As Visa Inc. continues to serve the needs of our clients, we are committed to providing our partners with greater insight into Visa's operations. We are pleased to provide access to the latest edition (dated 1 April 2010) of the Visa International and Regional Operating Regulations as part of our effort.
We have consolidated our five regional sets of operating regulations into one global set of Visa International Operating Regulations. We expect that our clients and other stakeholders will find the information easier to locate and understand in this new format.
While the Visa International Operating Regulations govern our client financial institutions' use of the Visa payment system, we believe that providing access to them will benefit all of our stakeholders. In order to protect the security of cardholders and the integrity of the Visa system, we have omitted proprietary and competitive information, as well as certain details within the rules relating to the security of the Visa network. For example, in the merchant rules, we have omitted floor limits by country code and processing codes that identify full track data, which could aid fraudsters.
Any Regional Operating Regulations within the Visa International Operating Regulations apply only to the operations of client financial institutions within the relevant region (e.g., the U. S. Regional Operating Regulations only apply to a financial institution's operations in the U.S. region). In addition, any rule marked with the name of a region (e.g., Canada Region, CEMEA Region) is applicable to financial institutions in that region only. Please note that Visa Europe is a separate entity that is an exclusive licensee of Visa Inc.'s trademarks and technology in the European region and, as such, member financial institutions of Visa Europe are governed by the Operating Regulations of Visa Europe.
Visa International Operating Regulations (PDF, 5.3 MB)
Summary of Changes to the Visa International Operating Regulations (PDF, 588 KB)
Visa International Operating Regulations – Core Principles (PDF, 1.3 MB)
Interlink Operating Regulations (PDF, 539 KB)
If you have any questions about Visa’s Operating Regulations, please contact us.
Also, learn about state laws and Visa rules protecting consumers from surcharges.
