alijaved580
Visitor
2 0 4

Exactly, I spend quite a lot of time, effort and money to setup an LLC in the US. Successfully setup shopify payments and then later after making some money, my payouts were put on hold by shopify.

Only then I was informed in simple words that shopify is everything to stop non-us residents selling in the US. That's fine I can take that but at least they should not setup the shopify payments account in the first place, rather than holding user's payouts later.

It is absurd on so many levels.

Trevor
Shopify Staff (Retired)
3408 463 1003

@alijaved580 


Thank you for your feedback. I can appreciate why this would be a frustrating situation.  

 

By default, we will assume you are eligible for Shopify Payments when an account is set up under an eligible address. Further information will be gathered upon signup. Should we need to verify the business further, then we will reach out. During the verification process, your payouts may be put on hold as outlined in section B.3 of our Terms of Service. 

 

When setting up a Shopify Payments account, store owners automatically agree to the Terms of Service. The onus is on the store owner to look into the requirements of using Shopify Payments before signing up to ensure they are eligible. 

 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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alijaved580
Visitor
2 0 4

Agreed, I meet all the requirements, I have all the legal documents in my possession as well. However, your security team is asking for records which cannot be provided. For instance; they have asked for last 10 order receipts, and 10 tracking numbers.

In my case my store was new and I hardly made 4 sales when Shopify decided to hold my payouts. After explaining, arguing and providing all the remaining document your team is not willing to release my payments.

How is any suppose to provide Tracking numbers or Order Receipts for their last 10 sales when they have not made that many sales in total yet.

Support team is not willing to do anything about this and I ended up accepting my loss. I had email chains with three different Support team members and had chat with 2 members of support. Not a single person knows or bothers explaining a way of the situation.

 

So Shopify can put all the blame on the users my making excuses like they don't read Terms & Conditions (which I did actually). The truth is that, it is extremely shady and un ethical on part of Shopify to allow users to register Shopify payments and later hold their payments.

Even on this forum people are not clearly told the simple answer. The simplest way to put it out for users is that:

1. Non US residents cannot use Shopify payments in order to sell in the US.
2. Also the products must be shipped from the same country. In Case a store is run in US and products are sourced from Germany, Shopify will hold the payout.

danielgraying
Visitor
1 0 0

Hey Ali, sorry that maybe I'm replying to something that is not my business...

 

But if you have an actual U.S. LLC approved and legal and a U.S. Bank Account, then why you don't simply use Stripe? Instead of accepting your loss as you said, get a payment method that is even better than Shopify Payments sometimes, I saw everywhere that you need to have an SSN to activate Shopify Payments in your store... So as I see, you just bypassed the system but then the system corrected and denied your account. I know it's sad your account is in hold after that, but in the beginning you should never be accepted to use Shopify Payments.

hayko
Visitor
1 0 0

I did had the same issue and as a non US resident, they don't let you use Shopify Payments as a non US citizen even though you have a US company. The funny thing is that I use Stripe US as my payment processor, however i cannot use Shopify Payments which is also Stripe US, so i need to pay additional processing fees for that for using the exact same service.

GimboSlice
Excursionist
60 0 9

Hi,
I have provided all documents for Physical Operations in US. Still haven't it approved. Not even telling you why. Can you provide assistance on this?

BerkayAltunbay
Visitor
1 0 0

@Trevor 
We are currently residing outside the United States. Previously, we opened our Shopify store in the UK with a UK company and a UK bank. We successfully conducted over a thousand sales to American customers. Subsequently, we established an LLC in the U.S., made agreements with warehouses, and began shipping our products to the U.S. in small batches. We have also decided to handle returns within the U.S. Our past order history indicates a minimal return rate and a strong customer relationship.

It's worth noting that all non-U.S. residents who have opened Shopify stores in a situation similar to ours seem to have Shopify Payments activated. I have witnessed this scenario countless times.

As small business owners, we rely on Shopify and take steps with confidence. Unfortunately, we find ourselves facing situations like this.

I hope this message reaches thousands of Shopify users, and if I can resolve this situation through this platform, it may provide an opportunity for non-U.S. residents to take appropriate action based on their circumstances.