Every day, we get inquiries from merchants who need to process payments through their website.
S/he could be offering a product such as shoes or a service such as tech support. As our account managers always do, they’ll ask the initial pertinent questions:
- Did you have a payment solution prior to contacting us?
- If so, was your merchant account closed and why?
- What is your sales volume?
And finally this: Where is your business located?
If it is on our list of excluded countries, we will likely – and unfortunately – decline the merchant account.
3 Reasons Why Certain Countries are Off Limits to Process Payments
The short answer is this: As a merchant services provider that partners with domestic and international banks, Instabill must protect itself and all parties involved. That said, there are three reasons we maintain an excluded countries list.
- Civil Unrest: Currently, it is not realistic to process payments for businesses in, for example, certain Middle East countries – such as Syria or Iraq – that are unfortunately engulfed in war.
- Economic Embargo: Countries such as North Korea and Iran fall into this category. Our government might impose an embargo because of political differences, political unrest or human rights violations. The U.S. maintained sanctions against Cuba for 55 years, but lifted them in 2015.
- Rife With Fraud: Ever receive one of those e-mails from a country halfway around the world, whose prince was so generously offering you his fortune provided you sent him your banking details? Unfortunately, there are quite a few of those countries on our excluded list with widespread fraud and lack of banking and payments infrastructure.
Our Prohibited List is Shrinking
At one point, we had more than 90 countries on our list of excluded countries, but we’re pleased to say that list has been whittled down significantly.
Curious as to whether your country is on our prohibited list? Our merchant account managers are always up for a conversation at 1-800-318-2713.
