Visa CEMEA Payment Facilitator Certification Program

Please be informed that Visa has sunset the Payment Facilitator Certification Program in CEMEA, effective 13 August 2026, as described in the Visa Business News article (AI16670).

The requirement for Payment Facilitators to obtain Visa certification and enter into a certification agreement with Visa has been removed. Payment Facilitators may now commence operations without a certification agreement with Visa, and acquirers may register Payment Facilitators in accordance with the requirements of the Third Party Agent Registration Program. Visa has ceased accepting and processing new Payment Facilitator certification applications under the CEMEA Payment Facilitator Certification Program. All existing certification agreements remain valid until their expiration or termination in accordance with their applicable terms.

This change does not affect any applicable Visa Rules, registration requirements, VARS, AIS, AML/CTF, sanctions, or other compliance obligations, which remain fully in effect.

For questions regarding existing certification agreements or open certification cases, please refer to the Sunset of Payment Facilitator Certification Program in CEMEA FAQs.We encourage you to review the Visa Business News article for complete details regarding these changes and to contact your acquirer should you require further guidance.

Kind regards, Visa Payment Facilitator Certification Team