PCI Compliance Attestation Documentation

This question asks whether your vendor has official paperwork proving they meet PCI security standards. An Attestation of Compliance (AoC) or Report on Compliance (RoC) is like a certificate showing they've passed a security audit for handling payment card data. These documents must be recent (within the past year) to be valid, similar to how a driver's license needs regular renewal.

Having current PCI compliance documentation directly impacts your ability to process payments safely and legally. Without it, you risk hefty fines (up to $500,000 per incident), loss of payment processing privileges, and potential liability for any card data breaches. Valid attestation also builds customer trust and can be a requirement for enterprise contracts, directly affecting your revenue potential.

Many companies mistakenly believe that self-assessment questionnaires (SAQs) are sufficient proof of compliance, but larger organizations often require formal AoC or RoC documents. Another pitfall is accepting outdated attestations—PCI compliance must be validated annually, and documentation older than 12 months is considered expired and invalid.