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emvpos

POS EMV Card PIN Change


I would like to know if there is a possibility of changing the PIN of an EMV card using POS devices equipped with an IC Reader. Or if that functionality is reserved for ATMs only.

If its possible through POS Devices, what series of commands does one need to issue to make the PIN change.


Solution

  • EMV Offline PIN change is performed by issuer script that is sent together with response to authorization request. It does not matter if device is POS or ATM. It technically works the same and issuer scripts are guaranteed (up to 127 bytes) to be transferred through any authorization protocol.

    ATMs have additional requirements from payment schemes, so PIN Change and PIN unblock transaction support are obligatory. With POS, there is no direct requirement to be able to initiate such transactions, but if it is performed over some other channel (IVR, online, etc), issuer scripts can transfer the PIN to the card on the next online transaction regardless if card is used on ATM or POS.

    No special commands are there for PIN change, the transaction will require entering both old and new PIN, send them in encrypted PIN Blocks and the response shall contain issuer script that will be sent by EMV kernel to the card (without modification or interpretation by the device) as any other issuer script.

    Side note - bigger issuer scripts are not common and handled in devices that are connected through On-us interfaces with issuer banks. For large issuer scripts, devices that can avoid card removal during the process are preferred (mostly bank owned ATMs with motorized readers).