EMV Level 3 · Mexico

EMV Level 3 Certification in Mexico

We handle application development, testing, processor coordination and approval support, so one engineering team takes you from requirements toward certification with your Mexican processor. Choose a full build, or managed certification for an application you already have.

Example EMV transaction traceILLUSTRATIVE
> A0 00 00 00 03  SELECT
> GET PROCESSING OPTIONS
> A0 00 00 00 04  0x9000

> AAC · EMV L3
> 9F10  9F36  9F27  9F33  03 TVR
> GENERATE AC

✓ APPLICATION CRYPTOGRAM ACCEPTED
DEVICE  EXAMPLETEST DATA ONLY
133EMV L3 certifications completed across regions
Santander · EvertecMexican processors in scope, and others on request
4 stagesTesting through submission
In-houseOur own EMV test tools, so you do not buy or rent any
BilingualEnglish and Spanish speaking team members for scoping and project communication
01 · Who this is for

Where Mexican projects usually start.

Mexican EMV Level 3 projects usually start in one of four places.

US ISVs and terminal makers entering Mexico

Your application is certified in the US and now needs a Mexican processor path. We scope what can be reused and what has to be built or retested.

Mexican ISVs and software vendors

You are building or replacing a payment application for Mexican merchants and need it certified with the processors your customers use.

Acquirers, banks and payment facilitators

You need certification capacity, a white-label option, or an integration built and taken through approval.

Latin American operators deploying in Mexico

Unattended retail, kiosks and multi-country rollouts that need one application certified across several markets.

02 · Mexican processors

Certification is specific to each processor.

Processors do not all use the same stages, terminology, approval paths or prerequisites, so a certification with one does not cover another.

Processor
What to know
Foundry adapter
Santander (Getnet México)
Santander's merchant acquiring in Mexico runs through Getnet México, which the bank holds with Santander's PagoNxt franchise. Certification is scoped with Getnet México, and we confirm the exact host and path for your project during scoping.
Existing adapter, Mexican specifics confirmed during scoping
Evertec
A transaction processor active across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Mexico. We confirm which Evertec host and platform applies to your Mexican deployment during scoping.
Built during scoping
Other Mexican processors
We also work with other processors and acquirers in Mexico. Tell us which one you use and we scope it.
Built during scoping
03 · What is different

What is different in Mexico.

Local schemes and networks

Domestic networks and local schemes can apply on top of the global card brands. Which ones depend on your processor and the cards you accept, and we confirm them during scoping.

Installments

Interest-free installments, known as meses sin intereses, are widely offered at Mexican merchants. If your application must support them, installment flows are scoped and tested as part of certification.

Contact and contactless

Contactless acceptance is growing in Mexico, so contact and contactless modes are scoped together, with the kernels and firmware versions your terminals use.

Language and currency

Mexican deployments run in Mexican pesos and typically need Spanish screens and receipts. We confirm the requirement with your processor during scoping.

A separate path from the US

A US certification does not carry over to a Mexican processor. Some work can be reused, but each processor has its own specifications, test plans and approval path.

04 · Readiness checklist

What has to be in place, and who supplies it.

Most delays come from missing inputs, not missing code. Who supplies each item varies by project and is confirmed in the Statement of Work.

Item
What it means
Typically supplied by
Mexican processor and host
The processor you will certify with and the specific platform or host.
You, with your processor
Processor specifications
Specifications, sandbox credentials and the processor's project setup.
Your processor
Terminals
The terminal models and hardware available for testing.
You or your hardware vendor
Kernel and firmware
Versions in use and any approval evidence that applies to them.
Hardware vendor
SDK and documentation
SDK access, interface documentation and integration permissions.
Hardware vendor and processor, requested by you
Application status
Whether the application exists, how ready it is and which flows it must support.
You, assessed with Paying.co
Card brands, local schemes and entry modes
The brands, domestic schemes and contact or contactless modes in scope.
You, with your processor
Installments and transaction types
Whether meses sin intereses and other transaction types must be supported.
You, with your processor
Test environment
The environment, test assets and evidence the process requires.
Shared between Paying.co, you and the processor
Owners
Who fixes application issues, makes submissions and handles retesting.
Agreed in the Statement of Work
05 · Choose your engagement

Full build, side by side, or certify what you already have.

The right engagement depends on whether the payment application already exists and how much of the work your team wants to keep.

Engagement
Best when
What Paying.co does
What stays with you
Full application development and certification
You need the payment application built and certified.
Application engineering and processor integration, testing and coordination, resolving findings, and support through approval. Approval dependencies outside our control stay outside our control.
Hardware, access and decisions listed in the Statement of Work.
Embedded, side by side
You have an engineering team and want specialists inside your own process and tools.
Our engineers work with your team and tools, engaged only where needed.
Ownership of the application and your delivery process.
Managed certification for an existing application
Your application exists and your team does the coding.
Application readiness review, test cases, processor communication, retesting after fixes.
Code fixes to your application, and scope boundaries agreed up front.

Foundry-supported delivery can apply to compatible engagements and is covered below. Compare the options in more depth on the EMV Level 3 hub page and in Managed EMV Certification vs. Full Payment Application Development.

Custom Development →  Managed Certification →
06 · The process

Test early. Find problems before submission.

The stages below are a typical example for a full build. Your Mexican processor may name or order them differently, and some of the work belongs to others.

01
STAGE ONE

User Acceptance Testing

Validate transaction flows, error handling, receipts and processor-specific requirements.

02
STAGE TWO

Host Validation

Exercise terminal-to-host messaging, reversals, settlement, timeouts and production-realistic flows.

03
STAGE THREE

Pre-Certification

Run the card brand and local scheme test suites internally before submission.

04
STAGE FOUR

Card Brand Submission

Manage submission through findings and final approval.

What Paying.co does

  • Builds or readies the application
  • Runs testing and pre-certification
  • Coordinates with the processor
  • Prepares and supports submissions

What others do

  • The processor sets specifications and approves the certification
  • Test labs and card schemes run their own test and review activities, on their own schedules
  • Your team or hardware vendor supplies devices and access

Findings and retesting. Reviewers may report findings. Application fixes follow, then retesting. Who makes the fixes depends on the engagement: Paying.co in a full build, and your team in managed certification unless agreed otherwise. Read the full EMV Level 3 certification process guide.

07 · Timeline and pricing

What drives the schedule and the cost.

We do not publish a single timeline or price for Mexico, because the factors below change both. After scoping, we quote against a defined scope. Understand the factors in the EMV certification cost and timeline guide, or get a self-serve estimate with Benchmark.

Timeline

  • An estimate covers our engineering and testing effort
  • External scheduling and review by the processor, labs and schemes is separate and can change the calendar
  • Waiting on hardware, credentials, specifications or processor project setup delays the start
  • Changes to terminals, kernels, firmware, processors or requirements can change scope or trigger retesting
  • A full build takes longer than certifying an existing application

Pricing

  • Work is quoted against a fixed-scope Statement of Work with milestone billing
  • Cost drivers are the number of processors, terminals, brands, local schemes and entry modes, and the amount of retesting
  • Full build and managed certification are scoped and priced differently
  • Inclusions, exclusions and responsibilities are listed in the Statement of Work, including any third-party fees
08 · Foundry's role

Start further ahead, when it fits.

Foundry is our EMV Level 3 framework. The transaction lifecycle is built once, and processor-specific logic sits in thinner adapters. For compatible engagements it can reduce the development work, and recent engagements are showing time and cost savings of roughly 60 to 70%.

For a Mexican processor without an existing adapter, the adapter is built during scoping. Whether Foundry applies, and what that means for your schedule or cost, depends on your processor, hardware and scope, and we confirm it during scoping.

Explore Foundry →
ONE CORE → MANY ADAPTERS
L3 CORE
lifecycle · TLV · crypto · transaction state
GP · UCP REST
TSYS · TransIT
NAB · Velocity
Elavon · EPG
Cybersource
Santander · MXN
Example processor adapters. Only authorize() crosses the processor boundary.
09 · FAQ

Questions we hear about Mexico.

Do I need a separate certification for Mexico if I am certified in the US?add
Yes. EMV Level 3 certification is processor-specific, so a US certification does not cover a Mexican processor. Work done for one processor can sometimes be reused for the next, but each processor has its own specifications, test plans and approval path.
Which Mexican processors do you work with?add
Santander and Evertec, and we are capable of working with others. Tell us your processor and we confirm the scope during scoping.
Do local schemes or installments apply to my project?add
That depends on your processor, the cards you accept and the products you offer. If your application must support meses sin intereses or domestic schemes, we include them in scope and testing. We confirm what applies with your processor during scoping.
Can you certify an application that already exists?add
Yes. Managed certification covers an existing application: readiness review, test cases, processor communication and retesting after fixes. Code fixes to your application stay with your team unless agreed otherwise.
Do I need to buy or rent EMV test tools?add
No. We own our EMV certification test tools and run them in our own lab, so there is no tool acquisition or ramp-up on your side.
How long does certification in Mexico take?add
It depends on scope. Hardware availability, processor specifications, test credentials, project setup and the processor's own scheduling all affect it, as do any findings that need fixing and retesting. A full build takes longer than certifying an existing application.
What affects the cost?add
Scope drives cost: full build or existing application, the number of processors, terminal models, card brands, local schemes and entry modes, and how much retesting is needed. We quote against a defined scope after a scoping conversation, with a fixed-scope Statement of Work and milestone billing.
Can we work in Spanish?add
Yes. We have bilingual team members, so scoping calls and project communication can be handled in English or Spanish.
How do I get a quote?add
Start with a scoping conversation about your processor, terminal, region and requirements. After that we return a scoped proposal with milestones. Use the form below to begin.
10 · Related reading

More on EMV Level 3 certification.

Self-serve option

Already know the scope of your EMV L3 project?

Get an estimate with Benchmark
Start a certification

Tell us what you need to certify.

The more we know up front, the more precisely we can scope it. Please include:

  • Your processor and host or platform
  • The terminal model
  • Your deployment region
  • Entry modes and card brands
  • The transaction types required
  • Whether an application exists, and how ready it is
  • Your target launch date
  • Known external dependencies and access already secured
FIXED-SCOPE SOW · MILESTONE BILLING

Start your project

Sales online

Tell us about your project — we route you to the right specialist.

person
error_outlinePlease enter your name.
business
mail
error_outlinePlease enter a valid email address.
call
link
tune
error_outlinePlease tell us a bit about your project.

lock Your details go straight to our sales engineers — never shared or sold.