Card issuance and personalisation verification
This layer verifies the EMV card itself as issued. Personalisation data on the chip and the magnetic stripe, the card profile and conformance to the payment scheme specifications are all checked before formal certification and before volume issuance. Its subject differs from Level 3, which verifies the terminal side.
What this layer verifies
It confirms that the EMV card being issued is personalised as the issuer profile and the scheme specifications require. The subject is not the terminal side at Level 3 but the data written to the card itself. Issuance data on the chip and the magnetic stripe is checked before formal certification and before volume issuance.
How PVT differs from CPV
The tools in this layer serve two broad purposes.
| Purpose | Detail | Product |
|---|---|---|
| PVT (Personalization Validation) | Whether the issuance data matches the issuer profile: SDA, DDA and CDA, the certificate chain, and key verification | CPT 3000v3 |
| CPV (Card Product Validation) | Conformance to the formal requirements of each scheme, as pre-certification testing before submission | certification test modules |
Products by interface
Choose within the CPT series according to the interface of the cards concerned.
| Subject | Product |
|---|---|
| Issuance data verification for contact cards | CPT 3000v3 |
| Contact, contactless and dual interface | CPT 3000v3CL |
| Mobile and SWP | CPT 3000v3ML |
| Custom scripts and complex multi-application verification | CAT 3000v3 |
CAT 3000v3 adds a Tcl-based script development environment to the CPT verification capability, handling custom APDU sequences, Java Card applets and negative testing.
Who uses this layer
The users are the organisations involved in issuing cards, rather than terminal manufacturers.
- Banks and card issuers
- Card manufacturers
- Personalisation bureaux
- Test and accredited laboratories
How this differs from terminal integration (Level 3)
Certification means different things here: the subject and the users differ. Integration testing of terminals, kernels and acquirer hosts belongs to Level 3, addressed by the Level 3 test environments from ICC Solutions and others. This layer is the conformance check on the issued card, and confusing the two leads to the wrong product choice. The Barnes certification test modules do include EMVCo Level 3 coverage, so they also appear as a related product on the Level 3 side.
Relationship to formal certification
The tools in this layer exist to find inconsistencies before formal certification and volume issuance. Pre-certification testing with the same class of detailed tests the schemes use in their qualification testing reduces rework after submission. Passing a pre-certification check does not mean formal certification will be passed.