SB n°323 Updates to C-6

EMV® Specification Bulletin No. 323 First Edition April 2026 Updates to EMV® Contactless Book C-6 – Kernel 6 Specification This Specification Bulletin clarifies the handling of optional card data elements and updates Tearing recovery check flow in Book C-6. Applicability This Specification Bulletin applies to: • EMV® Contactless Specifications for Payment Systems, Book C-6 – Kernel 6 Specification, Version 2.11, June 2023 Related Documents • None Effective Date • June 1st, 2026 Description This specification bulletin contains clarifications and corrections to Book C-6, Kernel 6 Specification. Summary of Changes This specification bulletin discusses changes to the following topics: A. Section 2.2 updated to clarify the handling of optional card data elements..............................2 B. Figure 3-6 updated to add step 2a to clear the Tearing Log.....................................................4 Note: Updates are highlighted in blue. Removals are highlighted in red with a strikethrough. © 2026 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. Page 1 A: In Section 2.2 EMV Transaction Processing Flows, a note has been added immediately before the last paragraph regarding the handling of optional card data elements when the length or format is incorrect, as follows- The Kernel will initiate the EMV transaction when EMV is supported by the card and the transaction passes the required PDOL checks. Terminal entry point shall perform the pre-processing prior to the activation of the contactless interface of the reader and before the cardholder is invited to present a Contactless Card. Combination Selection shall be processed after card presentment. Because the interaction (i.e., the command-response) between the card and the Terminal can only occur when the card is in the RF field, the process requires adaptations to permit the: • Reduction of the number of commands and adjustment of the transaction flow for both the first and second presentment processes • Definition of data elements taking into account events relevant for contactless transactions • Usage of Entry Point as defined for [EMV Book B], to select the application and activate the corresponding Contactless Kernel 6 • Optional identification of and recovery for torn contactless transactions • Optional retrieval of data items from on-card Data Storage before transaction initiation • Optional writing of data items to on-card Data Storage or Extended Logging during transaction initiation • Generation of a CDA Cryptogram or an Application Cryptogram during the transaction initiation • Execution of Terminal Risk Management before the card is placed in the field and after the card is removed from the field, and • If required, execution of cardholder verification after the card is removed from the field. Issuers may allow a Contactless Card to be presented a second time (via a second presentment) for updating application data or Data Storage. The need for a second presentment is determined by the contactless reader by checking for the presence of Issuer scripts included in the authorization request response and / or Data Storage data prepared by the Terminal. The reader shall store the fields that are required for a second presentment in transient memory as specified in [EMV Book B]. Entry Point uses this transient memory to select the Combination used in the previous Final Combination Selection to deliver the Issuer Update Processing commands and / or Data Storage updates. The EMV configuration uses the Outcome parameters defined in Annex B and provides data for online messages and clearing records. Note: If any of the following optional data object is received from a Contactless Card with an incorrect length or format then the reader shall discard that data object and treat it as if it was not present and continue with the transaction. • Application Expiration Date, Tag: 5F24 • Application Preferred Name, Tag: 9F12 • Application Primary Account Number (PAN), Tag: 5A • Application Selection Flag, Tag: DF62 • Application Selection Registered Proprietary Data (ASRPD), Tag: 9F0A • Form Factor Identifier (FFI), Tag: 9F6E • Issuer Code Table Index, Tag: 9F11 • Issuer Identification Number (IIN), Tag: 42 • Issuer Identification Number Extended (IINE), Tag: 9F0C • Language Preference, Tag: 5F2D • Log Entry, Tag: 9F4D © 2026 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. Page 2 • Payment Account Reference (PAR), Tag: 9F24 The EMV transaction flow is illustrated in Figure 2-1. The EMV Mode transaction flow with optional Data Storage is illustrated in Figure 2-2, and with optional Tearing Recovery in Figure 2-3. © 2026 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. Page 3 B: In Figure 3-6 “EMV Application Selection – Processing Flow (Tearing Recovery Check)”, added step 2a to clear the Tearing Log, as follows: Tearing Recovery Check (1) Set Resume Transaction flag to false (2) Tearing Recovery Supported = true? No (2a) Empty the Tearing Log No Yes Yes (3) Tearing Recovery Enabled = true? Yes (4) Tearing Log empty? No (5) AID and Card Feature Descriptor Yes match with Tearing Log? No (6) Empty the Tearing Log (7) Restore PDOL data from Tearing Log (8) Set Resume Transaction flag to true (9) Data Storage Enabled = true? No Yes (10) Read Data Storage (11) Initiate Application Processing 4 © 2026 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. Page 4 # Description 1 Kernel shall set Resume Transaction flag to false. 2 Kernel verifies if it is configured to support Tearing Recovery. If… Then… Yes Go to Step 3. No Go to Step 2a9. 2a Kernel shall clear the Tearing Log (emptying any previous logs still on Kernel). 3 Kernel shall check if Tearing Recovery is enabled for the current transaction (Tearing Recovery Enabled = true). If… Then… Yes Go to Step 4. No Go to Step 9. 4 Kernel shall check if the Tearing Log is empty If… Then… Yes Go to Step 95. No Go to Step 59. 5 Kernel shall check if the same card application is being re-presented (true if the selected AID and the card’s Card Feature Descriptor and Card Feature Version Number match the values recorded in the Tearing Log). If… Then… Yes Go to Step 7. No Go to Step 6. 6 Kernel shall clear the Tearing Log (a different card is present). Then go to Step 9. 7 Kernel shall extract transaction details from the Tearing Log (i.e., use the PDOL data values for each of the data elements listed in the PDOL). Note: This shall include the logged value for Unpredictable Number (tag ‘9F37’). 8 Kernel shall set Resume Transaction flag to true. 9 Kernel shall check if Data Storage is enabled for the current transaction (Data Storage Enabled = true) If… Then… Yes Go to Step 10. No Go to Step 11. 10 Kernel shall go to Figure 3-7 to perform Read Data Storage processing. 11 Kernel shall go to Figure 3-8 to perform Initiate Application Processing. © 2026 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. Page 5 Legal Notice Unless the user has an applicable separate agreement with EMVCo or with the applicable payment system, any and all uses of these Specifications is subject to the terms and conditions of the EMVCo Terms of Use agreement available at www.emvco.com and the following supplemental terms and conditions. The license granted in the EMVCo Terms of Use specifically excludes (a) the right to disclose, distribute or publicly display these Specifications or otherwise make these Specifications available to any third party, and (b) the right to make, use, sell, offer for sale, or import any software or hardware that practices, in whole or in part, these Specifications. Further, EMVCo does not grant any right to use the Kernel Specifications to develop contactless payment applications designed for use on a Card (or components of such applications). As used in these supplemental terms and conditions, the term “Card” means a proximity integrated circuit card or other device containing an integrated circuit chip designed to facilitate contactless payment transactions. Additionally, a Card may include a contact interface and/or magnetic stripe used to facilitate payment transactions. To use the Specifications to develop contactless payment applications designed for use on a Card (or components of such applications), please contact the applicable payment system. To use the Specifications to develop or manufacture products, or in any other manner not provided in the EMVCo Terms of Use, please contact EMVCo. These Specifications are provided "AS IS" without warranties of any kind, and EMVCo neither assumes nor accepts any liability for any errors or omissions contained in these Specifications. EMVCO DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AS TO THESE SPECIFICATIONS. EMVCo makes no representations or warranties with respect to intellectual property rights of any third parties in or in relation to the Specifications. EMVCo undertakes no responsibility to determine whether any implementation of these Specifications may violate, infringe, or otherwise exercise the patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, know-how, or other intellectual property rights of third parties, and thus any person who implements any part of these Specifications should consult an intellectual property attorney before any such implementation. Without limiting the foregoing, the Specifications may provide for the use of public key encryption and other technology, which may be the subject matter of patents in several countries. Any party seeking to implement these Specifications is solely responsible for determining whether its activities require a license to any such technology, including for patents on public key encryption technology. EMVCo shall not be liable under any theory for any party's infringement of any intellectual property rights in connection with these Specifications. © 2026 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. Page 6