How to pass Etsy verification with a Delaware LLC
What Etsy asks for at signup, and which Delaware LLC documents satisfy each requirement.
By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 4, 2026
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
Etsy requires sellers using Etsy Payments to complete identity and tax verification before receiving payouts. For a Delaware LLC registered as a business (not a disregarded entity), Etsy collects the entity name as it appears on your Certificate of Formation, the legal address, the EIN or other taxpayer number, and verifies this information against the IRS database. Etsy also requires a government photo ID and selfie via its identity-verification partner Persona, plus a bank account linked to receive Etsy Payments disbursements.
In Delaware the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $110. Delaware does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Etsy review. Because Delaware keeps members and managers off routine public filings, Etsy has no public state record to match your owner name against, and relies entirely on the identification you upload.
Delaware has 6,969 solo retail trade businesses with no employees, averaging $150,036 in annual receipts (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics (NES), 2023).
What Etsy requires, and how a Delaware LLC meets each
| Requirement | How your Delaware LLC satisfies it |
|---|---|
| LLC entity name verified against IRS | Use the exact LLC name as Delaware recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name. |
| Employer Identification Number (EIN) | Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of Delaware. |
| Taxpayer information and IRS verification | Complete the tax interview. A Delaware LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity Delaware LLC generally use a W-8 form instead. |
| Government photo ID and selfie (via Persona) | Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner, even though Delaware names none of them publicly. Delaware publishes no member or manager, so the platform relies entirely on the ID you upload — names must match your operating agreement. |
| Bank account for Etsy Payments disbursements | Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Delaware Certificate of Formation. |
Delaware-specific things to watch
- Delaware keeps both members and managers off routine public filings, but you must still upload beneficial-owner identification directly to Etsy. State-level anonymity does not exempt you from the platform's KYC. (Delaware's Certificate of Formation requires no member or manager names, and LLCs file no annual report, so ownership never appears on a public filing.)
- Delaware issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Etsy asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.
- Budget for Delaware's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Etsy margins: Delaware LLCs owe a flat $400 annual LLC tax (no report required).
Sales tax: none in Delaware
Delaware has no statewide sales tax, so there is no Delaware sales-tax registration to complete before you start selling through Etsy. That is a Delaware exemption and nothing more: once your sales into another state cross that state's economic-nexus threshold, you owe its tax on those orders no matter that your LLC is a Delaware one.
Delaware has no sales tax and no economic nexus law — you never owe Delaware sales tax regardless of how much you sell to Delaware customers. This is a major reason many businesses incorporate in Delaware. However, Delaware does levy a gross receipts tax on businesses operating in the state.
How to verify your Delaware LLC on Etsy
- LLC entity name verified against IRS. Use the exact LLC name as Delaware recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name.
- Employer Identification Number (EIN). Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of Delaware.
- Taxpayer information and IRS verification. Complete the tax interview. A Delaware LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity Delaware LLC generally use a W-8 form instead.
- Government photo ID and selfie (via Persona). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner, even though Delaware names none of them publicly. Delaware publishes no member or manager, so the platform relies entirely on the ID you upload — names must match your operating agreement.
- Bank account for Etsy Payments disbursements. Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Delaware Certificate of Formation.
Non-US founders with Delaware LLCs
Non-US sellers can use Etsy Payments in supported countries, but a Delaware LLC's seller account must be linked to a US bank account or an eligible payment method. Non-US beneficial owners of a Delaware LLC must still complete identity verification via Persona with a valid government ID.