Opening merchant accounts for offshore companies in 2025 remains one of the most frustrating roadblocks for entrepreneurs. While offshore structures are legal and often tax-neutral, most payment processors treat them with suspicion, leaving legitimate businesses without reliable ways to accept card payments.

Whether you’re running a SaaS startup, selling digital products, or managing international clients, the ability to process online payments is essential. But if your business is registered in Belize, Seychelles, BVI, or similar jurisdictions, you’re likely to face automatic rejections when applying through traditional channels. This is where working with the right provider—like DodoPayments—can make all the difference.

Why It’s So Difficult to Open a Merchant Account for an Offshore Company

Most traditional processors are not built to serve international, cross-border companies—especially those incorporated in low-tax or confidential jurisdictions. Banks and payment providers often classify offshore companies as “high risk,” even when their business models are perfectly legal and transparent. The problem isn’t always the industry; it’s the structure.

Why Opening an Offshore Merchant Account Is So Difficult

First, many processors require companies to be registered in countries with strong KYC enforcement and local banking relationships. Offshore jurisdictions, even well-regarded ones like the BVI, often don’t meet these criteria. If your company doesn’t have local substance—like a real office, staff, or tax ID—it will often be auto-declined, even if you pass all compliance checks.

Second, offshore companies are flagged due to perceived risks around chargebacks, fraud, or unclear beneficial ownership. Even when your documents are in order, the fact that your company is not registered in a G20 country may disqualify you before a human even reviews the application.

Lastly, many payment processors have internal policies—especially in the EU and U.S.—that outright reject attempts to open a merchant account for an offshore company. This leaves even experienced entrepreneurs with limited options, forcing them to rely on obscure or unreliable alternatives.

Offshore companies can find it almost impossible to legally accept debit or credit card payments through mainstream channels. This not only limits revenue potential but also undermines the purpose of going offshore in the first place. However, there are some outliers that make it possible for offshore companies to trade just like traditional ones do.

DodoPayments – The Best Solution for Offshore Merchant Accounts

DodoPayments stands out by offering specialized services for offshore companies seeking reliable merchant accounts. Recognizing the challenges offshore entities face, DodoPayments provides a streamlined process to open merchant accounts for offshore companies, ensuring compliance and efficiency.

Accepted Jurisdictions

DodoPayments supports a wide range of jurisdictions commonly used for offshore company formations, including Seychelles, Belize, BVI, and the Marshall Islands. This inclusivity allows businesses from these regions to access merchant services without the typical hurdles posed by traditional payment processors.

Required Documentation

To open a merchant account for an offshore company with DodoPayments, the following documents are typically required:

• Valid government-issued ID
• Business registration documents
• Proof of business operations (e.g., website URL or invoices)

Fee Structure

DodoPayments offers a transparent fee structure:

• Transaction Fees (USA customers): 4% + $0.40
• International Customers (Outside USA): Additional 1.5%
• Subscription Payments: Additional 0.5%

For example, a customer from Spain purchasing a digital product worth $50 would incur platform fees totaling $3.73, resulting in a net profit of $46.27 after taxes and fees.

Why DodoPayments is the Ideal Merchant Partner?

DodoPayments is one of the very few payment providers that not only accepts offshore companies—but is actually built for them. Unlike most mainstream processors that impose blanket restrictions on international entities, DodoPayments understands the offshore model and supports it with clarity, speed, and transparency.

What sets DodoPayments apart is its straightforward, founder-friendly structure. There are no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no hidden onboarding charges. You only pay a small transaction fee when you’re actively processing payments, which makes it ideal for new businesses, lean operations, or companies scaling up gradually.

Once approved, DodoPayments will payout directly to your offshore or onshore bank account with nominal withdrawal fees and support for major currencies like USD and EUR. Payouts are available weekly or biweekly, and the platform does not force unnecessary reserves or delays unless required by volume or industry.

At OVZA, we’ve worked with numerous payment providers over the years, but DodoPayments stands out. Their founding team is among the most professional and responsive partners we’ve dealt with—deeply experienced, regulation-aware, and genuinely committed to helping offshore entrepreneurs succeed. They don’t treat offshore incorporation as a red flag—they treat it as a valid business choice.

For companies looking to open a merchant account for an offshore company without the usual friction, delays, or denials, DodoPayments offers a practical, tested, and high-trust solution that few competitors can match.

Conclusion

Finding a reliable way to process payments is one of the hardest parts of operating an offshore business. Most platforms either ignore the offshore space or impose rigid restrictions that make approval nearly impossible. But the reality is, offshore companies are legal, effective, and often used for entirely legitimate reasons—from asset protection to international scale.

DodoPayments fills a critical gap in this market. With no monthly fees, direct payouts to offshore bank accounts, and a leadership team that actually understands the needs of global entrepreneurs, it stands out as one of the few truly offshore merchant account providers. 

If you’ve been struggling to open a merchant account for an offshore company, or if you’re tired of being blocked by Stripe, PayPal, and other rigid platforms, we invite you to explore DodoPayments through OVZA. Our team will help you structure your company properly, prepare a clean application, and guide you through every step of the onboarding process.