Who put me on the VMSS list?

Visa operates VMSS, but acquirers add the listings

VMSS (Visa Merchant Screening Service) is Visa's database of terminated or high-risk merchant files. Visa provides the infrastructure, but the actual listings are submitted by acquiring banks and payment service providers. Under Visa's rules, acquirers are required to file a merchant record when an account is terminated for qualifying reasons such as fraud, excessive disputes, or a compliance failure.

This means the PSP or acquirer that closed your account—not Visa—is the one that filed your listing. If you had a single merchant account that was terminated, that PSP is almost certainly the source. If you had multiple accounts, focus on the one that ended through termination rather than voluntary closure or expiry.

Common reasons a PSP adds a merchant to VMSS

• Dispute or chargeback rate exceeding Visa's programme thresholds
• Fraudulent transactions or misuse of the payment network
• Violation of the PSP's terms of service or acceptable-use policy
• Suspected money laundering, illegal activity, or sanctions exposure
• Misrepresentation or identity fraud during the onboarding process
• PCI DSS non-compliance following a security incident
• Termination for risk management reasons at the PSP's discretion

When another acquirer checks VMSS during a new application, they see the listing and the associated reason code. Most merchants only find out they are on VMSS when a new merchant account application is declined or heavily conditioned.

How to find out which PSP listed you

There is no self-service portal where merchants can view their own VMSS record. Your practical options are:

1. Contact the PSP that terminated your account. Ask them directly whether they filed a VMSS entry and under which reason code.
2. Review your account-closure correspondence. Some PSPs include VMSS filing information in the termination notice or a follow-up letter.
3. Ask a declining acquirer. If a new application has been turned down, the acquirer may be able to confirm that a VMSS record exists, even if they cannot share the full detail.

Only the listing PSP can remove you

Visa does not accept removal requests from merchants directly. The PSP or acquirer that submitted the listing is the only party that can ask Visa to remove it, and they will only do so once they are satisfied that the underlying issue has been resolved.

A well-structured removal request is therefore your main lever. The PSP's risk team needs to see a clear account of what caused the listing, what has changed in your business since then, and what evidence you can provide of those changes before they will put their name behind a removal submission to Visa.

We email your PSP on your behalf

Fill in the details of your situation in our guided form—including which PSP you believe added you to VMSS—and we draft a structured, professional removal request addressed directly to that PSP's risk team. Once you complete the process, we send it on your behalf and copy you into the email, so all replies from the PSP come directly to you.

The PSP decides. What we give you is the clearest, most professionally structured case you can put in front of them—so their review starts from the strongest possible position. Start your removal request →