> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bachs.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Money is always a decimal string at the currency's precision (for example "29.00"), paired with an ISO 4217 currency field. Never use minor units.
> Build against the sandbox first: base URL https://sandbox-api.bachs.io with sk_sandbox_ keys. Production is https://api.bachs.io with sk_live_ keys; going live is a key swap.
> Treat webhooks (for example collection.succeeded) as the source of truth for fulfilment, never client-side events or redirects.
> Subscriptions are created by completing a checkout for a recurring product. There is no direct create-subscription endpoint.
> IDs carry resource prefixes (cust_, prod_, sub_, chk_, inv_, ref_) and timestamps are ISO 8601 UTC.

# Age Requirements

> Who can open a Bachs account, and how registration works for anyone below the age of majority in their country.

You must be at least 18, or the legal age of majority where you live, to open and control a Bachs account on your own.

If you are below that age, you are not shut out. You can register with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, who takes responsibility for the account alongside you.

***

## Why there is an age rule at all

A Bachs account is not a login. It is a commercial relationship: it moves real money, it settles to a real bank account, and it carries obligations under the [Terms of Service](https://app.bachs.io/legal/terms) that someone has to be legally capable of accepting.

In most places a contract signed by a minor is voidable, which is a problem for everyone involved. It leaves the merchant without enforceable protections, and it leaves us unable to meet the identity and anti-money-laundering duties our own licences depend on. Requiring an adult on the account is what makes the arrangement hold.

That is also why the guardian route is not a formality. A guardian is not vouching for you; they are accepting the account's obligations.

***

## The threshold is local, not universal

Bachs operates across several markets, and the age of majority is not the same in all of them. Rather than name one number that would be wrong somewhere, the rule follows your jurisdiction: **18, or the legal age of majority in your country, whichever applies to you.**

If you are unsure which applies, assume 18 and submit the consent form. We would rather review a form you did not strictly need than discover the gap during verification.

***

## Registering with guardian consent

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the account as normal">
    Sign up the way any merchant does. Nothing about the flow changes, and you do not need to declare your age up front.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Have your guardian complete the consent form">
    Your parent or legal guardian fills in the [Bachs Parent/Guardian Consent Form](https://forms.gle/dTvxJ2Bd3Edcwifi9). They complete it themselves, in their own name. It asks for:

    * **Your details** as the applicant: full name, the email you used to register, and date of birth.
    * **Their details** as the guardian: full name, email, date of birth, National Identification Number (NIN), and their relationship to you.
    * **A signed consent statement** confirming they are your parent or legal guardian, that they consent to your registration and use of Bachs, and that they accept the [Terms of Service](https://app.bachs.io/legal/terms) on your behalf.

    The email must match the one on the account. It is how we connect the form to your registration, and a mismatch is the most common reason a submission stalls.
  </Step>

  <Step title="We verify the guardian">
    We verify the guardian's identity against the details they gave, in the same way we verify any person on an account. If the automated check cannot confirm them, we will ask for a copy of their ID.

    This is a check on the guardian, not on you. It is the point of the exercise: an identified adult who has accepted the terms.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your account is activated">
    Once consent is verified, your account behaves like any other. You can accept charges and receive settlements normally.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Until consent is verified, your account can exist but cannot accept charges or settle funds. Submitting the form early avoids discovering this at the point where you have a customer waiting to pay.
</Note>

***

## What consent actually means

Worth being clear about, because it is easy to read the form as paperwork.

The guardian is named on the account and accepts the Terms of Service for it. They are responsible for how it is used, including money that moves through it. In practice this means the guardian should be someone genuinely willing to stand behind the business, not simply an adult willing to sign something.

You continue to operate the account day to day. Consent does not hand it over; it puts an accountable adult behind it.

***

## After you reach the age of majority

Consent does not need renewing on your birthday, and nothing breaks. But once you reach the age of majority in your country, tell us so we can remove the guardian from the account and leave it entirely in your name.

***

## If something is unclear

Age, majority, and guardianship interact differently across jurisdictions, and the edge cases are real: guardians who are not parents, applicants who move country mid-verification, businesses already registered in an adult's name.

If your situation does not match the steps above, contact [support@bachs.io](mailto:support@bachs.io) before submitting. A short question now is faster than a rejected verification later.

***

## Related

* [Supported businesses](/for-you/supported-businesses) for the business types Bachs accepts.
* [Terms of Service](https://app.bachs.io/legal/terms) for the agreement a guardian is accepting.