- Visa service providers (online visa application services) not directly affiliated to a government representation of a foreign country
- Fortune telling or similar services in-person or via video, phone, chat, app or SMS messaging, including horoscopes, astrology readings, psychic hotlines, fortune telling, tarot card reading, future tellers, clairvoyance and similar
- Child pornography, non-consensual acts, violence without an obvious sexual context or any illegal activities (i.e. human trafficking, rape, bestiality, exploitation of prostitution, illegal or forced labour)
- Time-sharing of properties (i.e. property with a divided form of ownership or use rights)
- High-Cost-Short-Term Credit / Pay-day loans
- Crowd-funding
- Money sending services
Self-Onboarding FAQ
Table of content
Before we get started
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Trade registration, company bank details, copy of ID, shareholding structure or UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner), financial statement, field-specific licence.
These documents do not guarantee an accepted contract. Risk will check all the documents and let you know if anything needs clarification or if we decide to not proceed with a partnership.
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We have a responsibility to assess whether there is a risk of our products and services being used for money laundering and / or the financing of terrorism. We are required to know our customers and their businesses very well, which is why we ask all our customers these questions. This is comparable to the security check at an airport. Everyone has to undergo it so that the security staff can identify anyone who needs closer scrutiny. If we act together, we can help stop criminal activities.
As an acquirer and payment provider, Worldline is required by law to do detailed checks on your company, its shareholders, and your business model.
During the registration
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- Company name (officially registered): legally registered name used on the official letters of company (e.g. billing), or company registration;
- Company name (customer perspective): the name of your store / business used to market your company towards your costumers.
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It is the field in which your company works in. We need additional information about your line of business to assess the risk checks we need to do.
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Anyone in the company who is a allowed to sign a contract(signatory). It is mandatory that these documents are complete; otherwise, the onboarding cannot be finished.
For Associations, you can fill in everyone who is in the statutes or in the signing regulations.
After the registration
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- Check your SPAM folder;
- Contact our support team and ask them to send it again (please refer to the support number stated in official emails received during the registration).
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Yes, our risk team could potentially contact you directly if they are missing documents or information necessary to identify you as a customer. This is for your and our protection, to make sure everything is complete to finish the contract.
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- In some cases it is possible that our risk team needs a thorough check of your business case and this can impact the delivery of your device;
- It is important to fill in all fields as precisely as possible to facilitate the risk check.
List of businesses we do not support
- Binary options (Card Not Present)
- Art galleries
- Weapons and related products / services
- Protected animals and body parts of protected animals, living or dead, or protected flora by-products
- Human beings, human organs, tissues and other human body parts, purchase and sale of hair
- Surrogacy and clinical trials
- Products illegal according to legislation in the country of either where the merchant is located, or if online, where the merchant targets its sales and / or marketing. Examples of illegal drugs might include psychoactive substances include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinol (CBN), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)
- Colour grading for industries
1.0. Application requirements
In this section, you can read about what kind of information and documentation Worldline requires before you can start accepting payments using our services.
As an acquirer and payment provider, Worldline is required by law to do detailed checks on your company, its shareholders, and your business model. We will therefore be doing these checks as part of the onboarding process prior to you getting full access to our services, as well as during periodic reviews of your existing accounts.
During your application process, you will always need to provide the following documentation:
If you want to accept payments online, in addition we need to see that your online platform satisfies website and app requirements:
Request of additional documentation
Depending on your business model, entity structure and the goods or services, you will be selling using Worldline acquiring, we might ask for additional documentation to verify any aspects of your business that might be unclear to us.
This could for example be additional proof of the business model, the ownership or control structure or the professional qualifications of individuals performing or delivering certain services (e.g. medical degree / license, taxi license, ownership and control chart etc.)
2.0. Company registration document
Your company registration document can be either:
- Articles of incorporation;
- An up-to-date extract from the chamber of commerce (Company Trade Registry);
- An up-to-date extract from the UBO registry (country specific).
The Company Trade Registry extract must either:
- Be issued within the last 3 months;
- Be signed and dated by the entity’s authorised signatory, and show that the document reflects the current state of affairs.
NOTE: PO Box as registered address is not accepted.
3.0. Merchant bank statement
Why do I need to provide a bank statement?
To ensure that we are paying out founds to the correct account belonging to you as the merchant of record, we will need to verify the account ownership.
The proof of bank account can be any of the following:
- A bank statement;
- A screenshot of your online banking environment (must include account owner name, date of issuance, name of the bank and account number / IBAN);
- An official letter issued by a bank.
Requirements for all types of documentation
The document must show:
- An indicator that the document was issued by a bank, such as the bank name, a bank logo or a bank-specific letterhead or font;
- The country where the bank account is located. For EU bank statements, Worldline infers the country from the IBAN;
- The date of issuance needs to be visible and needs to be no more than 3 months old;
- The account holder name. This must match the legal entity name or trading name of your business of record;
- The account number or IBAN needs to be visible.
Specific for official bank letters:
- All letters must have a stamp or signature from the bank and contain a bank logo or a bank letterhead.
4.0. Proof of identity
You will be asked to provide proof of identity for the following individuals:
- The person signing the contract;
- Shareholders who have 25% or more of the shares or voting rights.
The proof of identity can be any of the following photo IDs:
- Passport: Make a copy of the data page, with your picture, details, and machine-readable zone clearly visible;
- National ID card: Make a copy of both the front and back, and save them to separate files (country specific);
- Driving license: Make a copy of both the front and back, and save them to separate files (country specific).
4.1. ID requirements
The photo ID must:
- Not be expired;
- Have the machine-readable zone visible (if available);
- Be a photo or a scan of the physical photo ID document.
The uploaded document must:
- Have separate files for front and back of the ID document (only when providing an ID card or driver’s license) where applicable;
- Be a full colour, cropped, and straightened image;
- Be a photo or a scan of the physical photo ID document.
We do not accept:
- A screenshot of a photo, a photo pasted on another document, a photo of a screen, or a photo of a printout.
5.0. Verification of ownership
The Ultimate Beneficial Owner(s) (UBO) is/are the individual(s) who hold(s) at least 25% of the shares or exercise(s) substantial control or decision-making power over customers. The concept of beneficial ownership ensures that the nature of ownership or control is not concealed behind complex legal structures and that individuals with significant influence can be identified, verified, and risk-assessed.
When a UBO cannot be identified in the ownership and control structure, an Alternative Beneficial Owner (ABO) needs to be appointed. This is an individual in a decision-making position that will be noted as the beneficial owner in the absence of a real UBO.
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In some cases, we need to ask you for additional documents to verify the ownership and control structure of your company:
- Ownership and control chart
- Shareholder agreement
- Partnership agreement
In rare cases of complex structures that require enhanced due diligence:
- Control by other means
- Bearer share letter
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The ownership and control chart is a visual diagram of the ownership and control structure of the entity or entities involved in your company, and states the Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs).
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The full ownership and control structure of all entities and UBOs under review, including all intermediate companies;
- Official legal entity name, legal form, and registered country for every entity on the chart;
- Ownership and control relation between the entities, including ownership percentages;
- Indication of how the criteria for identifying UBOs are fulfilled, for example an individual owning more than 25% of the total shares;
- A signature confirming the organisational chart’s content, the name and job title of the signing person, and the date when the signature was given (not older than 6 months).
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- An internal person who is a qualified professional such as a lawyer, accountant or auditor, and whose qualification can be checked through the official website of the professional body. The professional body must be either in the registered country of your company, or in the same country as another entity in the ownership and control chart.
- An external person or a professional body, certified by a consultancy firm, notary, lawyer, auditor, or other comparable official legal service provider from the registered country of the legal entity or entities under review.
6.0. Website and application requirements
If you want to be able to accept online payments, there are several requirements related to content that must be clearly visible for your online store or business.
Therefore, you will be asked to provide the URL to either your live website / app or a test environment, so we can ensure that your online business satisfies the requirements on the next page.
6.1. Terms and conditions
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The live website or test deployment must include the following:
- Legal entity name;
- Clear description of the product or service offered, including accurate pricing and good quality images;
- Clear information on how payments happen, including when the customers card is debited. For example, instantly, when goods are shipped or through a subscription;
- Currency in which the customer is debited (EUR, USD, CHF etc.);
- Information regarding VAT, or enterprise number in case VAT is not available;
- Delivery information (delivery terms, pricing, and time);
- Purchase terms and conditions accessible, and to be approved before purchase is finalised;
- Refund and cancellation policy mentioned as per EU law;
- Contact information (phone number and email address to merchant or customer service);
- Specify the types of accepted payment cards;
- Mention of third parties involved in providing the service or product (e.g., through drop shipping);
- Mention of relevant governing law.
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PCI DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
Your website must comply with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) to protect your customers and transaction details.
6.2. Subscriptions, free trials and recurring payment schemes
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- During the order process, make sure that the cardholder gives their consent to enter a subscription service.
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- The length of a trial period, introductory offer, or promotional period;
- The amount and date of the initial transaction even if no amount is due;
- The amount for subsequent recurring transactions;
- A way to allow the cardholder to easily cancel any subsequent transactions, for example, a link or through an SMS;
- Send an electronic reminder notification, such as an email or SMS, and a link to online cancellation at least 7 days before initiating a recurring transaction if:
- A trial period, promotional period or introductory offer has expired;
- The recurring agreement has changed. For example, the price or the billing period.
The cancellation of subscription payments must be easily accessible for online shoppers. For example, provide a link to a cancellation page or a direct contact.
6.3. Checkout and payment process information
During the checkout and payment process, your website must clearly show your company’s:
- Legal entity name;
- Trading name, if applicable;
- Company registration number;
- Company location;
- Customer to actively approve terms and conditions*.
*You must have a check box with the statement “I agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Refund and Cancellation policy.” The statement must have links to the documents mentioned. Shoppers must select the check box to accept the statement before continuing to the checkout / payment page.