Choose your onboarding configuration
Learn about the different options for onboarding your connected accounts.
Stripe offers several different onboarding options:
- Stripe-hosted onboarding: Your connected accounts go through the onboarding flow in a Stripe-hosted web form.
- Embedded onboarding: You embed the Account onboarding component directly in your application and your connected accounts go through the onboarding flow without leaving your application.
- API onboarding: You use Stripe’s APIs to build your own customized onboarding UI.
Choose the onboarding option that best fits your business. Stripe recommends using Stripe-hosted onboarding or Embedded onboarding. These options automatically update to handle changing requirements when they apply to a connected account.
| STRIPE-HOSTED ONBOARDING | EMBEDDED ONBOARDING | API ONBOARDING | |
|---|---|---|---|
| INTEGRATION EFFORT | |||
| CUSTOMIZATION | Stripe-branded with limited platform branding | Highly themeable with limited Stripe branding | Full control over your own UI |
| AUTOMATIC UPDATES FOR NEW COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS | Immediate | Immediate | Requires integration changes |
| SUPPORT NEW COUNTRIES WITHOUT INTEGRATION CHANGES | |||
| SUPPORT LEGAL ENTITY SHARING (Accounts v1 only) | |||
| FLOW LOGIC | Limited control | Limited control | Full control |
| IDEAL FOR | Platforms that want Stripe to handle onboarding | Platforms that want a branded onboarding flow within their application | Platforms that require full control of the onboarding flow and have the resources to build and maintain it |
Stripe-hosted onboarding
Stripe-hosted onboarding is a web form hosted by Stripe with your brand’s name, color, and icon. Stripe-hosted onboarding uses the Accounts API to read the requirements and generate an onboarding form with robust data validation and is localized for all Stripe-supported countries.
Stripe-hosted onboarding with Accounts v1 supports legal entity sharing, which allows owners of multiple Stripe accounts to share certain business information between them. When they onboard an account, they can reuse that information from an existing account instead of resubmitting it.
Use Stripe-hosted onboarding if you want Stripe to handle onboarding with little effort from your platform.
Learn more about Stripe-hosted onboarding
Embedded onboarding
Embedded onboarding is a highly themeable onboarding UI with limited Stripe branding. Your platform embeds the Account onboarding component in your application, and your connected accounts interact with the embedded component without ever leaving your application. Embedded onboarding uses the Accounts API to read the requirements and generate an onboarding form with robust data validation and is localized for all Stripe-supported countries.
Embedded onboarding with Accounts v1 supports legal entity sharing, which allows owners of multiple Stripe accounts to share certain business information between them. When they onboard an account, they can reuse that information from an existing account instead of resubmitting it.
With embedded onboarding, you get a customized onboarding flow without the complexity and maintenance associated with updating your onboarding integration as compliance requirements change.
Learn more about Embedded onboarding
API onboarding
You use the Accounts API to build an onboarding flow and handle identity verification, localization, and error handling for each country your connected accounts onboard in. Stripe can be completely invisible to the account holder. Your platform is responsible for all interactions with your connected accounts and for collecting all the information needed to verify each account. Verification requirements are updated as laws and regulations change around the world. You must plan on reviewing and updating onboarding requirements at least every six months.
Stripe doesn’t recommend this option unless you’re fully committed to the operational complexity required to build and maintain an API onboarding flow. For a customized onboarding flow, Stripe strongly recommends embedded onboarding.