A 17-year-old in Sweden wants to launch a Shopify dropshipping store targeting the US and international markets but faces a requirement to provide business registration details to activate Shopify Payments—despite having made no sales yet.
Key Issue:
Shopify Payments requires a registered business number and legal business name upfront, even before generating revenue. As a minor, the user hopes to avoid involving parents in formal business registration.
Advice Given:
Official stance: Registration is necessary for compliance and credibility, with parents/guardians serving as the legal owner while the minor operates as staff.
Alternative payment processors: PayPal or Stripe may offer more flexibility without immediate registration requirements.
Delayed registration approach: Some users report operating initially without formal registration, tracking sales carefully, then registering once revenue becomes consistent. One user specifically mentioned using Yourcompanyformations.co.uk for straightforward UK registration after achieving steady sales.
Status: The discussion remains open with no definitive resolution on whether Swedish law permits operating without registration or if alternative payment methods will work for this specific situation.
Summarized with AI on October 24.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
I’m trying to set up my first ever shopify store. I am based in sweden, but i plan on dropshipping in the US and 13 other big international countries. When i try to set up shopify payments, it tells me that i need to provide my bussiness information such as my organization number and legal business name. Do i need to actually register a business here in sweden to accept payments? Or is there any other way? Because i havent even earned a single dollar yet. I thought that once you reached a certain turnover threshold you needed to register your business? I find it weird that i need to register a business even if i havent made a single dollar.
I am 17 years old and therefore a minor, and so i would like to avoid all the hassles that come with asking my parents to register a business/sole proprietorship for my dropshipping store.
That is correct. You still need to register your business even if you are not yet paying your taxes or have sales. It is crucial to register your business to your local tax authorities for compliance and brand credibility. Since you are also under 18 years old, your parents or guardian will be the one who are going to be registered under your business. They will be the registered Shopify owner and you can run your business using their account or as a staff. Here are some articles for your reference: How To Register a Business in 6 Simple Steps (2024) and How To Start a Business Under 18 in 2024 (Guide for Kids and Parents).
Yes, to use Shopify Payments, you typically need to provide a registered business number and legal business name, which means registering a business in Sweden. Since you are 17 and want to avoid registering a business, consider these alternatives
Alternative Gateways Use PayPal or Stripe.
Parents’ Help Register the business with their help.
Wait Until 18 Plan and set up your store now; register later.
I waited until I made a few sales before registering my business. Just kept track of everything so it was easier to sort out once I was ready to make it official.
I set up my online store before officially registering anything, but once I started making consistent sales, I went through Yourcompanyformations.co.uk to sort out the business registration. It was quick, and they explained what I needed without throwing loads of legal jargon at me. Made things way easier than trying to figure it all out myself.