PayCert is a certification body owned by ELITT SAS, an independent subsidiary of the Groupement des Cartes Bancaires “CB”. The company is based in Paris. The “PayCert” brand comes from the terms “Payment” and “Certification”.
Paycert manages Secure Electronic Transactions Certification.
“ Certification is a procedure by which a third party gives a written assurance that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements. ” (Source: Guide ISO/CEI 2)
PayCert issues certificates, assessing the technical compliance of electronic payment systems regarding a given set of specifications, to Vendors that are candidate.
If the product’s compliance is assessed, the payment systems product Vendor receives a certificate letter identifying the tested product and the standard used (and its version).
PayCert today issues certificates assessing all card products, terminal products and acquirer hosts regarding the CB-EMV standards (french scheme).
PayCert proposes others products and systems certification regarding others specific standards linked to Transport and Identification document.
PayCert can also assess product compliance for other standards already existing in Europe (CEN) or worldwide (ISO). Please contact us for details.
No, PayCert doesn’t deliver Approvals.
An Approval, or Type Approval, can be considered as a commercial agreement to sell a product on a given market. This commercial agreement includes risk management issues. An approval is delivered by commercial stakeholders, e.g. an association of banks, which can ask for additional demands. For example, an Approval can have an expiration date and be subject to renewal.
Usually, the issuance of an Approval is based on technical review documents, such as certificates.
Incidentally, the Vendor can use the PayCert certificate to obtain Approval (e.g. the CB Approval)
No. PayCert works with test laboratories, which issue test reports. PayCert reviews these test reports against the specified specifications, provide a results analysis and an assurance on the Product’s (or System’s) compliance if assessed.
It stands for Single Euro Payment Area. SEPA is the name of the project that intend to harmonise electronic transactions in the Euro zone.
SEPA will allow cardholders to perform transactions in euros in 34 countries (Europe, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland) in the same conditions.
For Vendors, it’s an objective recognition, by a confirmed entity, of a product compliance with standards (CB EMV, CEN, ISO), which are the most used in Europe today, via a certification process strictly following European and international normative standards.
Then, the Vendor will also be able to go only through one test session and one certification process, to request Approval to different European payment schemes, thus reducing the costs of testing within SEPA.
Strong technical competence, transparency, confidentiality, impartiality, harmonised methodology and efficiency are the keywords describing the process set up by PayCert, implementing an adequate quality management, driven by continuous improvement.
It’s just the opposite. Independent certification bodies creation, along with the SEPA market development, will allow stakeholders to reduce, on medium-term, the products testing phase costs.
As for the delays, PayCert is already committed not to cause additional processing time in existing schemes by working in close synergy with test laboratories.
A Product or System compliance certification is charged to the Product or System Vendor.
The fees are fixed and do not depend on sold certified products volumes.
PayCert has no direct link, as a company, with the Groupement des Cartes Bancaires ‘CB’.
Financially, PayCert has a link with GIE ‘CB’ investment structure.
Regarding CB-EMV certification operations, which is a private standard, PayCert is recognised as a certification body by GIE ‘CB’.
