Visa Europe Membership Open up a world of new business opportunities

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Visa Europe is a membership organisation and is owned by its members. Entities wishing to gain access to the Visa operating systems, products and services must become a member of Visa Europe.

Access RequirementsMembership of Visa Europe

Types of Membership

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Other types

If an applicant only intends to issue and acquire V PAY, there is a separate category of membership solely for this activity. Similarly, if a member only wishes to make cash disbursements, there is a specific category of membership for this activity.

Some countries within the Visa Europe territory have group members.

Further information on these additional types of membership can be obtained by contacting Visa Europe.

Principal Member

A Principal Member can issue cards and acquire merchants directly. They can process transactions and provide processing services. A Principal Member is required to settle funds directly with Visa Europe. A Principal Member may also sponsor Associate Members or Participant Members.

Associate Member

An Associate Member must be sponsored for Visa Europe membership by a Principal Member. Associate Members may, subject to written agreement with their sponsoring Principal Member, undertake almost all Principal Member activities. The main difference between a Principal and Associate Member is that an Associate Member’s card and sales volumes will be attributed to its sponsor as the sponsor will be liable for settlement with Visa Europe.

Participant Member

A Participant Member must be sponsored for membership of Visa Europe by a Principal Member or an Associate Member. Participant Members are not permitted to undertake issuing or acquiring activities. They assist their sponsoring member perform its Visa Europe activities and only perform such functions in agreement with and on behalf of the sponsoring Member.

Extension of Membership through a Branch Licence

A Principal Member, through its foreign branches, may extend its membership by applying for a Branch Licence. A branch can issue cards and acquire transactions as an extension of the Principal Member. A branch is not entitled to sponsor any Member category, nor can a branch be sponsored for membership.

The following are the main types of Membership:

• Principal Member

• Associate Member

• Participant Member

• Extension of Membership through a Branch Licence

Step 1: Eligibility

An applicant must establish that it is eligible for membership by providing Visa Europe with a copy of its licence to operate granted by the relevant regulatory authority (or a link to a relevant website if available), showing that it is either:

• Organised under commercial banking laws and authorised to accept demand deposits; or

• A Payment Service Provider from an EU/EEA Member State or from a country where the Payment Services Directive has been implemented by relevant national legislation.

The licence must state which business activities related to card payments the applicant is authorised to conduct.

Step 2: Application Pack

An applicant is required to complete the relevant application forms and provide copies of its last three years audited financial accounts, plus the latest un-audited financial accounts. In the case of a start-up entity, management approved three year financial projections are required.

There are different application packs for the different types of membership. These can be obtained by contacting Visa Europe. Click the following links for an example of the standard Membership Application Form and Business Plan document.

Step 3: Risk Review

Visa Europe will conduct a risk review of applications for Principal and Associate membership. The review involves an assessment of the applicant’s financial capacity, business capability and intended activities in relation to Visa issuing and acquiring.

As a result of the review the applicant is assigned a risk rating between A and E. A rating of A or B is considered to be investment grade. If the applicant is rated C, D or E, it will be required to provide financial safeguards as a condition of membership. The applicant will be informed at this stage if safeguards are required.

Membership application process

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Once an applicant has contacted Visa Europe expressing interest in membership, they will be assigned a Visa Europe representative who will provide information about the application process, fees and technical requirements. They will also provide guidance throughout the entire membership application process. Below is an outline of the steps involved in applying for membership with Visa Europe:

Step 4: Anti-Money Laundering (AML) review

In accordance with the Visa Europe AML Programme, Visa Europe will conduct an AML review of all Principal Members’ applications. As part of this process the applicant will be asked to share its AML policy with Visa Europe and Visa Europe will conduct open and closed searches to identify any AML or regulatory risk exposure.

For a high level overview of the access requirements for each membership type see below.

Step 5: Review of Application and Decision

Visa Europe will review the application and submit the application to its relevant decision-making body for review and approval. Once approval has been granted, Visa Europe will send the Membership Deed to the new member for signature.

The Deed includes a licence to use the technology and trademarks of Visa Europe. It governs the relationship between Visa Europe and the member and, together with the Visa Europe Operating Regulations, sets out the rights and obligations of both parties. The Visa Europe Operating Regulations can be accessed here.

Step 6: Technical Implementation

Once the Membership Deed has been signed, the new member is in a position to prepare for access to the Visa systems to provide Visa payment services in line with its membership type. The specific systems that the member requires access to will depend on its intended business activity.

Access to the required systems will involve a process of testing and certification to ensure that the new member can perform its activities in accordance with Visa Europe’s system requirements and to ensure that the security and integrity of Visa Europe’s system is maintained.

High level overview

Membership type Licence to Operate Risk Review AML Review

Principal Member

Associate Member

Participant Member

Branch Licence

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© Copyright Visa Europe 2015. Visa Europe Limited, 1 Sheldon Square, London W2 6WH, United Kingdom

There are membership fees for being accepted into Visa Europe. Fees differ depending on the type of membership applied for and the products and services the applicant intends to provide. At the time of application, the Visa Europe representative will explain the fees that are applicable to that individual applicant.

Fees

For further information on becoming a member of Visa Europe please click here.

Information on how to become either a Merchant Agent or a Third Party Agent can be found here.