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日本語 MetaTrader 5 License Onboarding: How to Get an MT5 License from MetaQuotes
A step-by-step guide for broker founders: what MetaQuotes checks, which documents to prepare, how long each phase takes and what happens after approval, from company formation to a live MT5 server.
How to get an MT5 license from MetaQuotes: eligibility, the 10-document pack, website rules, SumSub, bank reference letter, timeline and server go-live.
What MT5 license onboarding means in 2026
MT5 license onboarding covers everything between "we want our own MetaTrader 5 server" and "clients are trading on it". MetaQuotes checks your company, then issues the license, then the server is installed and configured. Today the only new license MetaQuotes sells is MetaTrader 5. MT4 is no longer an option for new brokers:
The MetaTrader 4 trading platform licenses are no longer available for purchase.— MetaQuotes, MetaTrader 4 for Brokers (accessed October 2026)
A full MT5 license is not software as a service. You run the servers on your own infrastructure or with a hosting provider you choose, and MetaQuotes has no operational access to them. In MetaQuotes' words:
We do not offer SaaS or other similar solutions which would permit even partial external management or third-party control over your company's operations, and thus we have no access to your servers, accounts, or your clients' trading history.— MetaQuotes, Order the MetaTrader 5 Trading Platform (accessed October 2026)
So onboarding has a compliance half (documents, website, verification, bank letter, payment) and a technical half (server installation, configuration, liquidity, go-live). This page covers both, because in our experience the delays come from the gap between them.
FXSUPPORT is an outsourced MT4/MT5 technical support and operations company. We are not affiliated with MetaQuotes Ltd. We coordinate the onboarding for broker founders: we prepare and check the document pack with you, work with corporate service providers on the company side and then build and run the MT5 server. MetaQuotes alone decides on every application.
The three MT5 license tiers
MetaQuotes publishes three MT5 license options. They differ in the number of real accounts they cover. MetaQuotes sets the fees and they change, so we do not quote them here.
| Tier | Real accounts | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | 1,000 | Start-ups and small brokers; one main trade server for real and demo accounts |
| Standard | 25,000 | Established medium-to-large brokers that need distributed trade servers |
| Enterprise | 200,000 | Large institutions, banks and liquidity providers serving many markets |
Who is eligible: company and registered activities
To be eligible you need a registered company whose stated activities cover financial services such as trading of financial instruments, online forex or brokerage. A private person or a company registered for consulting or IT will not pass. MetaQuotes says so in its own guide for new brokers:
To start with, you need to have a registered company, with the relevant business activities registered under that entity.— MetaQuotes, How to Start a Brokerage Business (accessed October 2026)
In practice MetaQuotes asks you to show the activities in writing. You can do this through the Memorandum and Articles of Association or through a legal opinion or representation letter. We recommend a legal opinion even when the Memorandum is broad, because it answers the question before MetaQuotes asks it.
Which jurisdiction to form the company in
The company can be an onshore regulated firm (for example one authorised by CySEC, the FCA or ASIC) or an offshore international business company (IBC). The point to understand is the difference between a company and a forex license:
- Saint Lucia is a common place to form the IBC, and in our experience MetaQuotes has accepted St Lucia IBCs. But Saint Lucia does not issue forex licenses. Its IBC Registry states: "Saint Lucia does not currently regulate or licence Forex Trading or Binary Options business." A St Lucia IBC is a company, not a regulated broker. See our Saint Lucia IBC guide.
- St Vincent and the Grenadines has, since a Financial Services Authority memo of 6 January 2023, required companies that want to do forex business to give a certified copy of a licence or approval from the jurisdiction where they will operate. Without it the application to incorporate is rejected.
- Forex licenses come from regulators in other jurisdictions, such as Mauritius (FSC investment dealer), Seychelles, the Bahamas or Anjouan/Mwali. Each has its own regulator, substance rules and timeline. See forex license options and offshore forex regulation.
Whether you also need a forex license depends on where your clients are and what you offer them. It is never safe to assume that no license is needed. Take local legal advice. For the company-formation route see IBC company formation for brokers.
The 10-document pack MetaQuotes asks for
MetaQuotes asks for ten groups of documents. They prove that the company exists, who owns and runs it, where it is, what it does and that it banks with a licensed bank. The list below is what MetaQuotes has asked our clients for. Requirements can change, so treat MetaQuotes' own request as the final word. A deeper, document-by-document guide is on MetaQuotes license documents.
| # | Document | What it must show | Common problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certificate of Incorporation | Legal name, registration number, date of incorporation | Name on the website or bank letter differs from the certificate |
| 2 | Certificate of Good Standing or Incumbency | Required if the company is older than 6 months | Certificate too old by the time it is submitted |
| 3 | Register of Directors | All current directors | Recent director change not reflected |
| 4 | Register of Shareholders | Shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs); nominee support documents where nominees are used | Nominee shareholder without the declaration of trust or similar support documents |
| 5 | Proof of registered address | The registered office on record | Registered-agent address shown without supporting confirmation |
| 6 | Proof of physical address | Where the business actually operates: utility bill, corporate document or certified confirmation letter | Only a virtual office, with no document linking it to the company |
| 7 | Domain ownership and compliant website | Domain registered to the company; website meets the content checklist below | Domain held in a developer's or founder's personal name |
| 8 | Confirmation of activities | Memorandum, or a legal opinion / representation letter, covering financial or brokerage services | Generic "any lawful business" clause with no explanation |
| 9 | Corporate bank reference letter | Addressed to MetaQuotes, confirming an active corporate account (or a certified bank statement) | Letter addressed "to whom it may concern" or missing the registration number |
| 10 | SumSub verification | Identity verification of the authorised signatory and the UBOs | One UBO delays the verification link for weeks |
Consistency matters most: the company name, number and addresses must match across the certificate, registers, website footer and bank letter.
Website compliance: what your site must show
MetaQuotes reviews your website as part of onboarding, so it has to be live, on a domain your company owns, and show who you are and what risks your clients take. MetaQuotes' own guide describes the minimum:
In addition to this, your website needs to have full company information such as registration number, contact form, and other details, including email, registered company address and operating address of your physical offices.— MetaQuotes, How to Start a Brokerage Business (accessed October 2026)
The same guide asks brokers to display risk disclosures and the list of restricted countries. Before submission we check the website against this list:
- Legal entity name exactly as on the Certificate of Incorporation, with the registration number.
- Registered address and physical (operating) address, matching documents 5 and 6.
- Contact channels: a working email address or contact form, and a phone number.
- Risk warning on every page, typically in the footer, about leveraged products and the risk of losing money.
- Jurisdiction disclaimer and restricted countries: where the company is registered, under what status, and which countries it does not serve.
- Legal documents: client agreement, privacy policy, AML/KYC policy and complaints procedure that name the same entity.
- Accurate regulatory wording. An IBC must never call itself "licensed" or "regulated" unless it holds a licence that can be checked. Saint Lucia's FSRA has issued public warnings about forex companies that claim to be licensed there.
We build and adapt broker websites as part of forex broker solutions.
SumSub identity verification for signatories and UBOs
MetaQuotes uses SumSub to verify the people behind the company. The authorised signatory and every UBO receive a personal verification link and complete it themselves. You cannot complete it for them. SumSub is also what MetaQuotes points brokers to for client KYC: its guide describes Sumsub as "readily integrated with MetaTrader 5".
Each person usually needs a valid passport or ID card and a liveness check on a phone camera, and sometimes a recent proof of residential address.
Delays come from expired links, extra questions for UBOs in higher-risk countries, and names that differ between the passport and the Register of Shareholders. We brief each person before the links go out.
The corporate bank reference letter
MetaQuotes asks for a corporate bank reference letter addressed to MetaQuotes. It must confirm that the company has an active account. A certified bank statement is the accepted alternative. MetaQuotes' guide also says the account should be "from a licensed bank" and registered under the brokerage company itself.
It is often the slowest document, because banks take longer to onboard a forex company than a registrar takes to form one. MetaQuotes itself recommends applying early. Three practical points:
- Open the account under the brokerage company, not a holding company or a founder.
- Ask for the letter in the right form: on bank letterhead, addressed to MetaQuotes, showing the company's legal name, registration number and registered address, signed and dated.
- Plan the PSP side as well. A payment service provider letter is often requested in the same period. See payment gateway integration.
Payment of the first three months and choosing a tier
When the document review is complete, MetaQuotes invoices the license. In our experience the first payment covers the first three months of license fees, and the license is activated once the payment arrives. The payment should come from the company's own corporate account, the one the bank reference letter describes.
Choose the tier from your real-account forecast for the next 12 to 24 months, not from your launch-day numbers. Entry (1,000 real accounts) suits most new brokers. The jump to Standard (25,000) makes sense when you need distributed trade servers or expect fast growth through IBs. Fees are set by MetaQuotes and change, so ask MetaQuotes for the current figures, terms and upgrade paths.
Hosting, data feed, bridge, CRM, payments and support are separate from the license fee; see how to start a forex brokerage.
Not sure your document pack will pass?
Send us your corporate documents and website link. We check them against what MetaQuotes asks for and send you a list of gaps before you submit.
Request a free technical review WhatsApp TelegramTimeline: how long MT5 license onboarding takes
There is no fixed timeline. MetaQuotes does not publish a review period, and the total depends mostly on how long it takes to open the bank account and complete verification. The table below shows the phases in the order we run them, with indicative durations from our own projects. Treat them as estimates, not commitments.
| Phase | What happens | Who acts | Indicative duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Scoping | Business model, target markets, jurisdiction, tier forecast | Founder + FXSUPPORT | A few days |
| 2. Company formation | IBC or regulated entity with financial-services activities | Registered agent / law firm | St Lucia IBC: about 3–5 business days after due diligence (agent estimate) |
| 3. Corporate add-ons | Legal opinion, updated documents, incumbency, physical address, nominee documents if used | Agent / law firm | Generally about one week |
| 4. Bank account and PSP | Corporate account, then the bank reference letter | Bank / EMI, founder | The most variable phase; depends on the bank |
| 5. Website | Compliant site on a company-owned domain | FXSUPPORT or your web team | Can run in parallel with phases 2–4 |
| 6. MetaQuotes review | Document pack, website and SumSub verification | MetaQuotes, signatory, UBOs | Not published; faster when the pack is complete |
| 7. Payment and activation | First three months of license fees paid from the corporate account | Founder | Depends on the bank transfer |
| 8. Server installation and go-live | Install, configure, connect liquidity, test, launch | FXSUPPORT, MetaQuotes, hosting provider | Depends on scope; see below |
The biggest time saver is running phases in parallel: the website, hosting, liquidity and CRM selection do not need to wait for MetaQuotes approval.
Server installation and go-live after approval
After activation, the MT5 platform has to be installed on servers you control. Then it is configured, connected to liquidity and tested before real clients log in. MetaQuotes states that it can do the base installation:
Installation of MetaTrader 5 servers is straightforward and can be either done by you, or MetaQuotes can do the installation free of charge, as a part of the delivery set.— MetaQuotes, How to Start a Brokerage Business (accessed October 2026)
Installation is not a working brokerage. This is where FXSUPPORT does most of its work:
- Hosting and architecture: choose data-centre locations, size the trade, history and access servers, and set up monitoring and backups. See MetaTrader server hosting.
- Platform configuration: symbols, contract specifications, sessions and holidays, swaps, margin and stop-out levels, client groups, commissions and manager permissions.
- Data feed and liquidity: connect quotes and a bridge or gateway to your liquidity provider. We work with technologies such as PrimeXM XCore, oneZero Hub and FIX API.
- CRM, KYC and payments: connect the client portal, SumSub and payment gateways through the Manager or Web API. See forex CRM solutions.
- Security: firewalling, access-server placement and DDoS hardening, with a 99.9% uptime target.
- Testing: demo and internal real accounts, order types, end-of-day, swaps and reports, before you announce the launch.
- Go-live and support: launch-day monitoring, then ongoing MT5 technical support and risk operations.
The full technical checklist is on MT5 server setup after license approval.
Common reasons MT5 license applications are delayed or refused
Most refusals and delays come from a few avoidable issues. MetaQuotes does not publish a list of rejection reasons; the ones below are the problems we see most often when founders submit on their own:
Activities do not cover brokerage
The Memorandum or business licence lists consulting, IT or "general trading" with no reference to financial services, and there is no legal opinion to fill the gap.
Mismatched details
The company name, number or address differs between the certificate, the registers, the website and the bank letter.
Weak website
The site is unfinished, has no risk warning or restricted-countries list, or the domain belongs to a person rather than the company.
Misleading licence claims
The website calls an unregulated IBC "licensed" or "regulated", or names a regulator that does not license forex.
Opaque ownership
Nominee arrangements without support documents, or a UBO who will not complete SumSub verification.
Bank letter problems
No corporate account yet, a letter not addressed to MetaQuotes, or an account held by a different entity.
If you have already been refused, send us the correspondence. Often the fix is a corrected document rather than a new company.
Full MT5 license vs white label vs grey label
A full MT5 license gives you your own server and full control; a white label or grey label gives less control and less paperwork.
| Model | Who holds the MT5 server license | Your control | Onboarding with MetaQuotes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full (main) license | Your company | Highest: server, configuration, data, liquidity, plugins | Full document pack, SumSub, bank letter, payment |
| White label | A provider with its own arrangement with MetaQuotes | More than a grey label, less than a full license | Depends on the provider and on MetaQuotes' current policy |
| Grey label | The provider | Your own client groups and branding inside the provider's server | Handled through the provider |
An MT5 grey label is a brokerage set up inside another company's licensed MetaTrader 5 server: you get your own client groups and your brand on the WebTrader, mobile apps, CRM and client portal, while the MT5 server licence stays with the provider. For more detail see MetaTrader white label.
How FXSUPPORT runs your MT5 license onboarding
We run onboarding as one project with one point of contact. Corporate and legal work is done by licensed registered agents and law firms in each jurisdiction; we coordinate them and own the technical side.
- Free technical review: we look at your plan, existing company (if any) and website, and tell you what is missing.
- Company and jurisdiction: if you need a company, we coordinate an IBC (for example in Saint Lucia) or a regulated route through our licensing and corporate services.
- Document pack: we check all ten documents for completeness and consistency before anything is sent.
- Website: we build or correct the site so it meets the checklist above.
- Verification and bank letter: we brief signatories and UBOs for SumSub and help you request the bank letter in the right form.
- Submission and follow-up: we track MetaQuotes' questions and prepare answers with you.
- Server build and go-live: installation, configuration, liquidity, CRM, testing and launch.
- Ongoing support: MetaTrader support, administration, risk reports and updates after launch.
Every project depends on the jurisdiction, ownership structure and technical scope. Tell us yours and we send a written quote.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get an MT5 license from MetaQuotes?
Can I still buy an MT4 license?
What documents does MetaQuotes ask for?
Do I need a forex license to get an MT5 license?
Does Saint Lucia issue forex licenses?
Will MetaQuotes accept a Saint Lucia IBC?
How long does MT5 license onboarding take?
What is SumSub and who has to complete it?
Who installs the MT5 server after approval?
Why was my MT5 license application refused?
Is FXSUPPORT a MetaQuotes partner?
Sources
- MetaTrader 4 for Brokers — MetaQuotes (accessed 8 October 2026)
- Order the MetaTrader 5 Trading Platform — MetaQuotes (accessed 8 October 2026)
- How to Start a Brokerage Business — MetaQuotes (accessed 8 October 2026)
- MetaTrader 5 for Brokers — MetaQuotes (accessed 8 October 2026)
- FAQ — Saint Lucia IBC Registry (accessed 8 October 2026)
- Warning notice: forex — Financial Services Regulatory Authority, Saint Lucia (accessed 8 October 2026)
- Notice to Registered Agents on BCs and LLCs engaging in forex business, 6 January 2023 — Financial Services Authority, St Vincent and the Grenadines (accessed 8 October 2026)
- Warning notice, 2 February 2026 — Financial Services Authority, St Vincent and the Grenadines (accessed 8 October 2026)
FXSUPPORT is not affiliated with MetaQuotes Ltd. or the vendors named on this page. General information, not legal or investment advice.
Want your MT5 application right the first time?
Send us your company details and website. We review your document pack, flag gaps before MetaQuotes does and plan your server go-live.