Activating international wires on Relay is a one-time application through Settings > International Wires Activation. Nium, Relay's payments partner, reviews your business and beneficial owner details before enabling inbound payments.
What you need before you start
Confirmation that you are a primary organization member (25%+ ownership, or tied for highest if no one reaches 25%), or a Controlling Person Document if no primary member exists
Business details: incorporation date, business website or registered social media profile, industry, intended use case for receiving wires, and expected payment volume (monthly value, frequency, average amount)
A list of every beneficial owner (anyone with 10%+ of the business, or tied for highest if no one reaches 10%)
Proof of identity for each beneficial owner (passport or valid U.S. driver's license for U.S. citizens; passport only for non-U.S. citizens)
Proof of personal address from the past 90 days for each beneficial owner (utility bill, bank statement, or government-issued tax document)
Proof of business address (utility bill, bank statement, or active lease agreement)
Access to Relay on desktop for the submission flow
Who can apply to activate international wire receiving?
Applicants must be a primary organization member of the Relay account, or submit a Controlling Person Document if no primary member exists.
A primary organization member is someone who owns 25% or more of the business. If no one on the ownership register reaches 25%, the person tied for highest ownership can apply as the primary member. If your ownership structure does not produce a primary member (for example, when ownership is distributed evenly across many parties), you can still apply by submitting a Controlling Person Document during the activation flow.
Non-profits, NGOs, religious organizations, and charities are eligible to apply but must submit additional financial audit documentation, including proof of source of wealth and source of funds.
What business information do I need to provide?
You need to provide the details Nium uses to verify your business identity and expected wire activity.
Incorporation date
Business website or an active registered business social media profile
Industry category
Primary intended use case for receiving international wires (for example, customer payments, cross-border sales, or supplier settlements)
Expected payment estimates, including monthly value, frequency, and average wire amount
Be honest about expected volume. Nium uses these numbers to size your account for risk review, and large discrepancies between what you declare and what you actually receive can trigger additional review later.
Who counts as a beneficial owner, and what do they need to submit?
A beneficial owner is anyone who owns 10% or more of the business, or the person tied for highest ownership if no one reaches 10%.
Every beneficial owner must submit three documents:
Proof of identity. Passport or valid U.S. driver's license for U.S. citizens. Passport only for non-U.S. citizens.
Proof of personal address, dated within the past 90 days. Accepted documents include a utility bill, a bank or credit card statement, or a government-issued tax document showing the owner's name and residential address.
Proof of business address. A utility bill, bank statement, or active lease agreement showing the business's registered address. PO Boxes are not accepted.
If your business has multiple beneficial owners, each owner must sign in to Relay separately and submit their own documents through Settings > Document Requests.
What extra documents do non-profits and NGOs need?
Non-profits, NGOs, religious organizations, and charities must submit additional financial audit documents on top of the standard beneficial owner package.
Expect to provide proof of source of wealth and proof of source of funds for the organization. Nium may request a recent audited financial statement or equivalent documentation as part of the review. Prepare these documents before you begin the application to avoid rework.
How do I submit the international wires activation application?
You submit the application from Settings inside your Relay account on desktop.
Sign in to Relay on desktop.
Open Settings.
Select International Wires Activation.
Follow the on-screen steps to enter your business details, beneficial owner information, and expected payment estimates.
Upload the required documents for each beneficial owner and for the business.
Submit the application for Nium review.
Once submitted, your application locks so Nium can review a consistent version of the information. You cannot edit fields after submission without contacting the Customer Experience team.
What happens after I submit the application?
Nium reviews your submission and either approves the activation or comes back with a request for additional documentation.
If Nium requests more information, you will see a Document Request in Relay and receive a notification. Respond promptly to avoid restarting the review. Once Nium approves the submission, inbound international wire payments enable on your Relay account and you can share your wiring details with senders. For what to do next, see How to Receive an International Wire in Relay.
Can I reset my application if I made a mistake?
You can reset an in-progress application from Settings before all documents are submitted.
Open Settings > International Wires Activation and use the reset option. Any documents you already uploaded that Relay can reuse (such as an unchanged proof of business address) will not need to be re-uploaded. Once every required document is submitted, the reset option is no longer available and you will need to contact the Customer Experience team to make changes.
Common issues and how to resolve them
Application will not submit because a beneficial owner has not signed in. Each beneficial owner must sign in to their own Relay login and complete their portion of the document requests. Ask the missing owner to sign in and complete Settings > Document Requests.
Proof of address rejected for being older than 90 days. Personal address proofs must be dated within the past 90 days. Pull a fresh utility bill or bank statement and re-upload.
Passport rejected for a U.S. citizen who uploaded a driver's license, or vice versa. U.S. citizens can use a passport or a valid driver's license; non-U.S. citizens must use a passport. Match the document type to the citizenship status on file.
Non-profit application stalled after standard documents were submitted. Nium needs proof of source of wealth and source of funds for non-profit, NGO, religious, and charity applicants. Add those documents through the Document Request in Settings.
Reset option is missing. Reset is unavailable once all required documents have been submitted. Contact the Customer Experience team to change locked information.
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