Accept card payments from customers in the UAE and abroad.
- The merchant application prepared once, with the documents in order
- Settlement, reserves and chargebacks explained before you sign anything
- Pricing stated by the acquirer after its review, never guessed by us
Reply within 24 hours · No documents required · No obligation
Who this is for
Four businesses, four ways of being paid.
The channel decides the terminal, the gateway and what the acquirer asks to see.
Card payment acceptance for UAE businesses: a POS machine at the counter, a payment link on an invoice or a checkout on your website, taking Visa, Mastercard and local cards from customers in the UAE and internationally. We prepare the merchant application, put the documents in order, explain settlement before you sign and coordinate the acquirer's review; the licensed acquirer onboards you directly, sets its own pricing after that review and settles to your business bank account.
Situation
How your customers pay.
The channel decides the terminal, the gateway and what the acquirer asks for. Start with the one you sell through.
A shop, clinic, restaurant or venue
A POS machine at the counter, taking chip, contactless and phone-wallet payments as the acquirer supports.
→An online store selling abroad
A checkout on your website that takes cards from customers anywhere, with a licensed acquirer behind it and a licence activity that matches what is sold.
→Invoices paid by link
A link on an emailed invoice the customer opens and pays by card. No storefront, no gateway integration.
→Declined by an acquirer before
A review of what the last application was missing, and a second one prepared properly, starting with the settlement account.
→
Scope
What you get, and what we never do
What is included
- A readiness review of your licence, website, terms and bank account against what an acquirer expects.
- The merchant application, prepared once with the supporting documents in order.
- A plain explanation of how settlement, reserves and chargebacks will work before you sign anything.
- Introduction to a licensed acquirer and coordination of its questions through review.
- Go-live coordination: terminals, gateway credentials or payment links as the channel requires.
- A review after any decline, and what to change before a second application.
What is not
- Providing the acquiring itself — only a licensed acquirer can, and it contracts with you directly.
- Any statement of rates or settlement terms before the acquirer has reviewed you.
- Building or hosting your website or store platform.
- Any promise that a particular business category will be accepted.
What it costs
Indicative rates, and who sets the final ones.
The acquirer prices the merchant after its review. These are its standard indications for a straightforward profile, not a rate we set.
Local cards, indicative
2.25% per transaction on UAE-issued cards, the indicative rate on the arranged acquiring; the acquirer confirms your rate after its review of the business.
International cards, indicative
A further 1% on cards issued outside the UAE, so 3.25% indicative; the acquirer's same review sets the final figure.
POS machines, links and checkout
Terminal rental, gateway and payment-link charges are the acquirer's, stated in its merchant agreement — [APPROVED FIGURE] once the partnership's schedule is signed.
The VelaroZone service fee
The application, the readiness work and the coordination through go-live are itemised in your engagement letter, separately from the merchant agreement.
Category, volume and dispute history move an acquirer's rate in both directions; nothing here is a rate Velarozone sets, and nothing is final until the acquirer's agreement says so.
Compared
Arranged acquiring against the platforms a UAE business also considers.
Stripe, Ziina and Checkout.com are real options for some merchants. This is where each one fits, and where an arranged acquirer does.
How the four answer the same seven questions.
Who contracts with you
- Arranged through Velarozone
- A licensed UAE acquirer, directly
- Stripe
- Stripe
- Ziina
- Ziina
- Checkout.com
- Checkout.com
Local card rate
- Arranged through Velarozone
- 2.25%, confirmed by the acquirer after review
- Stripe
- 2.9% + AED 1 per successful transaction on a UAE-issued card
- Ziina
- 2.6% + AED 1 per payment, VAT included
- Checkout.com
- Custom pricing, quoted per merchant
International card rate
- Arranged through Velarozone
- 2.25% + 1% on cards issued outside the UAE, confirmed after review
- Stripe
- 3.9% + AED 1 on an international card (its 2.9% + AED 1 domestic rate plus 1%), and 1% more if the currency is converted
- Ziina
- + 1.5% on an international card or a payment in a currency other than AED
- Checkout.com
- Custom pricing
Disputes
- Arranged through Velarozone
- As the acquirer's merchant agreement states
- Stripe
- AED 60 per dispute, returned if the dispute is won
- Ziina
- As its terms state
- Checkout.com
- As its agreement states
How you apply
- Arranged through Velarozone
- Application prepared by your adviser from your corporate file
- Stripe
- Self-serve online
- Ziina
- Self-serve in the app
- Checkout.com
- Through its sales team
Support through the review
- Arranged through Velarozone
- Your adviser answers the acquirer's questions with you
- Stripe
- Help centre and support tickets
- Ziina
- In-app support
- Checkout.com
- An account manager, for larger merchants
Fits best
- Arranged through Velarozone
- A UAE business that wants the counter, links and online under one merchant file, with someone on its side of the application
- Stripe
- Online-first businesses with a developer
- Ziina
- Small businesses taking payments from a phone
- Checkout.com
- High-volume merchants with an engineering team
| Arranged through Velarozone | Stripe | Ziina | Checkout.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who contracts with you | A licensed UAE acquirer, directly | Stripe | Ziina | Checkout.com |
| Local card rate | 2.25%, confirmed by the acquirer after review | 2.9% + AED 1 per successful transaction on a UAE-issued card | 2.6% + AED 1 per payment, VAT included | Custom pricing, quoted per merchant |
| International card rate | 2.25% + 1% on cards issued outside the UAE, confirmed after review | 3.9% + AED 1 on an international card (its 2.9% + AED 1 domestic rate plus 1%), and 1% more if the currency is converted | + 1.5% on an international card or a payment in a currency other than AED | Custom pricing |
| Disputes | As the acquirer's merchant agreement states | AED 60 per dispute, returned if the dispute is won | As its terms state | As its agreement states |
| How you apply | Application prepared by your adviser from your corporate file | Self-serve online | Self-serve in the app | Through its sales team |
| Support through the review | Your adviser answers the acquirer's questions with you | Help centre and support tickets | In-app support | An account manager, for larger merchants |
| Fits best | A UAE business that wants the counter, links and online under one merchant file, with someone on its side of the application | Online-first businesses with a developer | Small businesses taking payments from a phone | High-volume merchants with an engineering team |
Stripe, Ziina and Checkout.com figures are as their own published pages stated them on 14 September 2026 and are theirs to change; Ziina states its fees inclusive of 5% VAT, Stripe's are quoted before tax, and Checkout.com publishes no standard rate. Nothing in this table is a rate Velarozone sets, and the arranged rate is indicative until the acquirer's agreement says so.
Process
How the work is sequenced
Each stage has its own dependencies and we report progress against them, not against one overall date.
- 01
Ready
We check the licence, the site, the terms and the account against the acquirer's review and close the gaps first.
- 02
Apply
The merchant application and its documents are prepared and submitted to the acquirer in one complete pack.
- 03
Review
The acquirer carries out its due diligence and underwriting; we answer its questions as they arrive and report the decision.
- 04
Go live
Terminals, gateway or links are set up with the acquirer and the first settlements checked against what was explained.
How it works
Acquiring is provided by a licensed acquirer operating under the Central Bank of the UAE's rules for retail payment services. The acquirer carries out its own due diligence and underwriting, decides whether to onboard you, sets its pricing after that review, contracts with you directly under its own merchant agreement and settles card takings to your business bank account. Velarozone never receives or holds settlement funds.
We prepare the application, make the business acquirer-ready and coordinate the review through to go-live. That work is billed as the VelaroZone service fee, itemised in your engagement letter and separate from anything in the merchant agreement.
Guides
Read before you apply
Short answers
Two questions the acquirer's review turns on
The acquirer matches the licence's activity against what is sold, and some activities need an approval beyond the licence.
Common questions
Straight answers
- What does a merchant account application need?
- The trade licence with an activity that matches what you sell, the ownership chain and identity documents, a website or product description with delivery and refund terms, the sales channels and expected volumes, and a UAE business bank account for settlement. We put that pack together once.
- How quickly is card revenue settled to my account?
- On a cycle the acquirer sets in its agreement, which depends on the channel, the business category and its assessment of dispute risk. Some acquirers hold a reserve for new merchants. We explain what your agreement says before you sign it, not after.
- Can you tell me the rates before I apply?
- No. Acquiring pricing is set by the acquirer after it has reviewed your business, and it varies by category, channel and volume. We prepare you for the review; the acquirer states the price.
- Do I need a UAE bank account first?
- Yes. Acquirers settle to a business account in the merchant's own name, so the account comes before the merchant application. If you do not have one yet, start with the bank-account readiness service.
- We were declined by an acquirer. Is it worth applying again?
- Sometimes. We review why — an activity mismatch, a website that did not say enough, a category the acquirer does not serve — and tell you whether a second application with a changed file is likely to go differently, or whether it is not.
Register interest in a merchant account
Tell us what you sell, through which channels and whether the business already has a UAE bank account. We reply with what the acquirer will want to see and tell you when applications open.
Free assessment — current figures are confirmed within your adviser-reviewed route comparison. Your details are not shared with third parties.
Know your route before you file.
Tell us how you intend to operate and we will identify the questions, structure paths and preparation steps an adviser should assess. It is a planning tool, not legal, tax, immigration or banking advice.
Sources
- Central Bank of the UAE — retail payment services and card schemes
- Card scheme merchant rules
Legal notes and scope
Velarozone provides setup and operational-readiness coordination. This page is general information, not legal, tax, immigration, or banking advice.
This page is general information about UAE business setup, not legal, tax, immigration, or banking advice. Rules, fees, permitted activities, and bank policies can change. Final eligibility depends on your facts and the applicable rules at the time of application.
Card acquiring is provided by a licensed acquirer under its own merchant agreement, pricing and underwriting. Velarozone does not provide payment services, does not set or quote acquiring rates and cannot promise that a merchant will be accepted. The service opens when partner onboarding is complete.