Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands Merchant Boarding Requirements
To onboard a merchant in Puerto Rico (PR) or the US Virgin Islands (VI), partners and their merchants must meet specific requirements and follow the detailed process outlined below.
These steps provide a comprehensive guide to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding process for merchants in PR boarding to US-based Referrers. By carefully following each step, you can easily navigate the required procedures and criteria, ultimately leading to a successful merchant boarding experience in PR.
Adhering to these guidelines enables you to effectively onboard a merchant in PR while complying with the essential requirements and specified procedures.
For additional information, see the Merchant Onboarding Risk Guide and Merchant Monitoring Risk Guide.
Important!
Merchants located in PR or VI must maintain a physical onshore operational presence within the continental US to onboard to the Payrix Pro platform.
Merchant Requirements
Each of the following requirements must be met:
Location: The merchant business must be based in and have a significant physical operational presence in the US.
Owner Presence: At least one individual based in the US, who holds significant management responsibility, must be present on the business premises.
Business Age: The merchant must have a minimum of 2 or more years in business.
Entity Type: Only corporations, LLCs, and similar registered business entity types are accepted. (Sole proprietorships are not accepted at this time.)
EIN: An Employer Identification Number (EIN) based in the US.
Bank Account: A bank account based in the US.
Platform Restrictions for PR and VI Merchants
The following restrictions apply for Merchants boarding from PR and VI:
Only VCore is available for PR and VI Merchant transactions.
eCheck is not supported in PR and VI.
Exception Request Process
The requirements below only apply to non-US citizens boarding US-based businesses. Citizens of PR and VI are also US citizens, each with their own Social Security Number (SSN) and ability to obtain an EIN.
In the event you believe a Merchant should be boarded and meets the criteria above but for some reason receive a decline while autoboarding, you can request an exception for manual review, and follow the process outlined below:
Upload a photo of the foreign passport for all non-US individuals when submitting the Merchant for boarding.
Enter an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in place of SSN. If no ITIN is available, enter the passport number instead.
When this has been properly submitted, the platform’s risk analysts will review, approve, decline, or request more information from the Merchant.