For most businesses, opening a merchant account takes a few days to a few weeks. If you choose a zero-contract merchant account, the process will be quite quick, since a contract doesn’t need to be drawn up. It might still take a few days however if a credit check needs to be performed. Opening a contract-based merchant account might take longer, especially if you’re getting a bespoke solution. You should expect it to take a few weeks, but if you’re a large business with complex operations it might take up to a month.