Policy surface · stripe.com/legal/restricted-businesses
Stripe's restricted and prohibited businesses, in practice
Stripe's restricted businesses policy splits into two very different lists: prohibited categories it terminates on sight, and restricted categories it supports only when specific conditions are met. Stripe screens your website against both — at onboarding and periodically after.
Restricted — allowed, with conditions
CBD & hemp products
Apply for Stripe's CBD program and provide lab certificates of analysis (COAs) for every product.
RestrictedNutraceuticals & supplements
Remove outcome guarantees and unverifiable health claims; add FDA disclaimer language.
RestrictedSubscription / negative-option billing
Disclose the recurring amount, billing frequency, and cancellation method on the checkout page itself.
RestrictedFinancial products & investment
Financial services require case-by-case Stripe approval — contact Stripe support before processing.
RestrictedTelehealth & pharmaceuticals
Provide pharmacy/practitioner licensing to Stripe for each state or country served.
RestrictedTravel & events (delayed delivery)
Long delivery windows increase chargeback exposure; Stripe may hold a reserve.
Prohibited — terminate-on-sight territory
These categories are unsupportable on Stripe regardless of setup. Accounts matched to them are usually terminated without warning, with remaining funds held 90–120 days:
- Illegal drugs & paraphernalia
- Counterfeit or stolen goods
- Weapons & explosives
- Adult content & services
- Gambling (unlicensed)
- Deceptive schemes
- Document falsification
If one of these is your core business, Stripe is not a viable processor — the fix is a high-risk specialist acquirer, not a better-worded website. If the match is incidental (a blog post, an unrelated product name), reword it: automated and manual site reviews both key off this language.
The marketing language risk reviews flag
Beyond categories, Stripe's site reviews flag copy patterns that correlate with dispute volume: outcome guarantees ("results guaranteed", "risk free"), miracle or medical claims ("clinically proven", "melts fat"), pressure tactics, trial-to-subscription traps ("free trial — just pay shipping"), and unrealistic income claims. These won't get a normal business terminated on their own, but they weigh into reviews and they predict the dispute rates that do.
Screen your site the way Stripe does
Opsidion's audit fetches the website on your Stripe business profile and screens it against every category above — quoting each match so false positives are easy to dismiss — plus your dispute rate, decline codes, and verification state. $29, in about a minute.