# Set up your account Verify your business to set up Stripe services on a live account. To securely set up your account: - [Create a Stripe account](https://dashboard.stripe.com/register) if you haven’t already. - [Complete the account checklist](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/checklist.md) for safety and security compliance. - [Verify your business in the Dashboard](https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/onboarding). Provide information about your business, product, and relationship to the business. As you use more Stripe services, we might request additional information or verification. After creating a Stripe account, you can test Stripe services in a *sandbox* (A sandbox is an isolated test environment that allows you to test Stripe functionality in your account without affecting your live integration. Use sandboxes to safely experiment with new features and changes). To use a service in live mode, verify your business and complete its activation requirements. Our “Know Your Customer” (KYC) obligations require us to collect and maintain this information for all users. Regulators and financial partners require it to help prevent financial-system abuse. We review it for compliance with [our services agreement](https://stripe.com/legal/ssa) and contact you if we need anything else. After activating a Stripe service on a live account, you can’t change the business origin country. To use a different supported country as your primary business location, create a new account. > Privacy and security are priorities for Stripe. Our [privacy policy](https://stripe.com/privacy) explains how and for what purposes we collect, use, retain, disclose, and safeguard any personal data you provide to us. ## Public business information Your customers see the following details on either their card statements or in [email receipts](https://docs.stripe.com/receipts.md) sent by Stripe. - Business name and website URL - Support email address, phone number, and address - Support site URL - Statement descriptor text You provide this information when you verify your business, and can update it any time in your [Account settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/public). Make sure that your [statement descriptor text](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/statement-descriptors.md) and business information are clearly associated with you. If your customer can’t recognize one of your payments, they might [dispute](https://docs.stripe.com/disputes.md) it. ## Keep your account safe After you set up your account, you’ll want to keep it safe. Here are our recommendations: - **Keep private information private**: Don’t share your password and keep your secret [API keys](https://docs.stripe.com/keys.md) confidential on your own servers. Store secret keys in a secrets vault, not in source code. Use [restricted API keys](https://docs.stripe.com/keys.md#create-restricted-api-key) instead of secret keys wherever possible. As a reminder, Stripe employees never ask you for your keys. - **Don’t reuse your Stripe password**: Use a password that’s unique to Stripe. If you use your password on another site and that site is compromised, an attacker could use those stolen credentials to take over your account. If you need to reset your password, click **Edit** > **Change password** in your [Personal details](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/user) settings, and enter a new password. - **Use team members to provide others with access to your account**: You can [invite others](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/teams.md) (with limited access) to your Stripe account so that they can log in and take certain actions. - **Update your computer and browser regularly**: We recommend configuring your computer to automatically download and install updates (for example, [macOS](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201541) or [Windows](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/306525)). This helps protect your system against automated attacks and malware. - **Beware of phishing**: All [genuine Stripe sites](https://support.stripe.com/questions/verify-you-are-on-an-official-stripe-webpage) use the `stripe.com` domain and HTTPS. If you get an email from us that you don’t expect, go directly to our site to log in. Don’t enter your password after clicking a link in an email. If you’re not sure if a message is from Stripe, review [Verified Stripe domains](https://support.stripe.com/questions/verified-stripe-domains) on Stripe Support. - **Enable two-factor authentication with a passkey or security key**: When you enable two-factor authentication (2FA), you need to provide an additional verification step to complete the login process. Stripe supports passkeys, security keys, authenticator apps, and SMS. We recommend passkeys or security keys because they’re resistant to phishing. SMS-based 2FA is vulnerable to SIM-swapping and interception, so use it only as a last resort. To enable this feature, go to your [user settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/user). ## Close your account You can [close your account](https://support.stripe.com/questions/close-a-stripe-account) any time you want. We recommend you leave it dormant in case you need to access any financial data or take action to resolve a dispute. ## See also - [Account checklist](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/checklist.md) - [Multiple accounts](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/multiple-accounts.md) - [Single sign-on](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/sso.md)