Can You Use These Providers From Pakistan? September 2026

Checked September 1, 2026 against each provider's own published policy.

Pakistan is on no sanctions list among the providers we track. It is not on Mercury's separate sanctions heading, and it is not on Upwork's sanctions-driven list, which is precisely why Upwork is open to you.

Nothing in US law prevents a bank from serving a Pakistan-resident founder.

Mercury, Relay and Wise, each by its own risk decision.

Relay's is the widest, because it follows the passport as well as the address:

"The restriction applies to any business owner named on the Relay Account application, including beneficial owners."

Relay, Prohibited Countries. Last updated August 11, 2026. A Pakistani citizen living in Dubai or Toronto is still outside Relay's policy, and a co-founder in that position closes the application for the whole company.

Wise excludes by absence: Pakistan is not among the 79 territories where you may hold money, and an inclusion list says no by silence.

1. Etsy, if you sell physical goods. Pakistan is one of sixteen countries Etsy stars for Payoneer:

"Sellers in countries with * next to their names can accept Etsy Payments with a Payoneer Payment Account."

Etsy, Countries Eligible for Etsy Payments.

This is the single most useful cell in the Pakistan row, because it is a working money rail in a corridor where the banks are closed.

2. Stripe, whose residency requirement is scoped to unregistered businesses and does not reach a registered LLC. The obstacle is the payout bank account.

3. Apple Developer and Google Play, if you build apps. Neither tests residence. Choose the organization account on Google Play.

4. Upwork, which is open:

"Businesses or individuals in the following regions and countries are not permitted to register for accounts or utilize our platform:"

Upwork, Who's eligible to join and use Upwork?.

Pakistan is not on that list. Note the first two words though: the list binds businesses as well as individuals, so a US LLC would not cure a listed-country presence if you had one.

5. Banking is a genuine project. With all three fintechs closed, what remains is a traditional US bank with in-person onboarding, or reconsidering the structure.

Payoneer. No published country list retrievable. Etsy's starring of Pakistan is third-party evidence for that integration, not a Payoneer statement about accounts, so the cell stays unknown.

Amazon. Login-gated. The 188-country figure dates from May 2021.

If you have opened or been refused either from Pakistan, tell us the month and what happened. This is a corridor where reader reports would move the index most.

This page is the provider matrix. The operational side, including what the banking sequence actually looks like from Pakistan and how long it takes, is on running a US company from Pakistan.