Is SSN required to set up online payment methods?

Shopify Discussion
1

When I start to Set up Shopify Payments, it ask me for the SSN (Social Security Number). It say that without it I won’t get paid by using the Shopify Payment.

The problem is that I have everything needed to Set up this, except for the SNN.

Is it possible to do something that can help me?

(in case to use another person that has SNN, I don’t know anyone that I trust

2

Hi, @asarmento

Greetings, I hope your day is going well.

It sounds like you are signing up for Shopify Payments with an American address, however from outside the USA. In order to use Shopify Payments for the US you need to have an SSN. What country are you currently operating from? Please note, it doesn’t matter what your target customer location is, the gateway you qualify for is based on your location.

Additionally, using someone else’s SSN will not work as Shopify requires documentation to verify your identity. This means the SSN will need to match your ID, as well as your business address which also requires verification.

If you can provide your current region I can let you know if you qualify for Shopify Payments or, another payment gateway that you could qualify for.

3

Hey there! thank you for the support! I am in United States, but I am not a citizen

4

Hey there! Thank you for the support ! I am in the United States, but I’m
not a citizen! I just have the passport and a bank account !

5

Hi, @asarmento

Thank you for providing that information. If you’re operating your business from the US but are not a citizen, do you have a work visa? If you have an American passport that would mean you are a United States citizen and can apply for an SSN. Or, is your passport from another country?

Even though it may not seem like it, opening and operating a Shopify store is considered working, thus you will need a work Visa of some sort which would provide you with an SSN to operate the business.

I definitely appreciate this isn’t the best news, however, we are bound by legal requirements in order to process payments for merchants in specific regions. For merchants based in the United States, we are legally obligated to obtain an SSN.