You set up a Shopify store, and then you open Settings, then Payments and find that Shopify Payments is not offered where you live. It is a common point to get stuck, and it has nothing to do with the quality of your store.
This article explains why it happens, how to check your country, and the real options you have in 2026. We keep the claims general on purpose, because rules and pricing change. Where it matters, we point you to the official pages.
Why Shopify Payments is limited to some countries
Shopify Payments is a payment service that Shopify runs with banking partners. To offer it in a country, Shopify needs licences and bank relationships there. It has switched it on only where it has them.
That means the list is about Shopify’s own set-up. It is not a judgement about sellers in other countries.
How to check your country
- Open Shopify’s help center page for Shopify Payments supported countries.
- Find the country where your business is registered or where you live as an individual seller. Shopify uses this, not the country of your shoppers.
- Check the country of the bank account that will receive payouts too.
When we looked in November 2026, the page listed 41 entries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Shopify can add or remove countries, so treat this as a snapshot and check the page yourself. If your country is not listed, Shopify says to use a third-party payment provider.
Your options
Option 1: A third-party gateway that Shopify supports where you live
Shopify connects to many outside providers, and the list differs by country. In Settings, then Payments, you see what is offered for you.
- Good: you stay inside Shopify’s normal checkout, and setup is quick.
- Watch for: the list may be short, some providers only serve domestic shoppers, and Shopify normally adds a transaction fee on top of the provider’s fee. Look up the current rate for your plan.
- Best for: sellers whose shoppers live in the same country as them.
Option 2: Manual payment methods
Bank transfer, cash on delivery and similar methods you confirm yourself.
- Good: no processor needed, and in some markets shoppers like cash on delivery.
- Watch for: many shoppers will not trust or finish a bank transfer to an unknown store. Refused parcels and unpaid orders become your risk. International shoppers rarely use these methods.
- Best for: a local market where cash on delivery is normal.
Option 3: Form a company in a supported country
Some sellers set up a company abroad, such as a US LLC, to open a payment account there.
- Good: it can open access to processors that only serve businesses in certain countries.
- Watch for: setup costs, ongoing fees, tax and compliance questions, and no guarantee of approval. Get advice from a qualified professional first. We cover this in How to start Shopify dropshipping without a US LLC.
- Best for: sellers who have a clear reason and professional advice.
Option 4: A hosted checkout paid through your own Whop account
You keep your Shopify store and replace the checkout step with a hosted checkout page, ideally on your own domain. The payment is taken through your own Whop account, and the paid order is created in Shopify so your fulfilment apps keep working. CheckoutFlare is a tool for this route.
- Good: shoppers can pay by card and, depending on what Whop enables for you, wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Whop pays out to 200+ countries by bank, mobile wallet or crypto, depending on where you live.
- Watch for: you need a Whop account and must pass its verification. Whop, not CheckoutFlare, decides whether to approve you and how payouts work in your country. Shop Pay is Shopify’s own wallet and is not available on this checkout.
- Best for: sellers who cannot use a normal processor and want a route that is open to their country.
Option 5: Sell somewhere else
A marketplace or another store platform may support payments in your country. It means leaving Shopify and starting over, so it is a bigger step. It is worth a look if every route above is closed.
How to choose
Ask yourself these questions in order.
- Where are my shoppers? For local shoppers a local method may be enough. For shoppers in the US, UK or EU, you need cards and wallets.
- How will I receive the money? Find the payout methods, minimums and schedule for your country before you spend on ads.
- What is the total cost? Add the gateway’s fees, any extra Shopify transaction fee and any checkout tool fee. Our pricing page has a calculator.
- Will my products be accepted? Read the provider’s list of restricted items.
- Can I test first? Try the sign-up and verification before you build around a provider.
Test before you commit
The most useful thing you can do is test the route cheaply and early.
- Create a free Whop account and see how far verification gets you.
- Build your checkout in CheckoutFlare on the free plan and place test orders. Nothing goes live and nothing is charged.
- Run the Readiness Check to find gaps in your store that payment companies care about.
If any step fails, you know early and you have lost almost nothing.
Prepare your store for any payment account
Whatever you choose, payment companies look at your store. Before you apply:
- Add refund, shipping, privacy and terms pages, and a contact page with a real email.
- Use a real store name and logo, and remove placeholder text.
- Give honest delivery times. If products ship from overseas, say so.
- Avoid restricted products such as counterfeit goods.
- Write real product descriptions and use real photos.
These steps help with holds and disputes as well, which is the subject of our guide on Shopify Payments payouts on hold.
Pricing for the Whop route
Using CheckoutFlare, building and testing are free. Starter is $0 a month plus 1% of each order, and your first $1,000 of sales per store are fee-free. Growth is $49 a month plus 0.4%, and Scale is $119 a month plus 0.2%. Whop’s own card processing fees are separate and set by Whop. See Billing and plans for how the monthly bill works.
Country guides
We wrote short guides for sellers in countries that are not on Shopify’s list, with the specific points to check for each one. Start from the countries page.
The short version
Not having Shopify Payments does not stop you from selling on Shopify. You can use a local gateway, manual methods, a company abroad, or a hosted checkout paid through your own Whop account. The right choice depends on where your shoppers are, how you will get paid, and what you can be approved for.
Test the route before you build around it. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice, so ask a qualified professional about banking, tax and registration in your country.