I heard about Hetzner through dev circles. Their infrastructure, network speed, reliability — everything looked top notch. And the prices? Mind-blowing. Plans that cost $15/month elsewhere, Hetzner offered something similar for ~$3. That sounded perfect.
But when I first tried to register, nothing went through. Rejection after rejection. Turns out, many have the same story — even people from “Tier-1” countries report their accounts got canceled or denied. On forums, people share frustration:
“I have tried many times and it doesn’t work … manually reviewed and approved.” (LowEndTalk)
“All new Registrations are manually reviewed … so a short delay after registration may occur.” (LowEndTalk)
One user on Reddit said:
“I recently signed up … but my account got rejected … we cannot accept your account … we do not share details about why certain accounts appear suspicious.” (Reddit)
So yes — Hetzner is very cautious about accepting customers.
Still, I believed it was worth the effort. The infrastructure is good, the scalability is amazing, and the price-to-performance ratio is just superb. So I kept trying — with tweaks — until finally I got approved. Below is my story and method (which worked) for getting past Hetzner’s gatekeepers.
Why I Insisted on Hetzner
Here’s why I chose Hetzner despite the registration headaches:
- Quality of infrastructure & network — I read many benchmarks showing low latency, fast disk I/O, good backbone connectivity.
- Scalability — you can start small and scale up.
- Extremely affordable compared to similar providers — for example, a DigitalOcean droplet at $15 might match a Hetzner server for $3–4.
Given the value, I was willing to jump through hoops to be allowed.
My Failed Attempts Before Success
Before I got approved, I tried many methods:
- Using different devices (laptop, phone)
- Using different internet connections — sometimes trying from café/WiFi
- Trying VPNs (many times) — but that sometimes triggered suspicion
- Re-submitting over and over
I noticed that using a VPN often leads to instant rejection. And many of my attempts got flagged before verification even started.
Eventually, through trial and error, I discovered a set of best practices that seemed to tilt the odds in my favor.
The Approach That Finally Got Me Approved
Here’s what I did (step by step), which succeeded (and later also helped some friends):
- Use an Affiliate Link
Yes — I used a referral/affiliate link. I suspect that gives your application a bit more legitimacy or priority. Plus, you get bonus credits (around €20 free credit in the first month).
- Use a Domain Email, Not Free Email
Don’t sign up with gmail.com, yahoo.com, etc. Use an email that’s tied to your own domain (e.g. [email protected]). Make sure that domain is active and ideally has a simple website or landing page.
- Use a Business Entity / Legal Identity
Registering with a company name (or formal business structure) made my application more “trusted.” It suggests legitimacy.
- Match the Card Name with Your Name
Use a credit or debit card whose name matches your verification identity (name you used in your registration). That alignment reduces suspicion.
What Happens When You’re Approved
If your registration is accepted, here’s what you’ll see:
- You won’t be forced into heavy manual verification immediately.
- You may see prompts to verify via third parties (fintech apps, ID checks, etc.).
- You’ll get access to Hetzner’s Cloud Console.
From there, you can spin up servers, etc. But be aware: your new account is often limited at first:
- Max: 5 servers
- Max: ~10 CPU cores in total
- Max: ~10 GB RAM (approx)
- Port 25 (SMTP email) is typically blocked initially
- Other limits on payment methods, quotas, etc.
These limits are normal and lift gradually as you build trust.
Final Thoughts & Tips
- Be patient — don’t rush.
- Don’t use VPNs or proxies during registration.
- Use real, verifiable identity and domain.
- Use a clean IP (not blacklisted or used by many).
- Use affiliate / referral link if available.
Once I finally got my Hetzner account, I felt a huge relief. Now I can deploy servers fast, scale, and use their performance without panel gimmicks.
If you want to use my affiliate link, you can try this link: https://hetzner.cloud/?ref=egsNbhW5sJaV.
