Once you're invited to Stripe Atlas, you'll need to provide us with information about your product, team, and how you'd like to set up your new company. Read on to preview the steps you'll take, the information you'll provide, and to learn more about the application fee.

What you’ll do

Once you’re invited to Stripe Atlas, we’ll send you a link to the online application. Through the application you’ll provide us with the initial information we need to make sure we can support your business. You’ll also upload any required files.

You can view, edit, and save your application along the way until you’re ready to submit it. (If you find a typo after submitting your application, just email us to correct it.)

Upon submission, we’ll review your information to make sure we can support your business. We’ll contact you if we have any additional questions or need more information.

If we can support your business, we’ll share incorporation and bank account opening documents for you to sign. If we can’t support your business, we’ll send an email to let you know why.

While we’re working on our end, you can begin building your Stripe integration using test data!

Information you’ll need to provide

All of the information we request is required to:

• Generate the necessary documents to incorporate your company
• Open your bank account
• Set up your Stripe account
• Confirm that we can support your business

The Stripe Atlas Agreement and the Stripe Privacy Policy give more detail about the information we collect and how we use that information. Contact us at atlas@stripe.com if you have any questions along the way.

Your business and products or services

To help you open your Silicon Valley Bank and Stripe accounts, we typically need to review your website to view the products or services you’re selling, how much you charge, how customers can contact you, your terms of service, and more. If your website is still a work in progress, we’ll ask for screenshots, wireframes, or a detailed description that outlines where you’re headed.

We’ll also ask about the company itself: its founders, investors, and other relevant history.

The company to be created

Using Stripe Atlas, you will create a Delaware corporation as either a new company—owned by individuals and investors—or as a Delaware subsidiary of an existing company (even if that company is not located in the U.S.). You’ll need to choose the appropriate option and then provide:

• The new company’s proposed name
• A physical business address (not necessarily in the U.S.)
• A contact phone number
• The number of shares of stock to be authorized

The name of the company being created must be available (i.e., not already registered) in Delaware. You can confirm the availability of a name at the Delaware Division of Corporations website.

If you are creating the new company as a subsidiary of an existing company, you’ll need to provide the parent company’s name, type (e.g., corporation), tax ID number, and a copy of the company’s government-issued registration document (as a PDF, PNG, or JPG).

The choice of a standalone or subsidiary company and the number of shares you authorize for your company can impact the amount of franchise tax you owe and your future tax and compliance obligations. To help with this decision, Atlas users get access to tax and legal guides from PwC and Orrick. (PwC and Orrick will not provide tailored tax or legal advice unless you engage them to represent you directly as a client.) We strongly recommend asking your own legal counsel or tax advisors for their advice as well.

Many companies that incorporated with Stripe Atlas (with 10,000,000 authorized shares) end up owing the minimum Delaware franchise tax amount due (currently $350 per year) under the Assumed Par Value calculation method.

Your team

You’ll need to tell us about yourself, anyone else that owns more than 25% of the company, and anyone else filling the primary company roles. It is not required or expected that owners or officers are U.S. citizens or residents.

You’ll need to provide each representative’s:

• Email address
• Phone number
• Legal name
• Date of birth
• Personal, physical address
• Percent of company ownership
• Government-issued identification document

You’ll need to upload color scans of identification documents in PNG or JPG format.

Application fee

Stripe Atlas has a one-time $500 (USD) fee for all successful applications. We’ll take your payment details with your application submission, but will not charge you until your company is fully established.

Live Stripe account

Upon completing the Stripe Atlas application, you’ll have a new U.S. Stripe account that you can use for test transactions. This allows you to start working on your integration while your account progresses.

Once your Silicon Valley Bank account is created, you can start processing live payments.

Next steps

Now that you’ve learned about the Stripe Atlas application, you may want to read:

• Account Progress
• What's Next
• Card Payments Quickstart
• Guides to Starting an Internet Business