EMV® Level 3 Testing Framework Implementation Guidelines

EMV® L3 Testing Framework Implementation Guidelines Version 1.3.r October 2025 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines – version 1.3.r Page 2 / 145 Legal Notice This document summarizes EMVCo’s present plans for evaluation services and related policies and is subject to change by EMVCo at any time. This document does not create any binding obligations upon EMVCo or any third party regarding the subject matter of this document, which obligations will exist, if at all, only to the extent set forth in separate written agreements executed by EMVCo or such third parties. In the absence of such a written agreement, no product provider, test laboratory or any other third party should rely on this document, and EMVCo shall not be liable for any such reliance. No product provider, test laboratory or other third party may refer to a product, service or facility as EMVCo approved, in form or in substance, nor otherwise state or imply that EMVCo (or any agent of EMVCo) has in whole or part approved a product provider, test laboratory or other third party or its products, services, or facilities, except to the extent and subject to the terms, conditions and restrictions expressly set forth in a written agreement with EMVCo, or in an approval letter, compliance certificate or similar document issued by EMVCo. All other references to EMVCo approval are strictly prohibited by EMVCo. Under no circumstances should EMVCo approvals, when granted, be construed to imply any endorsement or warranty regarding the security, functionality, quality, or performance of any particular product or service, and no party shall state or imply anything to the contrary. EMVCo specifically disclaims any and all representations and warranties with respect to products that have received evaluations or approvals, and to the evaluation process generally, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for purpose or non-infringement. All warranties, rights and remedies relating to products and services that have undergone evaluation by EMVCo are provided solely by the parties selling or otherwise providing such products or services, and not by EMVCo, and EMVCo will have no liability whatsoever in connection with such products and services. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 3 / 145 Revision Log – Version 1.3.r The following changes have been made to the document since the publication of Version 1.3. Some of the numbering and cross references in this version have been updated to reflect changes introduced by the published bulletins. The numbering of existing requirements did not change, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Incorporated changes described in the following Document Updates: • None Other editorial changes: • Editorial changes © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 4 / 145 Contents 1 SCOPE ..................................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Technical L3 Components .................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Audiences.............................................................................................................................. 12 1.3 Objectives.............................................................................................................................. 13 1.4 Document Organization ........................................................................................................ 13 1.5 Definitions.............................................................................................................................. 14 1.5.1 Terminology and Conventions .................................................................................. 20 2 L3 TEST ENVIRONMENT ARCHITECTURE........................................................................... 21 3 L3 COMPONENT REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... 24 3.1 Definitions.............................................................................................................................. 24 3.2 L3 TSE Requirements ........................................................................................................... 26 3.3 L3 TT Requirements ............................................................................................................. 35 3.4 L3 CS Requirements ............................................................................................................. 38 3.4.1 Kernel 8 path identification ........................................................................................ 43 4 EMVCO L3 DETAILED FORMATS .......................................................................................... 44 4.1 TSE Test Set Files ................................................................................................................ 45 4.1.1 Test Set File Considerations ..................................................................................... 45 4.1.2 Test Selection File Format ........................................................................................ 52 4.1.3 Question Definition File Format................................................................................. 53 4.1.4 Error Definition File Format ....................................................................................... 56 4.1.5 Suggestion Definition File Format ............................................................................. 57 4.1.6 Information Report File Format ................................................................................. 59 4.1.7 Card File Format ....................................................................................................... 60 4.1.8 Test Case File Format............................................................................................... 61 4.1.9 Pass Criteria File Format .......................................................................................... 63 4.1.10 Test Reference File Format ...................................................................................... 65 4.1.11 Manifest File Format.................................................................................................. 66 4.1.12 Machine Readable User Actions File Format ........................................................... 68 4.2 TSE Test Session Files ......................................................................................................... 74 4.2.1 TestRunInfo.xml ........................................................................................................ 75 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. 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EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 5 / 145 4.2.2 4.2.3 4.2.4 4.2.5 RuleSet.xml ............................................................................................................... 79 TestRun.xml .............................................................................................................. 87 Selected.xml.............................................................................................................. 92 Manifest file ............................................................................................................... 93 4.3 Tool Pass/Fail Automation Criteria ....................................................................................... 94 4.4 Test Report.......................................................................................................................... 100 4.5 Test Card Image File Format .............................................................................................. 101 4.5.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 101 4.5.2 Test Card Image Format Requirements ................................................................. 102 4.6 Card Terminal log Format ................................................................................................... 109 4.6.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 109 4.6.2 Card Terminal log Format Requirements................................................................ 110 4.6.3 Additional Log Details ............................................................................................. 114 4.6.4 Signature ................................................................................................................. 115 4.7 Online Message log Format ................................................................................................ 116 4.7.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 116 4.7.2 Online Message log Format Requirements ............................................................ 117 4.8 TSE Validation Report Files Format ................................................................................... 126 4.8.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 126 4.8.2 TSER File Format Requirements ............................................................................ 127 4.9 Cryptographic Processing ................................................................................................... 130 4.9.1 Hash Calculation ..................................................................................................... 130 4.10 Character Substitution..................................................................................................... 133 4.10.1 CSV and XML Character Substitution..................................................................... 133 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 6 / 145 Figures Figure 2.1: Test Environment Architecture .............................................................. 23 Figure 2.2: L3 TT and L3 CS Environment Architecture .......................................... 23 Figure 4.1: L3 TSE Test Set Files processing ......................................................... 48 Figure 4.2: TSEZ File Structure Example .............................................................. 100 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 7 / 145 Tables Table 1.1: Definitions ............................................................................................. 14 Table 3.1: L3 TSE Requirements ............................................................................ 26 Table 3.2: L3 TT Requirements............................................................................... 35 Table 3.3: L3 CS Requirements .............................................................................. 38 Table 3.4: Example of L3 card image content ......................................................... 43 Table 4.1: Bitmap position....................................................................................... 45 Table 4.2: Masks..................................................................................................... 46 Table 4.3: TSE Test Set Files ................................................................................. 47 Table 4.4: File Type Naming convention ................................................................. 50 Table 4.5: Participant Identifier................................................................................ 50 Table 4.6: Test Selection File Format...................................................................... 52 Table 4.7: Question Definition File Format .............................................................. 53 Table 4.8: Error Definition File Format .................................................................... 56 Table 4.9: Suggestion Definition File Format........................................................... 58 Table 4.10: Information Report File Format ............................................................. 59 Table 4.11: Card File Format .................................................................................. 60 Table 4.12: Test Case File Format .......................................................................... 61 Table 4.13: Pass Criteria File Format ...................................................................... 63 Table 4.14: Machine Readable User Actions File Format........................................ 68 Table 4.15: Technical Actions Definition.................................................................. 70 Table 4.16: TSE Test Session Files component rights ............................................ 74 Table 4.17: TestRunInfo file Format ........................................................................ 75 Table 4.18: RuleSet file Format............................................................................... 79 Table 4.19: Processing Records with multiple mask values .................................... 86 Table 4.20: TestRun file Format .............................................................................. 87 Table 4.21: Selected file Format ............................................................................. 92 Table 4.22: Tool Pass/Fail Automation Criteria syntax ............................................ 95 Table 4.23: Test Card Image Format .................................................................... 102 Table 4.24: Card Terminal log Format................................................................... 110 Table 4.25: Online Message log Format ............................................................... 118 Table 4.26: TSER File Format............................................................................... 127 Table 4.27: Hash Calculation Example ................................................................. 130 Table 4.28: CSV Character Substitution................................................................ 133 Table 4.29: XML Character Substitution................................................................ 133 Table 4.30: Character Substitution Examples ....................................................... 134 Table A.31: NET DataItem Format ........................................................................ 137 Table A.32: Non-ISO PS Mapping Document Reference ...................................... 140 Table A.33: APDU DataItem Format ..................................................................... 140 Table A.34: Manual DataItem Format ................................................................... 143 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. 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EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 8 / 145 Requirements L3TSE 1.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 26 L3TSE 1.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 26 L3TSE 2.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 26 L3TSE 2.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 26 L3TSE 2.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 26 L3TSE 2.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 26 L3TSE 2.4 ....................................................................................................................................... 26 L3TSE 3.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 26 L3TSE 4.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 26 L3TSE 5.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 26 L3TSE 6.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 27 L3TSE 6.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 27 L3TSE 6.1.1 .............................................................................................................................. 27 L3TSE 6.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 27 L3TSE 6.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 27 L3TSE 6.4 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.5 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.6 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.7 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.8 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.9 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.10 ..................................................................................................................................... 28 L3TSE 6.11 ..................................................................................................................................... 29 L3TSE 6.12 ..................................................................................................................................... 29 L3TSE 7.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 29 L3TSE 7.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 29 L3TSE 7.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 29 L3TSE 7.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 29 L3TSE 8.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 29 L3TSE 8.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 29 L3TSE 8.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 8.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 9.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 30 L3TSE 10.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 11.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 12.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 30 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. 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EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 9 / 145 L3TSE 12.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 12.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 12.3 ..................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 12.4 ..................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 12.5 ..................................................................................................................................... 30 L3TSE 13.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 13.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 13.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 13.3 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 14.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 14.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 14.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 14.3 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 14.4 ..................................................................................................................................... 31 L3TSE 15.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 32 L3TSE 15.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 32 L3TSE 15.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 32 L3TSE 15.3 ..................................................................................................................................... 32 L3TSE 15.4 ..................................................................................................................................... 32 L3TSE 15.5 ..................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 16.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 16.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 16.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 17.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 17.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 17.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 17.3 ..................................................................................................................................... 33 L3TSE 18.0 ........................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.1 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.2 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.3 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.4 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.5 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.6 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.7 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TSE 18.8 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 L3TT 1.0 ................................................................................................................................................ 35 L3TT 1.1.......................................................................................................................................... 35 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. 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EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 10 / 145 L3TT 1.2.......................................................................................................................................... 35 L3TT 1.3.......................................................................................................................................... 35 L3TT 2.0 ................................................................................................................................................ 35 L3TT 2.1.......................................................................................................................................... 35 L3TT 3.0 ................................................................................................................................................ 35 L3TT 3.1.......................................................................................................................................... 35 L3TT 3.2.......................................................................................................................................... 35 L3TT 3.3.......................................................................................................................................... 35 L3TT 4.0 ................................................................................................................................................ 36 L3TT 4.1.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.2.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.3.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.4.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.5.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.6.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.7.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.8.......................................................................................................................................... 36 L3TT 4.9.......................................................................................................................................... 37 L3TT 5.0 ................................................................................................................................................ 37 L3TT 5.1.......................................................................................................................................... 37 L3TT 5.2.......................................................................................................................................... 37 L3TT 5.3.......................................................................................................................................... 37 L3TT 5.4.......................................................................................................................................... 37 L3CS 1.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.3 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.4 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.5 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.6 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.7 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.8 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.9 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 1.10 ....................................................................................................................................... 38 L3CS 2.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 39 L3CS 3.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 39 L3CS 3.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 39 L3CS 3.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 39 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. 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EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Page 11 / 145 L3CS 3.3 ......................................................................................................................................... 39 L3CS 3.4 ......................................................................................................................................... 39 L3CS 3.5 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 3.6 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 3.7 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 3.8 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 3.9 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 4.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 4.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 4.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 40 L3CS 4.3 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 4.4 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 4.5 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.3 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.4 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.5 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 5.6 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 6.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 7.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 7.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 L3CS 7.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 7.3 ......................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 7.4 ......................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 8.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 9.0 ............................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 9.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 9.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 42 L3CS 9.3 ......................................................................................................................................... 42 © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines – version 1.3.r Scope Page 12 / 145 1 Scope This document, the EMVCo Level 3 Testing Framework – Implementation Guidelines (FIG) is intended to be a companion document to the L3 Framework. It provides its targeted audiences with specific implementation details and instructions for each technical component of the L3 Framework. 1.1 Technical L3 Components EMVCo has defined a set of standardized L3 Test Tool technical components, aimed at streamlining L3 testing efforts for key stakeholders. These enable: • For Test Tool Vendors: a streamlined process for L3 Test Tool development and subsequent qualification. • For Users and Participant Systems: improved automation, test execution, results submission and validation efforts during L3 testing. These components include specified EMVCo L3 machine-readable formats for the following: • A set of files (TSE Test Set files), covering instructions on how to collect terminal configuration information and build test plans, to streamline test plan generation activities. • A syntax for expressing test case pass/fail result criteria. That syntax is used in the relevant TSE Test Set files. • A test session file format (TSE Test Session file), covering terminal configuration data, a test plan and test report, to streamline test plan processing and validation activities. • A test card image syntax, allowing representation of the expected behaviours for simulated test cards. • Formats for both card-to-terminal and authorization message logs, to streamline log parsing by making it equipment neutral. For each of the above components, standardized, machine-readable formats have been defined by EMVCo. These formats are the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and Comma Separated Value (CSV), chosen largely due to their openness and wide adoption across the industry. 1.2 Audiences This document and its guidelines are intended primarily for use by L3 Test Tool vendors, Participant Systems, their Financial Institution clients and other L3 service providers and stakeholders. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 13 / 145 1.3 Objectives This document aims at providing the EMVCo L3 stakeholders the appropriate information and directives to implement the EMVCo L3 machine-readable files. 1.4 Document Organization This document is organized as follows: Chapter 1: Scope introduces this document (EMVCo Level 3 Testing Framework – Implementation Guidelines), describing the technical components it addresses, its intended audiences, its objectives and organization. Chapter 2: L3 Test Environment Architecture– describes the three key components of the L3 test environment; the L3 Test Selection Engine (L3 TSE), the L3 Test Tool (L3 TT) Engine and the L3 Card Simulator (L3 CS). Chapter 3: EMVCo L3 Component Requirements (L3 TSE , L3 TT and L3 CS) – describes in detail the requirements for the L3 TSE Tool. Chapter 4: EMVCo L3 Detailed Formats – describes in detail the machine-readable card image format, the Tools Pass/Failed Automation criteria, the Card Terminal log format, the common Online Message format, the Test Set files and the Test Session files format. Annex A: Tool Pass/Fail Automation Criteria – DataItem – describes in detail the DataItem format. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 14 / 145 1.5 Definitions The following terms are used in this document: Term A Acquirer AFL AID AIP Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) ARPC ARQC ATC ATM C Card/Terminal Log Card/Terminal Log Validation CDOL Table 1.1: Definitions Definition Financial institution which passes on transaction data from merchant to Participant System. Application File Locator Application Identifier Application Interchange Profile The communication format used between the chip card and the payment application on a card acceptance device. This format is defined in ISO specification 7816-4. Application Response Cryptogram Application Request Cryptogram Application Transaction Counter Automated Teller Machine. An unattended device that has electronic capability to send transactions online for authorization, accepts PINs, and disburses currency. A capture of the data exchanged between the card/card simulator and the acceptance device. Typically provided in Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) format (presently ISO 7816-3 and ISO 14443). A description of the requirements for validating the elements and content of the Card/Terminal Log during terminal integration testing. It is defined by Test Session files. Card Risk Management Data Object List © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 15 / 145 Term Certification CID Comma-separated Values (CSV) Component Contact transaction Contactless transaction CVM CVR D DES E EMV® EMVCo LLC (EMVCo) EMV Specifications Definition Validation that the format, function and content of authorization messages executed from a defined test plan adheres to a provided specification and set of business rules. Cryptogram Information Data A format that stores tabular data (numbers and text) in plain-text form (i.e. a sequence of characters, with no data that has to be interpreted instead, as binary numbers). A CSV file consists of any number of records, separated by line breaks of some kind; each record consists of fields, separated by some other character or string, most commonly a literal comma or tab. Usually, all records have an identical sequence of fields. A technical tool (i.e., L3 Card Simulator (L3 CS), L3 Test Tool (L3 TT) engine or L3 Test Selection Engine (L3 TSE)) that when all three combined enables a user to complete a L3 test session. An interaction between a chip application and a device using the physical electrical interface, as defined in [EMV Book 1]. An interaction between a chip application and a device using the radio frequency wireless interface, as defined in [EMV CL]. Cardholder Verification Method Cardholder Verification Result Data Encryption Standard A trademark owned by EMVCo, referring to the technical specifications published by EMVCo. The organization that manages the EMV Specifications and their related testing processes. Technical specifications developed and maintained by EMVCo to facilitate worldwide interoperability and acceptance of secure payment transactions, including the requirements described in the bulletins available on the EMVCo website. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 16 / 145 Term F FCI G GPO H Hex Host Authorization Message I Interoperability ISO Issuer K Kernel L L3 CTT Definition File Control Indicator Get Processing Options Hexadecimal The transaction message initiated from the device and sent online via the acquirer and network to the issuer, processor or Participant System for transaction authorization and back to the device. This is a series of message formats, currently implemented by more than one protocol. The ability of all card acceptance devices to accept and read all chip cards that are properly coded and personalized. International Organization for Standardization A financial institution which makes a card or other payment method available to a consumer or business and which controls the account to which the card or payment method is linked. A piece of software implementing the set of functions required to support the EMV specifications. The kernel may contain device drivers, interface routines and security and control functions. The kernel has to be sufficiently separable from the other software elements constituting the complete terminal application that it can have its own digital signature and be tested separately from any specific deployed version of the terminal implementation. L3 Consolidated Test Tool – a L3 tool, qualified by EMVCo, for inclusion of the following L3 tool components; L3 Test Selection Engine (L3 TSE), L3 Test Tool (L3 TT), L3 Card Simulator (L3 CS) © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 17 / 145 Term L3 LoQ L3 QSP L3TG Definition L3 Letter of Qualification – a formal letter issued to a L3 Test Tool provider by EMVCo, on successful completion of the L3 qualification process. L3 Test Tool qualification service provider – entity recognised by EMVCo to perform the qualification services on L3 test tools submitted by third-party vendors for qualification. Level 3 Testing Group. EMVCo group that manages the EMV® Level 3 (L3) Testing Framework and the qualification process of related EMV L3 test tools. M Mobile Point-ofSale/Mobile Point-ofService (MPOS or mPOS) device A smartphone, tablet or dedicated wireless device that performs the functions of a cash register or electronic point of sale terminal (POS terminal), usually in conjunction with a card reader and PIN pad device which can encrypt transaction data P PAN Primary Account Number Participant System Pass Criteria Pass Criteria File An entity (e.g., domestic payment systems, global payment systems and other similar entities) that has been assigned a L3 Participant System Identifier (PSI) through EMV’s registration service to enable the usage of the EMV L3 Testing Framework. A Test Plan-defined description of an expected result for a successful outcome or conclusion of a test case. The file (in CSV format) that embeds the Participant System-defined pass criteria for each test case. PDOL Processing Options Data Object List Personalization For Chip cards, the process of applying both cardholder and Participant System-specific data to the card in preparation for its use. PIN Personal Identification Number Point of Sale/Point of Service (POS) The physical location where a merchant or acquirer in a face-to-face environment or an unattended device completes a transaction. Point-of-sale Device A card accepting device used to process sale transactions. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 18 / 145 Term Point-of-service Device Definition A card accepting device used to process transactions. Can be any type of transaction. PSE Payment System Environment PS Participant System PSI Participant System Identifier R RFU Reserved For Future Use S SDA Static Data Authentication T Terminal Terminal configuration Terminal integration testing Test Card Image Test Case Test Case Name The device used in conjunction with the Chip card at the point of transaction to perform a financial transaction. The terminal incorporates the interface device and may also include other components and interfaces such as host communications. A description of the features and parameters on the acceptance device under test. For example, it might include the EMV-defined terminal types, supported interfaces , etc. A process implemented and managed by the respective Participant Systems, aimed at providing a level of assurance that Participant System-specific requirements and recommendations are being implemented in contact or contactless chip acceptance device designed specifically to interoperate with the Participant Systems’ networks. An electronic representation of the data on a physical card A single test scenario of a Test Plan, corresponding to one action by the tester. It is defined by a Participant System for execution of terminal integration or Host message testing. The name associated with a specific test case. Test Case Number Test Case Objective A unique test case identifier. A description of the reasons for a given test case. This is based on Participant System requirements. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 19 / 145 Term Test Plan Test Procedure Test Tool Qualification Third Party Processor Definition A Participant System-developed and managed set of test criteria that defines the requirement for Terminal Integration or Host Message testing. This may either take the form of a text document, or a machine-readable file. A description of the steps required in order to execute a specific test case. The process undertaken by each Participant System to provide themselves, tool vendors and clients with a level of assurance that the tools being used by clients to execute terminal integration testing, will do so in compliance with Participant System requirements. A party which is appointed by a merchant or financial institution to provide payment transaction processing services. In this capacity they are not acting as a merchant, acquirer, issuer or Participant System. TLV Tag-Length-Value Transaction Completion An EMV definition for the successful closing of transaction processing. The completion function is always the last function in transaction processing and must occur unless the transaction is terminated prematurely by error processing. TVR Terminal Verification Result U User Validation X Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) XSD A Test Plan-defined description of the requirements for the user/tester to validate responses from the device under test. A markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. XML Schema Definition © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r Scope Page 20 / 145 1.5.1 Terminology and Conventions The following words are used often in this guideline and have a specific meaning: Shall Defines a product or system capability which is mandatory. May Defines a product or system capability which is optional or a statement which is informative only and is out of scope for this guideline. Should Defines a product or system capability which is recommended. The following conventions apply: Presence Data Notation For presence data, the following notation is used: • M: Mandatory – shall always be present. • C: Conditional – shall be present unless the condition is not met. • O: Optional – may or may not be present. Requirement Numbering Requirements in this guideline are uniquely identified with the scope and the number appearing next to each requirement: For example: L3TSE 1.0 L3TSE shall be able to import the TSE Test Set files (TSEC-Package, TSEC M for short). This may be a developer/administrative function not available to end users. A requirement may have different numbers in different versions of the specifications. Hence, all references to a requirement should include the version of the guideline as well as the requirement’s number. Requirements may include informative statements. In this case the statement is written in the italic font and the verb ‘may’ instead of ‘shall’ is used. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Test Environment Architecture Page 21 / 145 2 L3 Test Environment Architecture The L3 test environment architecture proposed by EMVCo consists of three key components: • The L3 Test Selection Engine (L3 TSE) • The L3 Test Tool (L3 TT) Engine • The L3 Card Simulator (L3 CS) The components have the following objectives: L3 TSE: Third-party vendor-provided Test Selection Engine is intended to provide Clients (that often support multiple Participant Systems) with a convenient means of preparing applicable Test Session files for individual Participant Systems. The Test Session files are subsequently presented in a machine-readable format that will be compatible with any EMVCo-qualified L3 Test Tool. EMVCo will qualify the L3 TSE’s capability to: • Import the machine-readable TSE Test Set files provided as a TSEC-package by the Participant Systems. There may be one or more TSEC-packages per Participant System. It is a ZIP file with Test Set files which include instructions on how to collect terminal configuration information, test cases, test case applicability conditions, pass criteria and Machine Readable User Actions definitions. This can happen for multiple Participant Systems. • Process the configuration provided by the TSE Test Set files by collecting the answers to the applicable set of questions presented to the user. Answering these questions is required in order to evaluate the L3 testing scope. If the client’s terminal supports multiple Participant Systems, then this process needs to happen for each applicable TSECpackage separately. • Extract the applicable test cases and related pass criteria. • Build the corresponding individual TSE Test Session files that describe the applicable test plan for the terminal under test. • Export the individual Test Session files grouped in a TSE-package (one per TSECpackage). This is a zipped folder with renamed extension .tse ready to be used by a L3TT tool. • Import the machine-readable Validation Report provided as a TSER-package. It is used to send the feedback (i.e., pass/fail pass criteria status) of the session validation in a file that can be loaded in the TSE. L3 TT: Third-party vendor-provided test tool, qualified by EMVCo for the purpose of executing the selected Level 3 Test Cases required by clients or their service providers. The tool will be qualified for its technical capability to correctly: • Import individual machine-readable Test Session files generated by the L3 TSE. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Test Environment Architecture Page 22 / 145 • Execute selected Test Cases, correctly keeping track of the logs for them and determining the pass criteria verdicts. • Import Card-to-Terminal logs in EMVCo L3 format. • Import authorization message logs in EMVCo L3 format. • Update individual Test Session files with the test results and export the updated files in a TSEZ-package (a renamed ZIP file). • Export Card-to-Terminal logs in EMVCo L3 format (as generated by the L3 Card Simulator, so L3TT is acting here as a pass-through agent). L3 CS: Third-party vendor-provided test tool, qualified by EMVCo for the purpose of simulating the personalization images and behaviours of physical, non-programmable test cards. The tool will be qualified for its technical capability to correctly: • Import Participant System-provided, machine-readable Test Card Images (see section 4.5 for a definition). • Select the applicable Card Image as indicated by the user or the L3TT (based on the Test Case) and provide the appropriate responses to the terminal based on its Request commands. • Export Card to Terminal Logs in EMVCo L3 format. Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2 below provide illustrations of the interaction between these three components. It is allowed to combine components in one application, as long as the necessary interfaces to communicate with other vendor’s components are available. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Test Environment Architecture Page 23 / 145 Figure 2.1: Test Environment Architecture Figure 2.2: L3 TT and L3 CS Environment Architecture © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Component Requirements Page 24 / 145 3 L3 Component Requirements 3.1 Definitions Terminal Integration Context Describes the context required to create a test plan for all applicable Participant Systems for the specific terminal in its specific context. It is a set of context statements. It describes both the terminal configuration as such (e.g., ODA support), and the environment in which it is operating (e.g., characteristics of the Payment Network it is connected to: single / dual message). Context statement The statement that a certain context expression is TRUE or FALSE. Context expression An expression of the form . criteria name: Each Participant System might use their own criteria names. The Participant Systems shall ensure that their criteria names can be evaluated by asking dedicated questions in the Question Definition file. Next to that there is one special criteria name: date, which should have the value of the current date (format: YYYYMMDD). operator: The operator is one of the following: "=", "", ">","<", "in", "==". The "in" operator is used with group definitions to indicate that the context expression bit should be set if the answer provided is part of a group. For example, the applicable test cases might change on a regional basis. Rather than allocating a dedicated context expression bit to each country a single bit is allocated to each region. The Groups field in the Question definition file (see 4.1.3) provides the list of values that are part of each group. The "==" operator is used to compare the answers to list or set criteria questions - i.e., the operator is comparing two answers rather than an answer with a fixed value. value: Depending on the field type, the value part will either be a numeric value, a date in the format YYYYMMDD or a text string. In the case of criteria in numeric format the value may also be another criteria in numeric format. Note: in a context ' ' cannot be empty. Examples: • CL_CVM_Limit = 0 • CL_Transaction_Limit = CL_CVM_Limit (i.e., both CL_Transaction_Limit and CL_CVM_Limit are Questions defined as varNumber) © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Component Requirements Page 25 / 145 • Acquirer_Country == Deployment_Country (i.e., both Acquirer_Country and Deployment_Country are Questions defined as varList or varSet) Example: for a varSet, if Acquirer_Country = [France] [Italy] and Deployment_Country = [Italy] [France], then Acquirer_Country == Deployment_Country is TRUE. If Acquirer_Country = [France] and Deployment_Country = [Italy] [France], then Acquirer_Country == Deployment_Country is FALSE. • Term_Type = Attended POS • Term_country in na (na being defined elsewhere as the North American countries) • date > 20171115, (where date is the current date as defined above) Question A user question to determine the value of a criteria name in the Terminal Integration Context. The answer to a question might lead to multiple context statements - e.g., if the answer to Term_type is "Attended POS", then Term_type = Attended POS is TRUE, Term_type = ATM is FALSE. Applicability condition A logical expression of context statements that should be TRUE for a certain test case to be applicable, or for a question or error to be presented to the user. If a context expression cannot be evaluated because it depends upon a yet unasked question, then: * For errors: the error shall be considered as not applicable. * Otherwise: it shall be ignored from the logical expression.1 Common question A question that shares the same criteria name and same question definition, with another question and featuring an attribute called 'Common' in the Question Definition File Format. Timestamp Always in ISO-8601 format unless specified differently. Project A project is defined as the testing of one particular Terminal Integration solution deployed across one or several Participant System(s). 1 Ignoring is different than putting the context statement to FALSE. Example: if a=1 && b=1 is the expression and b is not yet evaluated, then the question is applicable when a=1. If a=1 && not b=1 is the expression, still the question is applicable when a=1. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Component Requirements Page 26 / 145 3.2 L3 TSE Requirements Note: if you choose to implement an optional feature, it shall be implemented in accordance with the requirement defined here. Table 3.1: L3 TSE Requirements Req Requirement M/O/C L3TSE 1.0 L3TSE shall be able to import the TSE Test Set files (TSEC-Package, M TSEC for short). This may be a developer/administrative function not available to end users. L3TSE 1.1 • L3TSE shall be able to import the csv files with headers M presented in any order and ignore any unknown csv header as defined in Manifest.tricm file. L3TSE 2.0 L3TSE shall only allow import of a TSEC that has a correct manifest file M and shall check that: L3TSE 2.1 • There are no files in the Test Set files that are not in the manifest M file, L3TSE 2.2 • All files listed in the manifest file shall be present, M L3TSE 2.3 • For each file the hash shall match, M L3TSE 2.4 • The manifest file should have the correct signature (if present). M L3TSE 3.0 L3TSE shall have a user interface that presents the tester with the M relevant questions, to determine the Terminal Integration Context. L3TSE 4.0 While processing the TSE Test Set Files, the user interface shall process M the character substitutions as shown in section 4.10.1. L3TSE 5.0 L3TSE shall either process the HTML codes available in the Test Set M files, or ignore any HTML code other than the line break (HTML code ). It is not acceptable when the HTML codes (like ) are shown to the user. When the L3TSE is processing the HTML codes defined in the Information Report (info.csv), the L3TSE shall make use of CSS style sheets in the TSEC-package, if present. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Component Requirements Page 27 / 145 Req Requirement M/O/C Note: example of syntax used in the manifest file: Doc_Style=00_EMVCo_screenstyle.css:checksum. L3TSE 6.0 To determine the Terminal Integration Context, L3TSE shall process the M questions group by group, as indicated in the Question Definition file. Before presenting a group and dynamically after having received an answer to any of the group’s questions: L3TSE 6.1 • L3TSE shall evaluate the Question applicability for each of the M questions to understand whether the question shall be presented to the user. L3TSE 6.1.1 L3TSE 6.2 L3TSE 6.3 - The answer to a previously presented question with M attribute "Common" shall be treated as a suggestion within the same project. It shall be handled as a "suggest" SuggestionType. Suggestions originating from common answers shall be treated after regular suggestions. • L3TSE shall check the Suggestion file, to understand whether M the questions in the group come with applicable suggestions. - Suggestions shall be shown to the user. - It shall be possible for the user to override suggestions. - Questions that have a forced answer, shall not be shown to the user. Note that, if relevant, these questions will be visible in the information report as described below. - Answers that are highlighted to be removed shall no longer be visible to the user. - In case multiple rules apply follow the guidance in section 4.1.5. - If a user decides to step back through the questions and make a different selection then any forced, suggested or removed options that were based on that previous response need to be undone. Note that a suggested response to an already answered question does not change the answer. Any change to previously answered questions shall cause the tool to reevaluate the terminal integration context (defined previously). • The group of questions shall be presented in the following way: M - L3TSE shall present the questions in the order they appear in the Question definition file. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Component Requirements Page 28 / 145 Req Requirement M/O/C L3TSE 6.4 • Questions that are grouped shall be presented together under the M group prompt as specified in the Question definition file. L3TSE 6.5 • L3TSE shall present help text available at group level and at M question level to the user. L3TSE 6.6 • It is allowed for L3TSE to suggest an answer to the user that does O not come from the suggested answers from TSEC but is suggested because the L3TSE tool knows the user. E.g., the Acquirer’s Name might be prepopulated. L3TSE 6.7 • The ways in which the user can answer to questions shall respect M the different answer types indicated in the Question definition: - A varBoolean shall only allow a Boolean choice. - A varNumber shall only allow a Numerical value. - A varList shall only allow one answer to be selected. - A varSet shall allow multiple answers to be selected. - An optional question (indicated by the mode field) shall not force an error if left unanswered. L3TSE 6.8 • L3TSE can use the guidance given in the mode field indicated in M the Question definition. - A drop_down should be represented by a drop box. - For a multi_select two lists should be presented, a list of unselected items and a list of selected items with a mechanism to move items between the two lists. - If the mode explicitly mentions the number of lines / element (:N) this should be respected. L3TSE 6.9 • After having received the answers to the questions in the group M L3TSE shall: - Check whether the answer to the question has the correct type (e.g., Boolean, number, string, email address2). L3TSE 6.10 - Update the Terminal Integration Context. O 2 Indicated by the mode in the question definition file, see section 4.1.3. © 2017-2025 EMVCo, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, distribution and other use of this document is permitted only pursuant to the applicable agreement between the user and EMVCo found at www.emvco.com. EMV® is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo, LLC in the United States and other countries. EMV® Implementation Guidelines– version 1.3.r L3 Component Requirements Page 29 / 145 Req Requirement M/O/C L3TSE 6.11 - Process the full Error file and display errors or warning M messages as defined. - If there is an error, the user interface shall move back to the question indicated by the "GotoQuestion" field (although the user must still be able to navigate to different questions on earlier pages). - If there is a warning, the user shall have the option of going back to the problem question indicated by the "GotoQuestion" field or continuing without seeing the warning again. L3TSE 6.12 Any text displayed to the user may also contain placeholders in the text M string of the form $question_name$. The placeholders shall be replaced with the value given for the named question. Example: ‘$Question1$$Question2$’ shall be replaced by ‘answer1answer2’. L3TSE 7.0 Finally, L3TSE shall present the Information Report for its Terminal M Integration Context to the user, defined in section 4.1.6, as soon as all questions have been processed. L3TSE 7.1 • It shall present the headers at the right level, indicated by the M HeadingLevel, followed by the indicated content from the Information Report file. L3TSE 7.2 • All placeholders (see section 4.1.6) shall be filled with the correct M values. L3TSE 7.3 • At this point, the presentation of the Information Report, L3TSE M shall always give the user the opportunity to review the answer to the questions and to return to one of them to