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Card brands - Visa Update: Migration to the Eight-digit BIN

Brittney Petties
Modified on: Wed, 2 Oct, 2019 at 10:10 AM

Visa provides updates about migration to the eight-digit BIN

For: All merchants

Date effective: April 2022

Background

In 2017, the International Organization for Standardization announced a new standard for the migration of the payments infrastructure from the current six-digit Issuing Identification Number
(IIN) to an eight-digit standard, to help ensure an adequate global Bank Identification Number (BIN) supply for the industry.
Effective in April 2022, Visa will implement eight-digit issuing BINs in accordance with this transition. Visa will only assign eight-digit BINs after the April 2022 release date.

Considerations

Systems accepting only six-digit BINs must be updated for eight-digit BINs. Consider how this change may impact your systems, including POS systems. Please follow the current global BIN
file specifications and review your internal processes to ensure you are prepared to accommodate an eight-digit BIN.
In preparation for expanding to the new eight-digit BIN standard, migration can be simplified by efficiently managing the numeric capacity in existing six-digit BINs. This means using the
identification and processing capabilities that exist at the account range level. Each six-digit BIN contains 1,000 discrete account ranges, and can support multiple products/programs, as
permitted for certain product types in the Visa Rules (https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fusa.visa.com%2Fdam%2FVCOM%2Fdownload%2Fabout-
visa%2Fvisa-rules-
public.pdf&data=02%7C01%7CMena.Enaohwo%40csgi.com%7Cf9b7e22e8e6f4fb94eff08d70645b696%7C194a267b82ba4fa6b6b9f95966ab3815%7C0%7C1%7C636984768835644430&sdata=SFtCtahKr0
Visa expects compliance with existing policies that require the ability to process and manage products at the account range level.
Clients must ensure their vendors, agents, and third parties are involved in preparation and testing activities for adoption of the eight-digit BIN.

Numerics terminology changes

Visa has several numeric identifier values used for processing, routing, and identification within the payments ecosystem. Visa will consolidate identifier names and, in some cases, rename
to clarify usage with the conversion to an eight-digit issuing BIN. Visa will use the term “BIN” solely to refer to the six- or eight-digit PAN prefix used to identify the issuer licensee. Visa-
assigned numeric identifiers used for processing, historically referred to as “BINs,” will be renamed using terminology specific to each of their functions.
Starting in fourth quarter 2019, Visa documentation will be updated to use the future identifier names shown in the table below.

Identifier name Format

Description
Future Current Future Current
Primary
Account
Primary Account Number (PAN) Used for identifying different processing characteristics. 16-digit, numeric1 16-digit, numeric1
Number
(PAN)
Account First nine digits of the PAN used to identify various product and processing
Account Range Nine-digit, numeric Nine-digit, numeric
Range attributes.
BIN, Acquiring BIN, Acquiring Institution
Acquiring
Identification Code, Affiliate ID, Acquiring Assigned by Visa to identify the acquirer. Six-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
Identifier
Route Identifier (RID), RID, Acquiring ID
Issuing Assigned by Visa and used to define issuing processing. Multiple issuing (ISO)
Primary Account Number (PAN) Six-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
Identifier BINs may use the same issuing identifier.
VSS
BIN, Processor, Settlement BIN Used to define the settlement entity for V.I.P. Full Service endpoints. Six-digit, numeric2 Six-digit, numeric2
Processor
BASE II
Center
BIN, Processor BIN, CIB Used to define the processor/settlement entity for BASE II endpoints. Six-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
Information
Block (CIB)
File Deliver
Endpoint Non-core numeric identifier (NCNID) Used to identify a specific endpoint. Six-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
Identifier
Issuing (ISO) BIN, Issuer Identification Number (IIN),
Identifies the issuer. Same as first digits of PAN. Rarely used in Visa processing. Eight-digit, numeric3 Six-digit, numeric3
BIN ISO BIN, Card Prefix
Alternate
Route
BIN, Routing ID Used to define specialized processing or routing relationships. 11-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
Identifier
(RID)
Visa Resolve
Used to identify various Visa Resolve Online organizations, enabling endpoint
Online Routing ID 11-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
access to specific disputes.
Identifier
Encryption BIN, Encryption BIN, Pseudo BIN, Used as a Visa system locator to ensure correct keys are associated with a
11-digit, numeric Six-digit, numeric
rule identifier Routing ID given entity.
119-digit PANs are used for V PAY in Europe.
2The length will be 10 digits when a four-digit network identifier is included.
3Existing BINs will remain six digits unless and until an issuer chooses to migrate them to eight digits.

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