Relay partners can refer clients two ways: send an invitation from the Partner Portal so the client applies themselves, or complete the application on the client's behalf.
What you need before you start
A Relay Partner Portal login (referrals must be started from a desktop browser, not the mobile app)
Your client's legal business name, entity type, EIN, and U.S. business address
Your client's primary contact name and email address
If applying on the client's behalf: the primary owner's SSN or ITIN, date of birth, U.S. residential address, card preferences, and a U.S. shipping address for physical debit cards
What are the two ways to refer a client?
You have two referral paths inside the Partner Portal: invite the client to complete their own application, or complete the application on their behalf and hand it off for signature. Both paths land in the same review queue at Relay.
What business address rules apply before I refer a client?
As of April 29, 2024, applications will not be processed if the client uses a Registered Agent address as their business address AND provides a non-U.S. personal address, OR uses that same Registered Agent address as their personal address. Screen for this before you send the invitation to avoid a rejection.
For non-U.S. resident business owners, Relay may request documents to verify the U.S. business address, along with the Articles of Incorporation or an EIN verification letter.
How do I invite a client to apply themselves?
Use this path when your client will complete the application, verify their identity, and sign the Terms of Service on their own.
Sign in to your Relay account from a desktop browser.
Open the Partner Portal from your dashboard and click Add Client.
Enter your client's legal business name, primary contact name, and email address.
Review the details and send the invitation.
Your client receives an email with a secure link to complete their application and verify their identity. The invitation link expires 30 days after it is sent.
How do I apply on a client's behalf?
Use this path when you want to fill in the application yourself and hand it to the client only for password creation and Terms of Service acceptance.
Sign in to your Relay account from a desktop browser.
Open the Partner Portal and choose Apply on client's behalf.
Enter the primary owner's personal information: legal name, date of birth, U.S. residential address, and SSN or ITIN.
Enter the business details: legal business name, EIN, entity type, industry, and U.S. business address.
Select card preferences: the number of Relay Visa® Debit Cards to issue and the cardholder names.
Confirm the U.S. shipping address for physical debit cards.
Submit the application.
Your client receives an email inviting them to create a password and accept the Terms of Service. The Relay Account is only active once the client has completed those two steps and identity verification has cleared.
How long does application review take?
The application review process typically takes 1–3 business days after the client has submitted their application and completed identity verification. Timing varies based on documentation requests and entity type.
How do I track a client's application status?
You can track every client application from the Partner Portal after you submit or send the invitation. Statuses update as the application moves through review, identity verification, and approval.
What happens to my access once the account is approved?
Once the application is approved and the account is opened, your advisor access to that account ends. To keep working inside the client's Relay Account after approval, the client must invite you back in as an advisor or team member from the client's own account settings.
How do I resend or cancel a client invitation?
Both actions are handled from the Partner Portal client list.
Resend an invitation: find the client's email in the list and click Resend.
Cancel an invitation: find the client's email in the list and click Cancel. Canceled invitations cannot be reactivated; you would send a new invitation instead.
Common issues
The client says they never got the invitation email. Ask them to check spam, then confirm the email address in the Partner Portal and use Resend.
The invitation link says it has expired. Invitations expire after 30 days. Cancel the old invitation and send a new one.
The application was rejected for address reasons. Check whether the client used a Registered Agent address as their business address while also providing a non-U.S. personal address or the same Registered Agent address as their personal address. Update to a compliant address combination and resubmit.
A field needs to be corrected after submission. Your client should contact the Customer Experience team from their own account to request the edit; post-submission edits cannot be made from the Partner Portal.
Related articles
Talk to our Customer Experience team
If this article did not fully answer your question, our Customer Experience team is here to help.