How to become PCI compliant

This support article explains how to become PCI compliant in clear, practical steps. If your business accepts card payments, PCI DSS applies to you. Following these steps will help you become PCI compliant, validate compliance correctly, and maintain it year over year.

What does it mean to be PCI compliant?

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a global security standard set by major card brands. Any business that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data must comply.

There is no official PCI DSS cert for merchants. Instead, you validate compliance annually through:

• A Self‑Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) or a QSA assessment

• Quarterly vulnerability scans

• An Attestation of Compliance (AOC)

The faster and simpler path to PCI compliance

You can follow the steps below to become PCI compliant, but many merchants choose a simpler route: working with a payment processor that handles PCI compliance for you.

For example, Sekure Payment Experts’ PCI Plus program is designed to make merchants compliant without the usual administrative burden. With PCI Plus, many merchants benefit from:

• No PCI program, non‑compliance, or PCI fees

• No administrative work required on your part

• No SAQs, scans, or annual PCI check‑ins

• No forms or third‑party requirements

• No need to spend significant time or money maintaining compliance

Sekure handles the heavy lifting—security controls, validation support, and ongoing compliance oversight—so your business is protected from card‑processing liability while you focus on running operations.

If you prefer full visibility and hands‑on control, follow the step‑by‑step PCI DSS process below. If you want the fastest and lowest‑effort way to become PCI compliant, a managed solution like PCI Plus may be the better choice.

Step‑by‑step PCI DSS process

Step 1: Determine your PCI level

Your PCI level depends on annual transaction volume and risk.

Confirm your level and required SAQ with your payment processor.

Step 2: Scope your environment

Identify where card data touches your systems:

• POS devices

• eCommerce checkout

• APIs, servers, or databases

• Third‑party vendors

Define your Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) and segment it from the rest of your network. Reducing scope is the fastest way to become PCI compliant.

Step 3: Implement PCI DSS Requirements

You must meet all applicable PCI DSS controls. Key requirements include:

Protect Card Data

• Do not store card data unless required

• Use tokenization or encryption

• Encrypt data in transit (TLS 1.2+)

Control Access

• Unique user IDs (no shared accounts)

• Multi‑factor authentication for admins and remote access

• Least‑privilege access

Secure Systems

• Firewalls and network segmentation

• Regular patching and vulnerability management

• Malware protection where applicable

Monitor and Test

• Centralized logging

• Quarterly ASV vulnerability scans

• Annual penetration testing

Step 4: Validate compliance

Validation depends on your level:

• Complete the correct SAQ

• Run and pass quarterly ASV scans

• Submit the Attestation of Compliance (AOC)

• Level 1 merchants require a QSA‑led assessment and ROC

This validation is sometimes called a “pci dss cert,” but the official proof is the AOC or ROC, not a certificate.