Restricted and high-risk businesses
This page lists the business and product categories MONEI restricts or treats as high-risk, plus the rules for specific sectors such as alcohol and CBD.
Restricted and high-risk categories
The table below applies when MONEI handles acquiring for you. Each category has a status:
- Prohibited — not supported on MONEI's built-in acquiring. You may still be able to sell these if you bring your own acquirer or processor.
- Conditional — accepted case by case, subject to special conditions and review.
- Allowed — permitted, but may require additional documentation, and your pricing depends on your business (see the pricing page).
| Category | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Pornography & adult content | Prohibited | Hostess clubs and venues with naked/topless shows; erotic audiovisual content with doubtful respect for human rights; pornography and erotic phone lines; human trafficking; unlicensed replicas of famous persons or cartoons; adult content depicting religion; user-generated adult content; prostitution, escort services, sex solicitation; sex dolls; mail-order brides and international match-making; obscene items |
| Animals & wildlife | Prohibited | Living animals (including insects, animal parts, blood or fluids); plants in danger of extinction or whose trade is regulated by law, noxious weeds, prohibited seeds |
| Weapons | Prohibited | Firearms and replicas (modifiable or not); bladed weapons and replicas whose blade exceeds 11 cm; perfected slingshots (anatomical handle, support band, or tubular rubber) |
| Illegal drugs & cannabis | Prohibited | Cannabis (seeds, flowers, resins), mushrooms, hallucinogenic substances; cannabis derivatives other than cosmetic products (see CBD product requirements) |
| Protected cultural items | Prohibited | Material covered by the UNESCO 1970 Convention; cave formations protected by law; burial-related items protected by law |
| Money-related services | Prohibited | Cash provisions; services for sending money abroad |
| Government-related | Prohibited | Government support services (e.g. applying for IDs/licenses); official documents or uniforms; fake currency notes; activities flagged as potentially fraudulent by government agencies |
| Lotteries / casinos / betting | Prohibited | Lotteries and games of chance not associated with ONLAE or an official body; virtual casinos, betting, and sports predictions |
| Prescription medicines | Prohibited | Prescription medications |
| Pyramid schemes | Prohibited | Companies with a pyramid structure (including Herbalife) |
| Counterfeits & IP infringement | Prohibited | Counterfeits and articles that violate intellectual property |
| Auctions | Prohibited | Auctions |
| Tobacco & smoking products | Prohibited | Tobacco, shishas; smokers' articles (pipes, rolling papers, hookahs) |
| Timeshare | Prohibited | Timeshare |
| Crowdfunding | Prohibited | Crowdfunding businesses |
| Other prohibited items | Prohibited | Unlocking manufacturers' anti-piracy measures (game consoles); unlocking security measures for lost/stolen phones and tablets; streaming-service accounts of dubious origin; tarot, clairvoyance, esotericism; recommendations/training for casino games, betting, and sports forecasts; IPTV |
| Credits & debt collection | Conditional | Express credits and debtor collections — subject to special conditions |
| Cryptocurrencies | Conditional | Subject to special conditions |
| Marketplaces | Conditional | Subject to special conditions |
| Vapers & e-cigarettes | Conditional | Accepted case by case |
| Below-market pricing | Conditional | Online stores with products priced well below the market standard may be reviewed or declined |
| CBD cosmetics | Allowed | Cosmetic CBD products that meet our requirements — see Selling CBD products |
| Sports weapons | Allowed | May require additional documentation |
| Travel agencies | Allowed | May require additional documentation |
| Hotels & vacation rentals | Allowed | Hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and similar |
| Event tickets | Allowed | Ticket sales as the promoter or organizer. Reselling tickets when you are not the promoter or organizer is prohibited. |
| Pharmacy & parapharmacy | Allowed | May require additional documentation |
| Medical services | Allowed | May require additional documentation |
| Second-hand goods | Allowed | Allowed with a purchase invoice proving legal acquisition; prohibited without one |
| Subscriptions & memberships | Allowed | May require additional documentation |
| Sex shops & sexual health | Allowed | Sex shops, erotic products, and sexual health products (distinct from the prohibited adult content above) |
Selling alcohol
Yes, you can use MONEI to accept payments for alcohol subject to the restrictions below.
You may have to comply with various local legislations and customs regulations.
- You must provide a license for selling alcohol.
- If alcoholic products are being sold cross-border, you must provide proof from the tax authorities that you are exporting the products and paying customs tax and/or excise duty.
- Your website must include clear terms and conditions and employ measures to ensure the customer is over the age of 18 or as per applicable law.
- You must meet the regulations of the jurisdiction in which your business is incorporated and provide proof of a license to sell alcohol in that jurisdiction, as well as the jurisdictions where your customers are located or where your products are shipping to.
Selling CBD products
Selling CBD oil online has become increasingly popular, but it's still considered a high-risk industry with legal grey areas. Recent regulatory updates have changed the legal status of CBD oil in Spain, and we're supporting Spanish merchants so you can accept CBD payments online. To sell CBD online, your business must meet certain requirements:
- No product may have a THC content greater than 0.2%
- The products must be manufactured and sold within the EU
- The CBD products must be for human use only
If your products meet the above requirements, you must also present evidence of registration in the European Portal for the Notification of Cosmetic Products (CPNP) — by both the company that produces the product and the company that distributes it. Provide this document during onboarding so MONEI can validate the documentation and review your account for approval.
MONEI reserves the right to reject account activation.
Depending on the types of CBD products you sell, there are two ways to get started:
- If you sell CBD-infused cosmetic products that meet all of the above requirements, you can use MONEI's built-in acquiring.
- If you sell other types of CBD-infused products that are not cosmetics, you'll need to bring your own acquirer. Your MONEI account approval will then depend on whether your acquiring bank approves your business and provides you with a Virtual POS.
See the pricing page for processing costs.
Common questions
Can I use MONEI with my dropshipping website?
Yes, you can use MONEI's with your dropshipping website. Learn how to get started with MONEI here.