Create a Card

This resource allows you to create a card for a customer. PayVessel debits your business USD wallet, completes customer KYC, and returns a card you can fund and manage through the API. This operation is asynchronous, meaning we notify you via a webhook event on the final status (for example when the card becomes ACTIVE). You can also poll Get a Card until card_number is available. Supported card networks:

Network	`brand` value
Visa	`VISA`
Mastercard	`MASTERCARD`

Currency must be USD. Minimum prefund is $1.00. Set is_contactless to true to issue a contactless-enabled card (tap-to-pay). Defaults to false for a standard virtual card. Contactless cards may have a different issuance fee.

How it works

Send a request with full customer KYC and card details (brand, currency). Optionally include prefund_amount to fund the card on creation.
PayVessel debits your business USD wallet (issuance + prefund fees apply).
Receive a card in PENDING status with a PayVessel card_id.
Wait for the final status via your webhook handler, or poll Get a Card until status is ACTIVE.

Required request fields

Field	Required	Notes
`first_name`, `last_name`	Yes	Customer legal name
`email`, `phone`	Yes	Nigerian phone format
`bvn`, `nin`	Yes	11 digits each
`dob`	Yes	`YYYY-MM-DD`
`image`	Yes	Base64 identity document (JPEG or PNG)
`state`, `lga`, `street`, `postal_code`	Yes	Nigerian address
`brand`, `currency`	Yes	USD only
`is_contactless`	No	`false` (default) for standard virtual card; `true` for contactless-enabled card
`prefund_amount`	No	Optional; minimum $1 USD when provided
`card_name`	Optional	Label on card (max 255 characters)

Use cases

Issue virtual cards for marketplace sellers or wallet users
Prefund cards for subscription or travel spend
Onboard customers with full KYC in one API call

Example request

{
  "first_name": "Jane",
  "last_name": "Doe",
  "email": "jane.doe@example.com",
  "phone": "08031234567",
  "bvn": "22345678901",
  "nin": "12345678901",
  "dob": "1990-05-15",
  "image": "data:image/jpeg;base64,YOUR_BASE64_IDENTITY_IMAGE",
  "state": "Lagos",
  "lga": "Ikeja",
  "street": "12 Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1",
  "postal_code": "101233",
  "brand": "VISA",
  "currency": "USD",
  "is_contactless": false,
  "prefund_amount": "10.00",
  "card_name": "Jane Doe"
}

Contactless card

Set is_contactless to true to issue a contactless-enabled card:

{
  "first_name": "Jane",
  "last_name": "Doe",
  "email": "jane.doe@example.com",
  "phone": "08031234567",
  "bvn": "22345678901",
  "nin": "12345678901",
  "dob": "1990-05-15",
  "image": "data:image/jpeg;base64,YOUR_BASE64_IDENTITY_IMAGE",
  "state": "Lagos",
  "lga": "Ikeja",
  "street": "12 Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1",
  "postal_code": "101233",
  "brand": "VISA",
  "currency": "USD",
  "is_contactless": true,
  "prefund_amount": "10.00",
  "card_name": "Jane Doe"
}

API Reference: Try it

Run this endpoint in the browser (interactive playground)

Getting started

Use cases

API Basics

Accept Payment

Transfers

Wallets

Virtual Accounts

Issuing

Identity Verification

Value Added Services

Webhook

How it works

Required request fields

Use cases

Example request

Contactless card

API Reference: Try it

​How it works

​Required request fields

​Use cases

​Example request

​Contactless card

API Reference: Try it

How it works

Required request fields

Use cases

Example request

Contactless card