Visa CEMEA PayFac Certification Program Visa PayFac Certification Checklist

1. Understand the Program

  • Review the Visa CEMEA PF Certification Program overview.
  • Understand the importance of certification for compliance, trust, and growth.
  • Confirm your role as a Payment Facilitator and the responsibilities involved.
     

2. Assess Eligibility

  • Determine if you qualify for Full Certification or Conditional Participation Agreement (CPA).
  • Use the “Check Yourself” tool to assess your certification path.
  • Consult your Acquirer to confirm your Third Party Agent type.
     

3. Prepare Documentation

For Full Certification:

  • Regulatory licenses
  • PCI DSS Attestation of Compliance (AOC)
  • AML policies and audit report (past 2 years)
  • Sanctions screening and transaction monitoring systems
  • Merchant onboarding and underwriting policies
  • Risk detection and investigation tools
  • Sample merchant agreements and applications

For CPA:

  • Intake form and certification questionnaire
  • Basic AML and compliance documentation
  • Merchant onboarding templates
     

4. Submit Intake Form

5. Engage with Visa

  • Receive assignment of a Visa Program Manager.
  • Submit full documentation package within 30 calendar days.
  • Respond to Visa feedback and complete any remediation (30–90 days).
     

6. Agreement Signing

  • Sign the Payment Facilitator Agreement (Full Certification) or CPA Agreement.
  • Receive Certificate of Completion and listing in Visa’s Global Third Party Agent Directory.
  • Onboard to Visa Access – Ask your Program Manager to initiate access setup.
  • Pay the one-time certification fee.
  • Pay the annual fee (details available via Visa Access or from your Acquirer).
     

7. Post CPA Certification

  • Operate under CPA for up to 12 months.
  • Apply for full certification after 9 months, or earlier if reaching $100K/month Visa volumes (not before 6 months).
  • Confirm PF ID provisioning in Authorization and Clearing messages with your Acquirer.
     

8. Group Certification (if applicable)

  • Submit group intake form listing all entities and markets.
  • Provide regulatory licenses and PCI DSS AOC for each entity.
  • Include organizational charts and C-level confirmation letter.
     

9. Ongoing Operations

  • Maintain fraud, chargeback, and data-quality metrics within Visa thresholds.
  • Notify Visa of major changes (ownership, verticals, acquirers).
  • Prepare for re-certification (valid for 3 years; may be triggered earlier).
     

10. Support & Resources

  • Use the PayFac Certification Guide, VARS, and Risk Guides.