Payments · Telehealth7 min readUpdated November 2, 2026

How to Get a Telehealth Merchant Account Approved

The documents, clinical file and checkout underwriters check before approving a telehealth brand, who requires LegitScript, timelines and refusals.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 16 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

Send a complete file in three parts: the business (owner ID, company documents, bank and processing statements), the clinical model (prescriber licenses, how intake, review and prescribing work, who charges for the medication) and a live site whose checkout shows price, renewal and cancellation. LegitScript depends on the processor. Published approval times range from one day to three weeks.

Stripe says telemedicine applicants "typically need to provide items such as license numbers and information on your processes".
Typical business file: owner ID, signed application, voided check, 3 months of bank statements, 3 months of processing statements.
Soar Payments requires LegitScript or VIPPS proof to sell medicine online; Stripe doesn't require LegitScript for telemedicine.
Selling the medication yourself adds pharmacy registration: Visa Tier 1 and Mastercard's legality check, reviewed at least every 12 months.
Published timelines: 24 to 72 hours (Corepay), 1 to 4 business days (Easy Pay Direct), 2 to 3 weeks (Adaptiv Payments).

Want to go further? Ask

On this page

This guide is part of our hub on telehealth payment processing. The general guide, for any business: how to get a merchant account approved.

The documents

Document	Why they ask
Government-issued photo ID of each owner	Identity checks3
Signed merchant application	The legal request3
Company formation documents (articles, LLC agreement, ownership)	Who owns the business4
Voided check or bank letter	Where payouts go3
3 months of bank statements	Cash flow3
3 months of processing statements, if you have them	Refunds and chargeback history3
Provider licensing documentation	Who prescribes, where4
Information on your services	What exactly you sell3

New brands without processing history: merchant accounts for new telehealth companies.

The clinical file processors want

This is where telehealth files differ from ordinary ecommerce. Stripe asks for "license numbers and information on your processes"1; specialized processors ask the same in more detail4.

Prescribers
Names, license numbers, states covered, who employs or contracts them
Clinical flow
Intake, who reviews it, synchronous or asynchronous consult, when a prescription is issued or refused
Medication
Which licensed pharmacy fills it, and who charges the patient for it
Refused cases
What the patient pays if the clinician declines
Structure
Medical group and management company, if you use that model: ownership and licensing
Data
Where intake answers live; nothing clinical goes to the processor, as Stripe's agreement requires13

Do you need LegitScript?

It depends on the processor and on whether you sell the medication.

Who	Position
Stripe	"Telemedicine businesses don't need certification from LegitScript"1
Soar Payments	"If you are selling medicine or similar services online you will need to provide copy of VIPPS Certification or proof of registration with Legit Script"5
Merchant Service Depot	"No LegitScript required" on its telemedicine page6
Adaptiv Payments	LegitScript "if you provide pharmaceuticals"4
Visa	Uses it to exempt certified pharmacies (MCC 5122, 5912) from registration; telemedicine isn't in the program9

Watch out

LegitScript's telemedicine program covers businesses that "Offer telemedicine or online consultations that may result in a prescription", and certification applies to "the root domain"11. If you'll need it for Google or Meta ads anyway, apply early. More: does a platform's LegitScript cover your brand?

If you sell the medication, the file changes

A consultation or membership usually sits under a physician or medical services code. Medication sold card-not-present is a pharmacy sale, with network rules on top of the processor's.

Rule	What it requires
Visa integrity risk program	Pharmacies (MCC 5122, 5912) are Tier 1: "All High Integrity Risk Merchants must be registered with Visa prior to submitting transactions", unless accredited by NABP or LegitScript9
Mastercard	Non-face-to-face pharmaceutical merchants must be registered; the acquirer verifies legality, possibly through "a written opinion from independent, reputable, and qualified legal counsel or accreditation by a recognized third party", reviewed at least every 12 months10

Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments. Many telehealth brands keep the medication with a licensed pharmacy for this reason, or launch on a telehealth stack with storefront, doctors, pharmacy and payments that carries that relationship: charging the consultation and the medication separately.

What underwriters check on your site

Underwriters open your site before they approve. Adaptiv warns that a site "still under construction or missing key pages" will likely be delayed or denied4.

[ ] What you sell: the service, the plan, and who provides care
[ ] Price before payment: first charge, renewal price, frequency
[ ] Consent: subscription terms shown apart from general terms12
[ ] Charge timing: card authorized at checkout, captured after clinician approval
[ ] Cancellation: online, for online sign-ups12
[ ] Refund policy for refused prescriptions
[ ] Business details that match your documents
[ ] No health data in product names, descriptors or receipts13

Fig. 1Site review, filled in

Site review · telehealth checkoutThe eight checks above, in order

1. What you sell: Service, plan and who provides care
2. Price before payment: First charge, renewal price, frequency
3. Consent: Subscription terms apart from general terms
4. Charge timing: Authorized at checkout, captured after approval
5. Cancellation: Online, for online sign-ups
6. Refund policy: Missing for refused prescriptions
7. Business details: Match the documents
8. Health data: None in product names, descriptors or receipts

Illustrative record, not real data.

One miss is enough to send the file back.

Illustrative example.

Timeline

Step	What happens
1. Application	Form, business documents, clinical file
2. Review	Site, licenses, flow, history; questions back to you
3. Decision	Published windows: 24 to 72 hours (Corepay)8, 1 to 4 business days on clean files (Easy Pay Direct)7, about 2 to 3 weeks (Adaptiv Payments)4
4. Terms	Rate, reserve, volume limit, MCC, approved services
5. Live	Test transactions, then volume ramp

These are each processor's published claims, not commitments. Approval also covers what you declared: at Stripe, approval "is specific to each service offer"2. Ask before launching a new plan or adding medication sales. Money terms to compare: telehealth processing fees and reserves.

Fig. 2From application to live

ApplicationForm, business documents, clinical file
ReviewSite, licenses, flow, history
DecisionWindows published by each processor
TermsRate, reserve, volume limit, MCC
LiveTest transactions, then volume ramp

Approval covers what you declared: a new offer goes back to review.

Stripe, Prohibited and restricted businesses; processors' published telemedicine pages.

If you're refused

Ask which part failed: licensing, clinical flow, medication, billing terms or history.
Fix it on the site and in the model, not only in the file.
Don't reapply elsewhere with a different story. Underwriters compare files.
Narrow the offer: consultation or membership first, medication through a licensed pharmacy.
Keep disputes low while you build history: chargebacks for telehealth companies.

A refusal names a cause. Fix that cause on the site and in the model before any new application.

Rules you'll be held to after approval: telehealth merchant account compliance.

How Tagada helps

Enhanced review for regulated verticals

TagadaPay runs "enhanced review for regulated verticals"16, and "the person who reviews your application has a name, and so does the one who picks up when something breaks."

Fraud and security: "Native 3DS2, device intelligence, and rules engine: approve real customers, block the rest"
Certifications: PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Routing across TagadaPay and processors such as Stripe, NMI and Airwallex, with a cascade to another processor when one is down or times out
Your vault, portable: "Switch processors without re-onboarding customers"

Building a telehealth brand from scratch? Tagada Rx runs storefront, doctors, pharmacy and payments in one stack, on tgdcare.com, which is LegitScript certified14: "you apply, we review, and we unlock the store"15. US patients only, by selection.

Apply for processing

Updated on November 2, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need for a telemedicine merchant account?

Usually owner ID, a signed application, company documents, a voided check, 3 months of bank statements and 3 months of processing statements if you have them. Add prescriber licenses and a description of your clinical flow; Stripe asks for both.

Do I need LegitScript to get a telehealth merchant account?

Not always. Stripe doesn't require it for telemedicine; some high-risk processors do when you sell medicine online, others don't. Google and Meta require it for telehealth ads, which is often the deciding factor.

How long does telehealth merchant account approval take?

Processors publish windows from 24 to 72 hours to about 2 to 3 weeks. Missing licenses, an unclear clinical flow and an unfinished site are what slow files down.

Why was my telemedicine merchant account declined?

Common causes: no proof of licensing, medication sold without a pharmacy setup, subscription terms hidden in general terms, or a high dispute history. Ask the processor which, fix the cause on the site and in the model, then reapply.

Can I get approved before my site is live?

Rarely. Adaptiv says a site under construction or missing key pages will likely delay or block approval. Publish the full offer, terms and policies first.

Sources

Checked November 2, 2026

TagadaPay

A telehealth file underwriters can say yes to

Tell us what you sell and how you sell it. Each application is underwritten, and approval is not guaranteed.

Apply for processing See pricing

01Tell us what you sell and how
02Underwriting reviews your business
03Process through TagadaPay alongside your other processors