7 Best Payment Gateways for Non Registered Businesses [in 2024]

Looking for the best payment gateway for unregistered business? Well, you're in the right place.

This guide is aimed at freelancers and individuals without a company registration, who want to sell goods or services online but do not know where to start.

There is a lot of info on the internet (mostly misleading!) regarding how to get payment gateway to accept online payments for individuals and non-registered businesses.

You're probably not going to like this, but here is the truth about payment gateways:

  • In most cases, if you want to use payment gateway services, your business has to be registered.
  • Even if you are registered, certain payment gateways do not accept businesses registered outside of certain countries or territories (like for example US or EU).
  • There are even some restrictive ecommerce platforms, like Shopify, that require merchants to sign up for a Shopify merchant account in order to use the payment processing facility.

If you are just starting out, it's good to know such things. It can save you a lot of time, and help prevent locking yourself with the platform or payment gateway that might be holding you back for a while.

However, there are some quite easy options how to get payment gateway without company registration and to bypass those restrictions.

So if the question is: 

Can I accept online payments on my website as a freelancer or non-registered business?

or,

Can I get payment gateway for individuals without company registration?

Well, it's your lucky day - this post contains all the answers, details and step-by-step guide on how to accept online payments and setup a payment gateway without a business registration.

So let's dive right in.

Which payment gateway to use if your business is unregistered?

There are several proven options to enable online payments without a company registration:

  1. PayPal
  2. Square
  3. Stripe
  4. Lyra
  5. Razorpay
  6. Paytm
  7. Paykun

By clicking on the listed providers, you will be taken to a page that explains how you can integrate their services for a non-registered business and start accepting online card payments.

Most payment gateways are offering various integration options, like redirect and API interface, or even an SDK for enabling more complex webshop integrations and capabilities.

International Payment Gateway for Individuals

The last two companies from the previous list are domestic payment gateway providers for India, so only the first 4 are serving international customers:

  1. PayPal
  2. Square
  3. Stripe
  4. Lyra

Q&A | Payment Gateway for Unregistered Business

Can I use Square without a business?

Yes, if you’re not a business, during the account activation you can state that you’re using Square as an individual.

Can I use Stripe without a registered business?

Yes, if you're an individual who may not have a company in their name, you should select that you are a Individual/Sole proprietor during the Stripe account activation.

Can I use PayPal without a business?

Yes, if you’re not a business, during the account activation you can select PayPal personal account and use it to receive payments for the sale of goods and services.

PayPal states that, if you plan to use your PayPal account primarily to sell things, you should consider a business account.

They also recommend business accounts for people and organizations that primarily use PayPal to sell goods or services, even if your business is not incorporated.

Can unregistered business use Razorpay?

Yes, Razorpay offers payment gateway services for freelancers and unregistered businesses.

Have in mind that, at the moment, Razorpay unregistered business offerings are valid only for freelancers and businesses based in India.

Can I get payment gateway without registration?

Yes, at a bare minimum you should be able to start with PayPal, Square or Stripe for accepting online payments for your non-registered business.

I haven't registered my company yet. Can I get a payment gateway?

Yes, you should be able to start with Paypal, Square or Stripe, and then upgrade later once you have your business registered.

After registration, you will have a much wider range of  payment gateways to choose from.

Conclusion: Choose a Payment Gateway Without Company Registration That Fits Your Needs

Choosing the best payment gateway for individuals is not an easy task.

So even if all 7 options we have listed for selling online without business registration are stil not suitable for you, you might consider an option to accept crypto payments instead.

Check this post for more info on best bitcoin payment gateways.


Author: Drasko Georgijev

I'm a financial technology professional with 15+ years of experience in payment cards, eCommerce, transaction processing and switching.
From time to time, I'm sharing some helpful tips, tactics, and news about Digital Commerce and Fintech.
So don't forget to share this post and subscribe to my mailing list.

Got questions? Ping me on LinkedIn.

You may also like: