Restricted products and services
Creative approval
- Ads that include sensitive content may be manually reviewed before they can serve. Manual review typically takes 24 hours.
- Creatives must follow Google Ads content policies to serve on Display & Video 360. Review Google Ads content policies
The following categories of products might not be eligible to serve through Display & Video 360, or may serve only under very specific conditions.
Addiction services in the United States
To run content related to drug and alcohol addiction services in the United States on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals, you must be certified as an addiction services provider by the LegitScript Certification program. Once you are certified by LegitScript, you must certify the domain of your advertiser with Display & Video 360 before your ads can serve.
Not all drug and alcohol addiction services are eligible for LegitScript Certification. Those that are not eligible are not allowed to advertise for drug and alcohol addiction services on Display & Video 360. Learn more and apply for LegitScript Certification.
Content related to drug and alcohol addiction services is not allowed outside of the United States on Display & Video 360.
If you feel that a given addiction services creative complies with Google Ads' Healthcare and medicine policy, doesn't advertise any restricted content or direct to a page with restricted content, and is from an advertiser that has been certified by LegitScript, you can request certification from Display & Video 360.
Apply for certification
To apply for certification for addiction services fill out our online application form (available in English only).
- Please be sure to include the Display & Video 360 advertiser and partner ID for the account that will serve addiction services content.
- To cut down on any unnecessary delays, be sure to fill out all of the requested information.
- If you’re serving TrueView ads, please request certification for both your website and the YouTube URL for your linked YouTube channel (youtube.com/channel). You can request both domains in the same certification application.
- If you’re advertising apps, please request certification for both your website and the app store URL for any app you’re linking to (itunes.apple.com/appname or play.google.com/appname or facebook.com/appname). You can request all of the domains in the same certification application.
Alcohol
Please follow these guidelines to serve ads for alcoholic beverages on Display & Video 360:
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Policy: Ensure your creatives are compliant with Google Ads' Alcoholic beverages policy and that advertising of alcoholic beverages is allowed in the countries where your advertiser's ads will serve.
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Other requirements:
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Do not target individuals below the legal drinking age.
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Do not imply that drinking alcohol can improve social, sexual, professional, intellectual, or athletic standing.
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Do not imply that drinking alcohol provides health or therapeutic benefits.
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Do not portray excessive drinking in a positive light or feature binge or competition drinking.
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Do not show alcohol being consumed in conjunction with the operation of a vehicle of any kind, or the operation of machinery, or the performance of any task requiring alertness or dexterity.
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Do not depict violent or degrading behavior.
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Election advertising in the United States
To run election ads or use political affiliation in personalized advertising in the United States on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals, you must apply for verification for your advertiser before your ads can serve.
If a given advertiser complies with Google Ads' political content policy, doesn't advertise any restricted content or direct to a page with restricted content, and follows the policy below, you can request verification.
Policy for election ads
In the United States, election ads include ads that feature:
- A current officeholder or candidate for an elected federal office. This includes federal offices such as that of the President or Vice President of the United States and members of the United States House of Representatives or United States Senate.
- A current officeholder or candidate for a state-level elected office, such as Governor, Secretary of State, or member of a state legislature.
- A federal or state level political party.
- A state-level ballot measure, initiative, or proposition that has qualified for the ballot in its state.
Note: This policy doesn’t apply to ads for products or services, including promotional political merchandise like t-shirts, or ads run by news organizations to promote their coverage of federal or state election campaigns, candidates, or current elected state or federal officeholders.
Disclosure requirements for election advertising in the United States
Google requires that all election ads show a disclosure that identifies who has paid for the ad. For most ad formats, Google will automatically generate a “Paid for by“ disclosure, using the information provided during the verification process.
For the following ad formats and features available across Google, the advertiser is responsible for including a “Paid for by” disclosure directly in the ad creative, followed by the name of the organization or individual paying for the ad.
- Third-party ad serving on Google Display Network and YouTube
- Audio creatives on Display & Video 360
- Video creatives on Display & Video 360 (except for creatives served on YouTube). Please make sure that your disclosure is visible during the entire duration of your video.
- YouTube Masthead
The following creative formats are supported for election ads in the United States: Audio, video, image, HTML5, Lightbox, and dynamic creatives from Studio.
Political affiliation in personalized advertising in the United States
To use political affiliation in personalized advertising in the United States you must apply for verification for your advertiser before your ads can serve.
The following is allowed:
- To the extent permitted by applicable law, political affiliation may be used to target ads to users or to promote advertisers’ products or services in the United States if the advertiser is verified by Google.
- The application process may require two steps and can take up to 3-5 business days.
Learn how to apply for verification.
Advertisers already verified for election advertising in the United States
Google requires the same verification process for advertisers who want to run election ads in the United States. If you’ve already been verified to run election ads in the United States, you’ll also be considered verified for political affiliation in personalized ads, and no additional verification is required.
Gambling
To run gambling-related content on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals on Display & Video 360, you must certify the domain of the advertiser for each country you target before your ads can serve.
Display & Video 360 allows gambling-related content in the following countries:
Africa
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If you feel that a given gambling creative complies with Google Ads' Gambling and games policy, doesn't advertise any restricted content or direct to a page with restricted content, and follows the simplified rules below, you can request certification.
Simplified rules
- Comply with all applicable laws and industry standards for any location that you target.
- Meet local licensing requirements for all gambling-related products and services that you're promoting.
- Clearly display information on your landing page about responsible gambling.
- Ensure that you don't target minors.
- Target only the supported countries where you are certified.
Apply for certification
You can apply for certification by filling out the forms below (available in English only):
- If you are a licensed operator and/or aggregator, select the online application form for the country where you're applying
- If you operate in a country where we allow state-run entities, use this form to apply.
- If you are a social casino games operator, use this form to apply.
For all applications:
- Please be sure to include the Display & Video 360 advertiser and partner ID for the account that will serve gambling content.
- Submit a separate application for every country you target.
- To cut down on any unnecessary delays, be sure to fill out all of the requested information.
- If you are an agency applying on behalf of an advertiser, please send documentation detailing your relationship with the advertiser or license holder.
- If you’re serving TrueView ads, please request certification for both your website and the YouTube URL for your linked YouTube channel (youtube.com/channel). You can request both domains in the same certification application.
- If you’re advertising apps, please request certification for both your website and the app store URL for any app you’re linking to (itunes.apple.com/appname or play.google.com/appname or facebook.com/appname). You can request all of the domains in the same certification application.
Pharmaceuticals
To run pharmaceutical-related content on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals on Display & Video 360, you must certify the domain of the advertiser for each country you target before your ads can serve.
Display & Video 360 allows pharmaceutical-related content in the following countries:
Americas
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If you feel that a given pharmaceutical creative complies with Google Ads' Healthcare and medicine policy, doesn't advertise any restricted content or direct to a page with restricted content, and follows the simplified rules below, you can request certification.
Simplified rules
- No prescription drugs, unless your business is certified to advertise this content.
- No non-family safe (NFS) content.
- Products that are designated as non-family safe by Google Ads will not be able to serve on Display & Video 360.
- No misleading claims.
- Target only the supported countries where you are certified.
Apply for certification
To apply for certification for pharmaceutical ads fill out our online application form (available in English only).
- Please be sure to include the Display & Video 360 advertiser and partner ID for the account that will serve pharmaceutical content.
- To cut down on any unnecessary delays, be sure to fill out all of the requested information.
- If you are an agency applying on behalf of an advertiser, please send documentation detailing your relationship with the advertiser or license holder. You can use the template included in the application form.
- If you’re serving TrueView ads, please request certification for both your website and the YouTube URL for your linked YouTube channel (youtube.com/channel). You can request both domains in the same certification application.
- If you’re advertising apps, please request certification for both your website and the app store URL for any app you’re linking to (itunes.apple.com/appname or play.google.com/appname or facebook.com/appname). You can request all of the domains in the same certification application.
Restricted financial products and services
Complex speculative products
To run complex speculative financial products content on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals on Display & Video 360, you must certify the domain of the advertiser for each country you target before your ads can serve.
Display & Video 360 allows complex speculative financial products content in the following countries:
Africa
| Contract for difference | Financial spreadbetting | Rolling spot forex | Aggregators | |
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Cryptocurrency exchanges
To run content related to cryptocurrency exchanges on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals on Display & Video 360, you must certify the domain of the advertiser for each country you target before your ads can serve.
Display & Video 360 allows cryptocurrency exchange related content in the following countries:
- United States
- Japan
Debt services
To run content related to debt services on open exchanges, TrueView, and deals on Display & Video 360, you must certify the domain of the advertiser for each country you target before your ads can serve. Display & Video 360 allows debt services content in the following countries:
- Australia
- Google allows ads promoting debt services as long as the advertiser and provider of these services is appropriately authorized; i.e., is either a debt agreement administrator registered with the Australian Financial Security Authority or holds an Australian credit license. Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- Japan
- Google allows ads promoting debt services as long as the advertiser and provider of these services is a licensed attorney (bengoshi) or certified judicial scrivener (shiho-shoshi). Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- South Africa
- Google allows ads promoting debt services as long as the advertiser and provider of these services is a debt counsellor registered with the National Credit Regulator. Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- South Korea
- Google allows ads promoting debt services as long as the advertiser and provider of these services is a lawyer or a law firm licensed to practice in South Korea. Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- Spain
- Google allows ads promoting debt services as long as the advertiser and provider of these services is a bankruptcy mediator registered by the Ministry of Justice. Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- United Kingdom
- Google allows ads promoting debt services as long as the advertiser and provider of these services is appropriately authorized, i.e., is either (1) a licensed insolvency practitioner regulated by a Recognised Professional Body or (2) authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority to carry on debt adjusting and debt counseling and to hold client money. Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- United States
- Google allows ads promoting debt services only if the advertiser and provider of these services is an approved non-profit budget and credit counseling agency, as defined by 11 U.S. Code § 111. Advertisers must also be certified with Google.
Simplified rules
If you feel that a given financial service or product creative complies with Google Ads' Financial services and products policy, doesn't advertise any restricted content or direct to a page with restricted content, and follows the simplified rules below, you can request certification.
- Comply with all applicable laws and industry standards for any location that you target.
- Meet local licensing requirements for all financial products and services that you're promoting.
- No misleading claims.
- Ensure that you don't target minors.
- Target only the supported countries where you are certified.
Apply for certification
Apply for certification for restricted financial products here and debt services here (available in English only).
- Please be sure to include the Display & Video 360 advertiser and partner ID for the account that will serve complex speculative financial products content.
- To cut down on any unnecessary delays, be sure to fill out all of the requested information.
- If you’re serving TrueView ads, please request certification for both your website and the YouTube URL for your linked YouTube channel (youtube.com/channel). You can request both domains in the same certification application.
- If you’re advertising apps, please request certification for both your website and the app store URL for any app you’re linking to (itunes.apple.com/appname or play.google.com/appname or facebook.com/appname). You can request all of the domains in the same certification application.
