Brief Summary
Stripe — one of the most well-known online payment systems, but the article explicitly states that Stripe is currently not available in Ukraine and does not transfer funds to Ukrainian banks. The material explains how Stripe works, what fees it charges, what documents are needed for registration, and how Ukrainian sellers can connect Stripe payments via Western Bid.
Who is this article for
- For online store owners who want to accept international card payments.
- For sellers on Shopify, WooCommerce, and other e-commerce platforms.
- For Ukrainian entrepreneurs who want to understand if they can work with Stripe in 2024.
Main Point
To understand if Stripe is suitable for Ukrainian sellers, you need to know: where Stripe is officially available, which countries are supported, what fees are charged, how verification is conducted, to which bank account the money is withdrawn, and how a Ukrainian store can practically connect Stripe.
How to Understand if Stripe is Right for You: Step by Step
- Determine what you need Stripe for: accepting online payments, automating payments, or integrating with your website.
- Check the availability of Stripe in your country: the article states that Stripe is currently unavailable in Ukraine.
- Assess where your business is registered: Stripe only works in supported countries.
- Prepare documents for verification: ID, business data, and address documents.
- Calculate the fees: separately for online, offline, and international transactions.
- Check where you’ll withdraw funds: the article mentions that a US bank account is required to operate.
- Choose an integration method: ready plugin for Shopify / WooCommerce or API.
- If you are a seller from Ukraine, check available alternative solutions: the article suggests connecting via Western Bid.
What Ukrainian sellers need to know about Stripe
| Question | Brief Answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Does Stripe work in Ukraine? | No, the article states that Stripe is not available in Ukraine | This is the main limitation for Ukrainian sellers |
| What is Stripe used for? | For accepting online and offline payments and automating financial processes | Helps understand the practical value of the system |
| What cards does Stripe support? | Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, UnionPay | Shows coverage of payment methods |
| What documents are required? | Identity, business documents, and proof of address | Needed for account verification |
| Where are the funds transferred? | To the linked bank account; the article mentions a US account | Critical for the seller’s financial model |
| How much does Stripe cost? | Typically free to connect, but transaction fees apply | Necessary for calculating sales costs |
| How is Stripe integrated? | Via Shopify / WooCommerce plugins or API | Important for technical store integration |
Where is Stripe available?
Stripe is available in 46 countries worldwide, such as the USA, Canada, in most European Union countries, as well as in some countries in Asia and Latin America. It is also available in Australia. Currently, Stripe is not available in Ukraine.
Which countries support Stripe?
Stripe is supported in the USA, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and many other countries considered developed nations. Stripe operates on almost all markets where there is high purchasing power in the population, meaning in countries where people buy a lot online.
Who uses Stripe?
Stripe is used by various businesses, both private and corporate. In particular, large brands like Lyft, Amazon, Shopify, and Pinterest also utilize Stripe. Small businesses and non-profit organizations also use it. Everyone who accepts online payments integrates Stripe as one of the payment methods.
Stripe is essential for successfully running an online business. Therefore, sellers use Stripe quite frequently.
How does Stripe work?
Stripe processes payments by transferring payment information between the seller, the bank, and the buyer. The process is very simple, although, of course, it is quite secure and includes data encryption, transaction verification, and transfer of funds to the seller’s bank account. Essentially, Stripe is a payment tool used by the buyer to transfer money to the seller.
Which cards does Stripe support?
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Dinner Club, and UnionPay work with Stripe. There are also a number of mobile wallets and buy-now-pay-later services that also use Stripe.
How to open an account in Stripe?
To open an account with Stripe, you need to register on the Stripe website, verify your email address, and after activating your account, add business information and your bank account details, i.e., banking requisites necessary for receiving money from Stripe. Currently, it is not possible to open a Stripe account directly in Ukraine.
What do you need to register with Stripe?
To register with Stripe, you need to visit the Stripe website, create an account in the payment system, confirm your email address, and provide business information.
What is needed for verification in Stripe?
To verify your identity in Stripe, you need to provide documents that confirm your identity and business information. An internal passport, a foreign passport, or a driver’s license are suitable, and if necessary, you can also upload registration documents of the company and other business documents that verify your address. For example, a phone bill.
How to connect a payment system in Stripe?
To connect to Stripe, you need to register on the Stripe website and also integrate Stripe into your site. Stripe has many ready-made plugins for popular sites like Shopify or WooCommerce, and you can also connect to Stripe via API. Stripe does not work with sites that are open from Ukraine, because Stripe does not transfer money to Ukraine and, accordingly, does not provide service to sellers from Ukraine. However, one way to solve this problem is to connect to the Western Bid online sales platform.
How much does it cost to connect Stripe?
Connecting Stripe is usually free, but a certain fee is charged for each transaction. Typically, this fee is 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions and 2.7% + $0.05 for offline transactions. For international transactions, the fee is 3.4% + $0.30.
How to connect Stripe to Shopify?
To connect Stripe to Shopify, you need to register with Stripe and select Stripe as the payment provider in Shopify’s payment settings. Stripe provides integration instructions, and accordingly, Shopify also provides such instructions. It should be noted that for sellers in Ukraine who are not connected to the Western Bid platform, this integration will not work.
How to withdraw money from Stripe?
To withdraw funds, you need to link your bank account to your Stripe account, and the funds will be automatically transferred to the specified account. You choose the payout schedule yourself. There is daily top-up, weekly, or monthly. Again, to work with Stripe, an American account is required, i.e., an account in an American bank. Accordingly, Stripe does not transfer funds to Ukraine.
How does an Ukrainian vendor connect to Stripe?
Our company Western Bid provides the opportunity to trade worldwide from Ukraine, and at the same time your customers can pay for their purchases via Stripe. You need to register with Western Bid and submit an application, and our manager will contact you and carry out the integration with our platform so that products can be paid for via Stripe. The procedure takes very little time, and it is free of charge. You can learn more about this on the relevant page of our website.
For the Ukrainian seller, the question of Stripe is not just about the payment system, but about country availability, a bank account, verification, and a practical way to connect payments to the store.
Want to understand how to connect Stripe for a store from Ukraine?
Start by checking your business registration country, bank account, documents, and integration scenario. For Ukrainian sellers, the key issue is not only technical connection but also a legal and operational way to accept payments.
