Payments · Telehealth6 min readUpdated November 2, 2026

Does Your Platform's LegitScript Certification Cover Your Brand for Ads and Payments?

What LegitScript certifies for telehealth brands, why it follows the root domain, what Google and Meta add, and who really requires it for payments.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 10 sources

Article summary

Only on its domain

TL;DR

Only if your store runs on the certified domain. LegitScript certifies a root domain and its subdomains, so a brand on its own domain needs its own certification. For ads, Google and Meta also require the advertiser to get their own authorization. For payments, Stripe doesn't require LegitScript for telemedicine, and Visa and Mastercard don't name it for telemedicine either.

"Healthcare Certification applies to the root domain"; subdomains such as shop.example.com are covered by the same certification.
Google allows US telemedicine ads from providers "accredited by LegitScript", who "must also be certified with Google" (policy read November 2, 2026).
Meta requires telehealth providers to be "actively certified with LegitScript", then to "request authorization from Meta".
Stripe: "Telemedicine businesses don't need certification from LegitScript".
LegitScript reported a 101% rise in telemedicine certification applications in the year to September 22, 2026.

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 merchant account approval works.

What LegitScript certifies: a root domain

LegitScript's Healthcare Certification is open to businesses that "Offer telemedicine or online consultations that may result in a prescription"1. What it certifies is a website, at the level of the root domain.

Your setup	Covered by the platform's certification?
Your store on a subdomain of the certified domain (brand.platform.com)	YesSubdomains are covered ("shop.example.com and support.example.com are covered under the same certification")1
Your store on your own domain (yourbrand.com)	NoIt's a different root domain ("Certification fees are assessed separately for each root domain")1
Several domains you own	Can go in one application, each domain billed ("Businesses or websites under common ownership may be included within a single application")1
A software platform certifying itself	"Usually not" eligible, unless it, for example, contracts directly with providers or pharmacies1

Fig. 1Where your store runs decides what the certification covers

Where does your store run?LegitScript certifies a root domain

Subdomain of the certified domainCovered by the same certification
Your own domainA different root domain: its own certification
Google or Meta adsAdvertiser certification or authorization on top

Ads add a step of their own, wherever the store runs.

LegitScript, Healthcare Certification FAQ; Google Ads and Meta policies.

The FAQ doesn't address the platform-and-client-brands case in so many words. The reading above follows from the root-domain rule; confirm your own case with LegitScript before you plan around it.

Watch out

LegitScript certification is per root domain, not per company. A redirect or a new domain for a campaign can fall outside it.

For ads: certification is step one

LegitScript is the entry ticket for telehealth ads on Google and Meta, not the approval. LegitScript says so itself: certification "does not guarantee advertising approval"1.

Platform	LegitScript for telehealth ads?	What's added on top
Google Ads (US)	Yes"Google allows telemedicine providers if they're accredited by LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification Program"2	"Advertisers must also be certified with Google"; prescription drug terms restricted in ads, landing pages and keywords2
Meta	Yes"Meta requires online pharmacies and telehealth providers to be actively certified with LegitScript"3	"request authorization from Meta"; target only the US, Canada or New Zealand, and people 18 or older3
TikTok Ads (US)	Not named for telemedicine; LegitScript or NABP cited for pharmacies4	Audiences 18 or older4

Fig. 2From certification to a running telehealth ad

LegitScriptHealthcare Certification of the root domain
Google or MetaAdvertiser certified with Google, or authorized by Meta
Ad reviewCertification does not guarantee approval

Each platform still reviews the ads themselves.

LegitScript, Healthcare Certification FAQ; Google Ads policy; Meta Transparency Center.

Meta doesn't require written authorization for ads that "Promote telehealth services generally"3. The full ad rules: can you advertise telehealth on Facebook, Google and TikTok?

For payments: who actually requires it

This is where most guides go wrong. LegitScript describes its certification as "a necessary part of the approval process for conducting card-not-present transactions with Visa and Mastercard"1. The networks' own rules are narrower, and they target pharmacies.

Who	Requires LegitScript for telemedicine?	What the rule says
Visa	No	Uses LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification as an exemption from registration for pharmacies, MCC 5122 and 59125
Mastercard	No	Doesn't name LegitScript; asks acquirers to verify legality of pharmacy merchants, which "may include" "accreditation by a recognized third party"6
Stripe	No	"Telemedicine businesses don't need certification from LegitScript", but licensing items must be provided7
Your acquirer	Case by case	Some ask for it as proof of legitimacy, especially if you sell the medication

Watch out

Some agency guides claim Visa and Mastercard require LegitScript for telehealth providers. Their published rules name pharmacies, not telemedicine5 6. If you sell the medication yourself, the pharmacy rules apply: see consultation and medication billing.

Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments.

Platform certification or your own: how to choose

Ask these questions before you pick a telehealth platform or apply on your own:

Where will my store live?
On the platform's certified domain, or on mine?
Will I run Google or Meta ads?
If yes, plan the advertiser authorization step on top of the certification2 3.
Will I sell the medication?
If yes, a pharmacy-side certification or accreditation may matter to your acquirer5 6.
What happens to my ads if I leave the platform?
A certification tied to its domain stays with it.

The full launch sequence: how to start a telehealth company online.

How Tagada helps

Payments with enhanced review, ad applications still yours

TagadaPay brings "Native 3DS2, device intelligence, and rules engine: approve real customers, block the rest"10, with "Enhanced review for regulated verticals."

Ad applications are still yours to make, and Google and Meta decide1 2 3
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"

The ad and tracking setup: Meta and TikTok ads for telehealth companies.

Building a telehealth brand from scratch? With Tagada Rx, your store runs on tgdcare.com, which is LegitScript certified, with clinicians licensed in the patient's state and a licensed US pharmacy9. US patients only, by selection.

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Payments with enhanced review, ad applications still yours

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

Does my telemedicine business need LegitScript to use Stripe?

No. Stripe's FAQ says "Telemedicine businesses don't need certification from LegitScript", though "certain licensing and regulatory items must be provided to Stripe for verification". Telemedicine remains a restricted category that Stripe reviews case by case.

Does LegitScript certification cover subdomains?

Yes. "Healthcare Certification applies to the root domain", and subdomains like shop.example.com "are covered under the same certification". A separate root domain needs its own certification, with fees assessed per root domain.

Do I need LegitScript to run telehealth ads on Facebook?

For prescription-related telehealth ads, yes: Meta requires active LegitScript certification, then its own authorization, with targeting limited to the US, Canada or New Zealand and people 18 or older. Ads that promote telehealth services generally don't need the written authorization.

Do Visa and Mastercard require LegitScript for telehealth?

Their published rules don't. Visa uses LegitScript as a registration exemption for pharmacies (MCC 5122, 5912), and Mastercard asks for proof of legality for pharmacy merchants without naming LegitScript. LegitScript's own wording is broader.

How much does LegitScript certification cost?

LegitScript's FAQ says fees are assessed per root domain but doesn't publish amounts on that page. Ask LegitScript for a quote; third-party figures online vary and may be out of date.

Sources

Checked November 2, 2026

TagadaPay

Know who asks for LegitScript before you apply

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

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01Tell us what you sell and how
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