Process to get approved for payment processing

This is my first time trying to find a payment processor to allow my website to accept online payment transactions. I am unfamiliar with the process of what needs to occur once I have identified a provider I would like to work with. I was wondering what steps are needed and how long the process usually takes in getting “approved” to work with a payment processor?

I am charting unfamiliar territory, so any help to clarify the expectations would be greatly appreciated. Also, my assumption is that once I find the payment processor (whether that be Authorize.net, Paypal, etc.), all I need is to have my programmers setup the shopping cart and that should be it… Please correct me if I’m missing anything (I already have a regular business bank account, so hopefully this is sufficient to accept payments into). Thank you!

if you end up choosing Paypal, they have very good instructions on their website on how to set up your Paypal account and how to integrate Paypal’s online transactions into yor website.

it’s reasonably straight forward, especially if you are looking for just a basic integration.