# Stripe in Iceland: why it doesn't work and what to use instead

Stripe doesn't work for businesses in Iceland because Iceland is not one of the countries Stripe supports, so a company registered in Iceland can't open a Stripe account. Use a payment provider that serves Icelandic businesses instead, such as Kling, which takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and online bank claims (kröfur) in Icelandic krónur.

## Why Stripe doesn't work in Iceland

Stripe publishes the list of countries where businesses can use it at [stripe.com/global](https://stripe.com/global). Iceland is not on it (checked October 2026), although Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are. A business registered in Iceland therefore can't open a Stripe account and receive payments through Stripe.

This is about who receives the money, not who pays. People in Iceland can pay with their Icelandic cards on websites abroad that use Stripe. What is missing is a way for a shop, club or service in Iceland to be paid through Stripe.

## Why AI tools and tutorials still say "use Stripe"

Stripe is the default answer in most payment tutorials and in a lot of AI-generated code, so "add Stripe" is what you usually hear first, from an AI chat, an AI app builder or a blog post. For a business in Iceland that answer stops at signup.

If you build with an AI tool, tell it you are in Iceland and point it at Kling's guide for that tool: [Lovable](https://kling.is/en/docs/lovable), [Bolt](https://kling.is/en/docs/bolt), [Replit](https://kling.is/en/docs/replit), [v0](https://kling.is/en/docs/v0), [Cursor](https://kling.is/en/docs/cursor) or [Claude Code](https://kling.is/en/docs/claude-code). Each one has a prompt you can paste.

## What about setting up a company abroad?

[Stripe Atlas](https://stripe.com/atlas) sets up a US company (a Delaware corporation or LLC) for founders anywhere in the world, and that company can use Stripe. But then the business taking the payments is the US company, with its own US tax filings and bank account, not your Icelandic company.

That can make sense for a startup that wants to be a US company anyway. For a shop, club or service in Iceland selling to people in Iceland, it means running a second company in another country just to take payments.

## What to use instead

Use a payment provider that onboards businesses in Iceland. There are two kinds:

- **A payments platform such as Kling.** One account, one dashboard and one API for card payments, payment links, subscriptions and online bank claims. Kling applies to the card acquirer on your behalf.
- **A card acquirer directly**, such as Straumur, Teya or Rapyd. They process card payments and rent out card terminals and payment pages.

The [payment providers in Iceland compared](https://kling.is/en/guides/payment-providers-in-iceland) guide goes through the options and when each one makes sense.

## What Kling gives you that people look for in Stripe

- **Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay**, online, through payment links and on Kling POS.
- **Payment links and subscriptions with no code.** Create them in the dashboard and send the link.
- **Online bank claims (kröfur).** A bill that appears in the customer's online bank and is paid without a card, which suits invoices, memberships and customers who prefer to pay through their bank. See [online bank claims](https://kling.is/en/docs/bank-claims).
- **A developer API** with a typed SDK, a checkout overlay for the browser, webhooks, a CLI and an MCP server for AI tools. See [SDKs and tools](https://kling.is/en/docs/sdks).
- **Test keys the moment you sign up**, with no verification. Live payments start once your account is verified. See [test mode to going live](https://kling.is/en/docs/going-live).
- **Icelandic krónur as whole numbers.** No setup fee and no monthly fee; you pay per payment. See [pricing](https://kling.is/en/pricing).

## For developers: from Stripe concepts to Kling

If you know Stripe, most of Kling will feel familiar. The closest Kling equivalents of the Stripe building blocks described in [Stripe's API reference](https://docs.stripe.com/api):

| If you'd use this in Stripe | Use this in Kling |
|---|---|
| Checkout Sessions | [Checkout sessions](https://kling.is/en/docs/checkout) |
| Payment Intents, capture and refunds | [Payments, capture and refunds](https://kling.is/en/docs/payments) |
| Subscriptions and the customer portal | [Subscriptions and the billing portal](https://kling.is/en/docs/subscriptions) |
| Payment Links | [Payment links](https://kling.is/en/docs/payment-links) |
| Embedded checkout in the browser | [Payment window](https://kling.is/en/docs/embedded-checkout) (`@klingis/embed`) |
| Webhooks | [Webhooks](https://kling.is/en/docs/webhooks) |

One difference matters when you port code: **amounts in krónur**. Stripe treats ISK as a two-decimal currency for backward compatibility, so 5 kr is an `amount` of `500` there ([Stripe's currency docs](https://docs.stripe.com/currencies)). In Kling, amounts are whole krónur: `5000` means 5.000 kr. Remove any multiplication by 100.

## Get started

1. [Sign up](https://kling.is/signup). It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.
2. Take a test payment with the [quickstart](https://kling.is/en/docs/quickstart), or paste the prompt for your AI tool.
3. Apply to go live from the dashboard when you are ready. Kling handles the card acquirer application.

Questions? Write to [hallo@kling.is](mailto:hallo@kling.is).