Prohibited and Restricted Products and Services
Last update 31 January 2025
Our eligibility criteria:
To meet internal and external obligations, some industries may be prohibited or restricted from working with Adyen. This is based on a range of factors including but not limited to the following:
Local, national and international laws.
Requirements of our payment partners (e.g. card networks).
Level of assessed risk (e.g. chargebacks, fraud).
Reputational impact to Adyen and cost aspects associated with this.
Additional restrictions and/or prohibitions to this list may be applicable.
This can be due to including, but not limited to legality of certain products in certain jurisdictions, use of payment methods, applicability of scheme rules or compatibility with Adyen's Platform Solutions.
If you require additional information about the specific onboarding requirements and restrictions applicable to your business, please talk to your Adyen representative or get in touch.
Business Model
Depending on your business model product or services restrictions or prohibitions may apply. First, define if you are operating a ‘Merchant’ business model or a ‘Platform / Partner business’. Then check if any restrictions or prohibitions are applicable to your business in the list in the next section.
Merchant Platform / Partner businessA business that sells products / services to its customers in its own name and on its own responsibility
Any partner or platform merchant connected to Adyen enabling another party (third party or Adyen sub-merchant) to use the Adyen services to sell their products and services through the services of such platform or partner.
If your business is connected to Adyen through a Platform / Partner business, the restrictions in this category also apply to you.
E.g. a grocery store or online retailer that sells products from various brands. Includes franchisees
E.g. a marketplace / platform, staged digital wallet operator, payment facilitator. Restrictions also apply to sub-sellers.
Restricted and Prohibited Products and Services
The list below shows all the products and services that are restricted or prohibited from using Adyen services for ‘Merchant’ business models and ‘Platform / Partner business’ models.
This symbol indicates that your products or services offering is restricted. We will require additional documentation prior to onboarding. When Adyen agrees to provide its services for a broad category of services (e.g. DVDs) it does not imply that consent is given for subcategories within that category which are prohibited or restricted as per this list (e.g. counterfeit DVDs).
The fact that Adyen agrees to provide its services for a particular product or service should not be interpreted as an advice or opinion as to the legality of a merchant’s products and services and of the intended use of the services therefore. Merchant is and remains solely responsible to ensure that their products and services and those of their affiliates are compliant with Applicable Laws, regulations and scheme rules.
This symbol indicates that the business or service is prohibited from using Adyen’s services. When entering into an agreement with Adyen and using Adyen's services you are confirming that you are not offering or are affiliated to the products or services listed as prohibited.
The scheme owners of local payment methods may have more stringent restrictions with respect to certain products or services. Businesses should check current restrictions or prohibitions applicable to the relevant payment method when using it to ensure compliance.
If you require additional information about the onboarding requirements and restrictions applicable to your business talk to your Adyen representative or get in touch.
Adult
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessAdult goods (excluding fetish products)
Fetish products
Content: Books, magazines, audio, videos, websites, streaming services and other content formats deemed offensive or of a sexual nature
Entertainment: Gentleman's clubs, topless bars, strip clubs, sexually oriented massage parlors, saunas, escort agencies or any sexually-related services
Financial Businesses
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessBearer share entities
Binary options
Buy now pay later / Installment payment methods
Credit repair and credit protection business
Debt repayment and collection agency
E-wallet or e-money that can be monetized, re-sold or converted to physical and digital goods and services or otherwise exit the virtual world
Financial service or money service business, including but not limited to: traveler checks, money orders, Foreign Exchange, check cashing, virtual currencies, and cash advances by non-financial institutes
Fines or penalty collections of any kind
Independent or unlicensed financial advisors
Insurance sales and services (life)
Insurance sales and services (non-life)
Money transfer and remittance businesses
Payday loans, unsecured loans and loans originating from non FDIC insured banks
Payroll, invoice and business services
Provider or seller prepaid access/stored value
Shell banks
Intellectual Property (IP)
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessCounterfeit products, replicas or designed infringements of them including products designed to circumvent IP
Essay mills, paper mills where the intent is to falsely submit documents as their own work
Products designed to circumvent copyright protection techniques or to otherwise facilitate the unlicensed use of copyrighted material
The use of Adyen's logo and IP without express permission or in a way that creates reputation risk for Adyen
Marketing Practices
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessBusiness investment opportunities operating as ‘get rich quick schemes’
Business models that use ransom or extortion like practices
Business practices that are designed to evade excessive chargeback monitoring programs
Data Pass
Deceptive marketing tactics related to disclosure, false or inaccurate claims, before/after claims, endorsements, cancellation or refunds avoidance, pre-checked opt-ins, poorly disclosed negative options, misappropriation of incentives, disproportionate rebates, sweepstakes
Fake references and other services or products that foster deception
Inbound telemarketing for postcard or mailings
Products or services that promote hate, violence, discrimination, terrorism, harassment or abuse in any shape or form
Pyramid selling, chain letters or other financial scams
Not-for-Profit
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessCrowdfunding
Non-profit Organizations (NPOs)
Other Products and Services
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessAirlines
Ancestry research
Animals and wildlife products classified as endangered or protected
Art dealers and galleries
Auction houses
Bail bonds and bankruptcy lawyers
Bidding fee and penny auctions
Casual dating services
Car and truck rental / sales / importers / car parts
Certain social media business (e.g. click farms)
Cloud storage, VPN, file sharing, cyber lockers (except for high-risk)
Cruise Lines
Detective Agencies
Direct Marketing, Inbound teleservices, outbound telemarketing and travel-related arrangement services, Insurance services, catalog merchants, door-to-door sales
Drop shipping
Governmental services, such as embassies or consulates
Hazardous materials (B2B), including but not limited to: Hydrofluoric acid, products containing cyanide, prohibited ozone-depleting substances (ODS), nitric acid, peptides, research chemicals, and bacteria cultures or other products containing E-coli or Escherichia coli
Hazardous materials (B2C), as described above
Health practitioners, private medical practices, e-doctors, dental/medical services and facilities
High value fashion, shoes, bags and accessories
High-risk cyber lockers
Human body parts or bodily fluids (excluding hair and teeth)
Internet product and service providers
Intravenous therapy (e.g .IV drip bar, vitamin infusions, hangover cures)
Jewelry, watch, precious stones, metals and silverware stores
Key-entry telecom merchant
Live-streaming Services without in-app currency
Live-streaming Services with in-app donations functionality
Mail order spouse or international match-making services
Medical, dental, ophthalmic and hospital equipment and supplies
Medical Spas
Nutraceuticals and food products, not including highly regulated products such as CBD and kava kava
Nutraceuticals and food products (highly regulated), including, but not limited to CBD and kava kava related products
Pawn shops
Political, religious or Social Campaigning
Real estate services
Services associated with pseudoscience (e.g. clairvoyance, horoscopes)
Telemarketing companies selling products or services as an agent for a third party
Ticket agencies
Timeshare and timeshare maintenance
Travel agents and tour operators
Veterinary practices
Regulated
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessAlcohol sales
Cannabis (only in Canada)
Drugs, and tools specifically intended for the production of drugs, drug paraphernalia, illegal drugs, substances designed to mimic illegal drugs and / or other psychoactive products
Illegal products or services or any service providing peripheral support of illegal activities, including illegal gambling services
Legal gambling or Game of Skill where participants receive cash or cash equivalents or prizes with/of material value: including but not limited to: Casinos, poker, bingo, slot machines, betting, lotteries, racing, fantasy sports
Products or services specifically offered or intended to be used to create, produce or grow drugs or drug ingredients
Pharmaceuticals, prescription medicine and medical devices (including animal pharmaceuticals)
Tobacco, smoking supplies, e-cigarettes, e-liquids, vaping liquid, vaping accessories (domestic sale)
Tobacco, smoking supplies, e-cigarettes, e-liquids, vaping liquid, vaping accessories (online sale)
Trade of fireworks, flammable or radioactive materials
Trade of weapons, ammunitions, military arms, explosive devices and firearm parts
Any type of US based gambling services
Securities and Trading
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessCryptocurrency exchange
High-risk securities such as: contract for difference (CFD), financial spread betting, initial coin offering (ICO), forex currency options, cryptocurrency options, and trading, and purchases
Security brokers /investments of any kind including the purchase of: securities, currencies, derivatives, commodities, shares, options, precious metals, and other financial instruments
Third Party Payment Processing
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessAggregators, including but not limited to marketplaces, platforms
Staged Digital Wallet Operators
Payment Facilitators or other internet payment or member service providers (IPSP or MPS)
Payment service companies, including but not limited to peer-to-peer, bill payments, commissary accounts
Technology
Merchant Platform / Partner BusinessDecryption and descrambler products and services, devices designed to block, jam or interfere with cellular and personal communications