How can I set up a payment gateway for my online store in Iraq?

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment

Topic summary

Iraqi entrepreneurs are struggling to set up payment gateways for their Shopify stores, as major providers like Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify Payments don’t support Iraq. This limitation has prevented many from launching or continuing their online businesses.

Suggested workarounds discussed:

  • Using third-party payment gateways (though availability remains unclear)
  • Manual payment methods (deemed impractical as customers won’t complete purchases)
  • Having someone abroad create payment accounts using their credentials (raises concerns about legality and trust)
  • Pinwheel Pay was mentioned as a possibility but requires verification

Potential solution:
One user (bavugari) reported successfully connecting PayTabs Iraq through their Amwal platform to Shopify after extensive research. The setup involves:

  • Creating an account on PayTabs Iraq website
  • Accessing the Amwal site and activating Shopify integration through the developer section
  • Installing the PayTabs Iraq plugin in Shopify

However, another user noted their PayTabs application has been under review for over a week with an NDA request, suggesting the approval process may be lengthy or complex.

Status: The discussion remains active with users seeking confirmation whether PayTabs actually works as a viable solution for Iraqi merchants.

Summarized with AI on November 2. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hey, i hope you’re doing well.

I am from Iraq and I opened a shop on Shopify to sell products outside my country, but the payment gateways unavailable in my country. I searched in Payment information by country or region also there is no my country This problem has stopped me from working now,

is there a solution?

or a method I don’t know about?

or an update coming solve this problem?

Thanks

3 Likes
2

Hi, [email removed]Ahmed98!

We currently don’t have any lists on available Payment Gateways that are eligible in Iraq, however you may want to look into Pinwheel Pay who integrate with Shopify and may be eligible in Iraq. Although this is not guaranteed, I would suggest contacting their support team to check their countries of service.

This is a topic that can be looked into for the future at Shopify. I would highly recommend keeping an eye on our Shopify Changelog where all our updates on the platform are listed once they’re rolled out.

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3

Okay @Nia , thanks

I will contact them and see if their service is available,

and I am waiting Upcoming updates. I hope solutions will be added soon.

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4

dose it works ? where are you from which city i mean ?

5

Hi, @Driction!

I appreciate you reaching out. Are you able to clarify what you’re referring to exactly then I can provide a more clear answer for you?

6

Hello, I am from Iraq, is there a payment gateway that accepts Iraq? Do you have a payment gateway that accepts Iraq?

7

@Nia Hello, I am from Iraq, is there a payment gateway that accepts Iraq? Do you have a payment gateway that accepts Iraq?

8

Hi, [email removed]Saif-Hasan!

We have a list of payment gateways that are available in Iraq which you can view here. Have you opened an online store with Shopify already? I would love to help out where I can!

9

hello dear ahmed, i’m also from iraq and I want to work on shopify so I’m facing issues regarding payment gateways so please tell me if you found a way to solve the issue..??

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10

i have been searching for months for a payment provider , NO ONE works with iraq, they made it so hard for Iraqi citizens to start a business on the other hand you can use manual payment method but no one will buy anything from you since it require much work for the customer no one will buy using your manual payment.

so im just here waiting and hoping maybe one day stripe or wise or shopify payment add iraq to thier list.

2 Likes
11

Hey @redin .

Thanks for reaching out.

We do have a great article that displays the available third-party payment gateways depending on your location available here. With that being said, you can set up a third-party payment gateway by navigating to Settings > Payments. Additionally, we have a step-by-step guide that can walk you through the process here.

Let us know what you think and if you have any questions.

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12

did the third party payment method work with u bro?

13

Hey there

Did you solve this problem ? Since Im from Iraq too and now facing the same issue which is making me think of giving up :disappointed_face:

14

Hey bro Im here facing the same issue .. could you come up with a solution by any means :disappointed_face: ?

15

hey
im sorry to say that but unfortunately theres no way to do this business
here in Iraq

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16

I think I’ve found a way that might work .. if you have anybody who lives outside of Iraq then you could assign them to create for you payment gateways like Paypal and stripe .. and then integrate them to ur store after setting it up .. not to forget to create a bank acc with Wise as an example this way you .. after u start getting profit you can transfer ur funds from the international bank acc to ur local Iraqi bank acc .. hopefully it helps if it makes sense ?

17

thanks fir ur information but I think I wont like to do it indirectly you
its not a formal way so you may get banned anytime ##- Please type your
reply above this line -##

1 Like
18

yes its an indirect way but I dont think it’s illegal , since you’ll need someone who lives outside and they’ll create the accs for you using their personal info ; they are gonna receive ur funds which means that someone has to be trustworthy enough and to make sure its legal , u probably have to contact the services of Paypal , Stripe and Shopify

so far , I think this is the only :cry:

19

actually I think theres an easier way which is leaving the country lol;)##-
Please type your reply above this line -##

20

Istgg yes there are way more opportunities abroad :disappointed_face:

anyway wishing you good luck bro pretty sure you can achieve it if you never ever give up ?