Setting up your Shopify Payments account
To get started with Shopify Payments, first check the list of supported countries to confirm availability in your region. After confirming your eligibility, you can activate the service and complete the verification process.
Your Shopify Payments payouts might be placed on hold until two-step authentication is activated on your store. Two-step authentication helps to prevent security breaches that can lead to misdirected payouts or other financial loss.
You need to choose your store currency before making your first sale. It’s the currency that will be used throughout your Shopify admin, for pricing your products and viewing your reports. If you need to change your store currency after making your first sale, then contact Shopify Support.
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Activating Shopify Payments
You can activate Shopify Payments as your payment gateway from the Payments section of your Shopify admin. If you don't have a payment gateway set up to accept credit and debit cards at checkout, then you can set up Shopify Payments to begin selling. If you have a third-party payment gateway set up, then you can switch to Shopify Payments, or you can use Shopify Payments alongside your existing provider to offer additional payment methods and recover failed transactions.
Activate Shopify Payments as your payment gateway
To activate Shopify Payments for the first time, complete the following steps.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
In the Shopify Payments section, click Activate Shopify Payments.
Enter the required personal, address, and identification information, and then click Next.
Enter the required information about your business.
Enter the phone number that you want to display on your customer's bank statement, and then click Next.
Review your Business type and Store details, and then click Confirm.
Click Submit for verification.
Mobile
From the Shopify app, tap
, and then tap 
Settings.In the Store settings section, tap Payments.
In the Shopify Payments section, tap Activate Shopify Payments.
Enter the required personal, address, and identification information, and then tap Next.
Enter the required information about your business.
Enter the phone number that you want to display on your customer's bank statement, and then tap Next.
Review your Business type and Store details, and then tap Confirm.
Tap Submit for verification.
Switch to Shopify Payments
If you use a third-party payment gateway, then you can set up Shopify Payments without having to deactivate your third-party gateway first, meaning that there's no interruption to your store's checkout for customers.
To keep using the third-party provider and add Shopify Payments alongside it, learn more about using Shopify Payments with a third-party provider.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
Click Switch to Shopify Payments.
Select your business type, and then click Next.
Enter the required personal, address, and identification information, and then click Next.
Enter the required information about your business.
Enter the phone number that you want to display on your customer's bank statement, and then click Next.
Review your Business type and Store details, and then click Confirm.
Click Submit for verification.
In the Shopify Payments section of your Shopify admin, click Manage to configure your Shopify Payments accounts settings. Learn more about configuring Shopify Payments.
After your account verification is complete, click Activate.
Mobile
From the Shopify app, tap
, and then tap Settings.In the Store settings section, tap Payments.
Tap Switch to Shopify Payments.
Select your business type, and then tap Next.
Enter the required personal, address, and identification information, and then tap Next.
Enter the required information about your business.
Enter the phone number that you want to display on your customer's bank statement, and then tap Next.
Review your Business type and Store details, and then tap Confirm.
Tap Submit for verification.
In the Shopify Payments section of your Shopify admin, tap Manage to configure your Shopify Payments accounts settings. Learn more about configuring Shopify Payments.
After your account verification is complete, tap Activate.
Connect a payout bank account
After your Shopify Payments account is verified, you can connect your bank account in the Payments section of your Shopify admin to receive payouts.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
In the Shopify Payments section, click Connect a bank account.
Enter your bank account details, and then click Save.
Mobile
From the Shopify app, tap
, and then tap Settings.In the Store settings section, tap Payments.
In the Shopify Payments section, tap Connect a bank account.
Enter your bank account details, and then tap Save.
Activate local payment methods
Some local payment methods for Shopify Payments require additional approval before they can be activated. Once you activate Shopify Payments, the review process for applicable local payment methods begins automatically and approved payment methods will become available for you to activate in the payment methods page.
Information requirements for Shopify Payments
Shopify and its banking partners are required to collect and verify information about you and your business, to comply with regulations that are designed to prevent financial crimes. As local rules and regulations evolve, you might be contacted by Shopify and its banking partners to provide additional information throughout the lifespan of your Shopify Payments account.
The information that is collected is used to confirm the identity of the business, the identities of individuals linked to it, and the nature of the relationship between the two.
Shopify never physically mails documentation to you. Any important documents or communications are emailed, or made digitally available to the person listed as Account Owner of the store in your Shopify admin.
Uploading documents for Shopify Payments verification
Due to the sensitive nature of the personal information that's requested, Shopify can only accept documents that are uploaded through the secure banners in your Shopify admin. For your security and privacy, any documents sent through email or support chat are redacted and rendered unusable.
To complete the verification process, ensure that any documentation you submit meets the following requirements:
- The documentation is photographed instead of scanned, copied, or screenshotted. Ensure photographs are in color and not grayscale.
- For documents that are issued to you digitally, you must provide the original PDF without any alterations, and with all original pages included.
- The documentation is clear enough to read, with all four borders of the document in the frame.
- The documentation is complete with all details visible and nothing censored, blurred, or cropped out.
- The information on your documentation matches the information that you entered on your Shopify Payments account.
You can submit photo ID in PNG or JPEG format. Proof of address and business documents can additionally be in PDF format. Refer to your country’s specific page to learn which types of documents are accepted in your region.
Your Shopify Payments payouts might be placed on hold until your information and documents can be verified. If documentation is required, then an alert is sent to notify you and take you to the upload page where you can provide new information.
If you receive a notification that your information wasn't verified, then you need to review the reasons provided on the upload page and take further action, such as uploading new documentation or updating your account information to match the uploaded documentation.
When you upload documents for Shopify Payments verification or you try to update your Shopify Payments details, you might receive an error message indicating that you've reached the maximum number of attempts. If this happens, then you can contact Shopify Support to make further changes to your details or to submit additional documents.
Understanding the terms Owner, Director and Executive
Owners are defined as any individual person who directly or indirectly (through ownership in a parent or holding company) owns 25% or more of the company. If there are individuals who own equity of your company through their ownership of the holding company, then you must list them as beneficial owners.
Directors are individuals who are members of the governing board of your company, and are typically shown on most business registration extracts.
Executives are individuals who have a significant control over the business and are responsible for managing and directing the business. They might include executive officers or senior managers, such as, but not limited to, a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Managing Member, General Partner, President, Vice President, or Treasurer.
Address Requirements
You can't use PO Box or Private Mail Box addresses with Shopify Payments.
If your business is based in the United States, and you want to use Shopify Balance or Shopify Credit, then you're unable to use virtual addresses, mail forwarding services, co-working spaces, registering agent addresses, or similar addresses which your business might use on documentation, but doesn't physically occupy. To use these products and services, you must provide the real home addresses for the people on file, and a business address where your business operations can be physically located.