ISO/IEC 7812-2:2017

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 7812-2
Fifth edition
2017-01
Identification cards — Identification
of issuers —
Part 2:
Application and registration
procedures
Cartes d’identification — Identification des émetteurs —
Partie 2: Procédures de demande et d’enregistrement
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2017
© ISO/IEC 2017, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope .1
2 Normative references .1
3 Terms and definitions .1
4 Application and registration procedures .2
4.1 Application procedure for assignment of a single or block of IINs . 2
4.2 Criteria for approval of an application . 2
4.2.1 Single IIN . . 2
4.2.2 Authorized blockholder . 3
5 Appeal process .4
5.1 Appeal bodies . 4
5.2 Information to be provided by the applicant in appeal . 4
6 Responsibilities .4
6.1 Responsibilities of card issuing applicants . 4
6.2 Responsibilities of authorized blockholders . . 5
7 Sponsoring Authorities (SAs) .5
7.1 Eligibility to become an SA . 5
7.2 Responsibilities . 5
8 Registration Management Group (RMG) .6
8.1 Constitution . 6
8.2 Responsibilities . 6
8.2.1 Secretariat of the RMG . 6
8.2.2 RMG . 6
8.3 Voting procedures . 7
8.4 Appeals procedure . 7
9 The ISO Register of Card Issuer Identification Numbers .8
9.1 Publication and availability . 8
9.2 IIN Record . 8
10 Registration Authority (RA) .8
10.1 Appointment . 8
10.2 Responsibilities . 8
Annex A (informative) Guidance for Sponsoring Authorities(SAs) .10
© ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment,
as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, SC 17, Cards and
personal identification.
This fifth edition cancels and replaces the fourth edition (ISO/IEC 7812-2:2015), which has been
technically revised. Key changes made in this edition:
— Clause 3, added definitions for “registration management group” and “routing”;
— Clause 4, streamlined section to state all conditions as criteria for approval, removing criteria for
rejection;
— Revised roles and responsibilities of sponsoring authorities, registration management group and
registration authority to be clearer; removed terms from the registration authority’s responsibilities
that belong in the contract;
— Removed Contact Information as an informative annex;
— Removed the IIN application form as a normative annex;
— Removed template of a blockholder Letter of Agreement as an informative annex.
A list of all the parts in the ISO 7812 series, can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document is one of a series of International Standards specifying:
— a numbering system for the identification of card issuers operating within an interchange
environment, the format of the issuer identification number and the primary account number;
— the application and registration procedures for card issuers who operate a card program within an
international interchange environment.
Card issuers not operating in an international interchange environment are encouraged to contact
their sponsoring authorities for a number assigned by that national standards body, or the Registration
Authority (RA) if no Sponsoring Authority (SA) exists. Use of a national IIN will avoid conflicts if the
cards are used in an international interchange environment.
© ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 7812-2:2017(E)
Identification cards — Identification of issuers —
Part 2:
Application and registration procedures
1 Scope
This document specifies the application and registration procedures for Issuer Identification Numbers
(IINs) issued in accordance with ISO/IEC 7812-1.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 7812-1, Identification cards — Identification of issuers — Part 1: Numbering system
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 7812-1 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
administrative blockholder
institution that is assigned a block of IINs for re-assignment to card issuers within its specific industry
or geographic area of jurisdiction
Note 1 to entry: Upon assignment of the IIN to the card issuers, registration of the IIN is transferred to the
individual card issuer. IINs no longer in use by the card issuers are returned to the RA. These IINs are assigned in
accordance with the procedures established herein and under legal agreement with the RA.
3.2
block of IINs
reservation in the ISO Register of Card Issuer Identification Numbers of a series of two or more IINs for
assignment by an administrative or card scheme blockholder
3.3
card scheme blockholder
institution representing a group of card issuers, and who provides an interchange environment to
facilitate the issuance and acceptance of the cards of that group
Note 1 to entry: The core service provided by the card scheme blockholder is a governing set of rules and policies
and includes additional services such as authorization services. Registration of the IINs within the block is
retained by the card scheme, and IINs no longer in use by the card issuers are returned to the card scheme.
Interchange among the card scheme members is governed by a set of operating procedures.
© ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved 1

3.4
registration management group
RMG
group established by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17 to act on its behalf in managing the registration and
assignment of IINs under the ISO/IEC 7812 series of standards
3.5
routing
directional flow of messages by which the card acceptor and card issuer communicate with each other
directly or via (an) intermediate network facility(ies) which may act as agent(s) for the original parties
involved in the message flow
3.6
sponsoring authority
SA
body responsible for receiving, processing and reviewing/approving applications for IINs
4 Application and registration procedures
4.1 Application procedure for assignment of a single or block of IINs
An applicant shall apply to its designated SA (see Clause 7) for the assignment of a single or block of IINs.
In the absence of a designated SA, the applicant may apply directly to the secretariat of
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17. The national standards body or the secretariat of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17 then acts as
the “SA” with respect to the application.
Application forms are available on request, from the RA, the secretariat of the RMG and the secretariat
of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17.
Applications and requests for information about this document and its implementation may be directed
to the RA.
http://www.iso.org/iso/maintenance_agencies
4.2 Criteria for approval of an application
4.2.1 Single IIN
Applications for a single IIN shall meet all the criteria below. An application for a single IIN shall be
approved by the RA when the following conditions are met:
a) the applicant shall be a single legal entity;
b) the applicant will be the issuer of the cards;
c) the application has been initially reviewed and approved by the designated SA, if an SA exists
within the applicant’s jurisdiction;
d) the applicant shall not already have an IIN assigned to it by the RA. This does not include IIN(s) the
applicant may have been assigned by card scheme blockholders;
e) the card issuer shall commence using the IIN within 12 months of the date of assignment of the IIN;
f) the cards being issued shall be for use within an international routing and/or interchange
environment (see ISO/IEC 7812-1);
g) the applicant has requested a specific IIN for purposes that fall within the scope as defined in this
document;
2 © ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved

h) the IIN shall not be used to identify or differentiate between products, services, or technologies
(e.g., including but not limited to integrated circuit cards) or be used to identify or differentiate
between branches within the applicant’s organization (i.e., these branches are not separate legal
entities), or geographic region within a country.
Where cards are for use solely for domestic programs, card issuers shall contact their national standards
body or the RA for information on the availability of a national numbering system (see ISO/IEC 7812-1).
See http://www.iso.org/iso/maintenance_agencies.
An appeal process is in place for any applicant who has a request denied. The appeal process is outlined
in Clause 5.
4.2.2 Authorized blockholder
There are two types of blockholders: administrative blockholders and card scheme blockholders.
Administrative blockholders (see 3.1) are assigned a block of IINs, following approval by the RMG, for
re-assignment to card issuers that fall within their specific industry or geographic area of jurisdiction.
Once assigned, the IIN belongs to the card issuers unless it specifically agrees to relinquish the IIN
because it is no longer used by them. The RA fee applies to each IIN assigned from the block.
Card scheme blockholders (see 3.3) represent a group of card issuers. These blockholders are assigned
a block of IINs, following approval by the RMG, for assignment to the members of the card scheme. If a
card issuer relinquishes membership in that scheme, the IIN reverts back to the blockholder and use of
it by the organization shall cease. The RA fee applies to each assignment of an IIN from the block.
Applications to become an administrative or card scheme blockholder shall meet all the criteria
below. An application for an administrative or card scheme block of IINs must have sponsorship by the
applicant’s designated SA, if an SA exists in the applicant’s jurisdiction, before being submitted to the
RA. The RMG will vote on final approval.
a) the applicant shall provide adequate information as justification to become an administrative or
card scheme blockholder (see 4.2);
b) the applicant shall request a block size that accommodates the assignment of a single IIN for each
entity that it currently represents or may reasonably expect to represent in the future;
c) the administrative blockholder applicant assigns a single IIN from the block to each card issuer and
does not assign IINs to differentiate between products, services, or technologies;
d) the card scheme blockholder applicant assigns IINs from their block to card issuers as required to
meet the restrictions of specific routing and processing requirements;
e) the card issuers receiving their IINs from the applicant’s block will issue cards for use in an
international routing and/or interchange environment;
f) for first time blockholders, the applicant shall attest to assigning an IIN from the reserved block
within 12 months from the date of issue of the block of IINs;
g) for card scheme blockholders, the services provided conform to 3.3.
An appeal process is in place for any applicant who has a request denied. The appeal process is outlined
in Clause 5.
© ISO/IEC 2017 – All rights reserved 3

5 Appeal process
5.1 Appeal bodies
Where an application for a single IIN has been rejected by the designated SA, or the RA if an SA does not
exist in the applicant’s jurisdiction, or an application for a block of IINs has been rejected by the RMG,
the applicant may appeal to the secretariat of the RMG (see Clause 8).
a) Where an applicant’s application has been rejected by the RMG, the applicant may submit a
formal appeal;
b) Where an applicant’s formal appeal has been rejected by the RMG, or failed to be approved in the
exception request, the applicant may appeal to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17 through the secretariat of
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17;
c) Applicants may also submit for appeal, applications that have been rejected by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17,
to the ISO Central Secretariat.
Appeal against rejection of an application shall be lodged with the appropriate body within 90 days of
the date of the letter of rejection.
5.2 Information to be provided by the applicant in appeal
Where an application for either a single IIN or to become an authorized blockholder has been rejected,
the applicant may appeal for one of the following reasons:
a) clarification of the application shows that it is within the current ISO/IEC 7812 requirements;
b) the legal, standard, or network requirements can be proven to warrant an individual exception to
ISO/IEC 7812.
The following information shall be provided by the applicant to the relevant appeal body in support of
the appeal:
a) statement of which clause (see 4.2.1 or 4.2.2) is disputed and why the applicant believes that the
rejected application fulfils the criteria for acceptance or justifies exception to ISO/IEC 7812;
b) adequate supplementary information as justification for the approval of the request as submitted
under the appeal;
c) statement of special
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