The card import feature allows businesses that already have a customer and card database to securely migrate that data to Mercado Pago. Once the migration is complete, payments are processed through the Mercado Pago platform without interruptions for customers.
This process creates tokenized cardsSecure representation of card data using a unique identifier (token) that replaces sensitive information. The token allows processing payments without exposing the actual card data. in bulk by sending an encrypted file containing card data.
To access the card import tool, you need to contact your Mercado Pago business representative beforehand. After completing this step, you will receive a URL to access the file submission interface in the Mercado Pago panel.
If you encounter any errors or unexpected issues during the integration of this solution, contact your business representative.
Grant access to collaborators
By default, access to the card import portal is restricted to users with an administrator profile. To allow other collaborators to also use this feature, create a role with the appropriate permission and assign it to the desired users.
Using an account with administrator permission, go to the Your business section in the left sidebar menu and click Collaborators. You can also access it directly from the Collaborators panel.
Before inviting a collaborator, define their role.
Click the Manage roles button and then Create role.
Define a name for the role and set the permission to Mercado Pago.
Within the Management and configuration permissions list, check the Card token creation option.
The Card token creation permission is the one that specifically enables access to the card tokenization screens. You can define exactly which permissions you want to associate with the role.
Review the information and click Create role.
On the main Collaborators page, click Invite collaborator, enter the email address of the collaborator you want to invite, and click Continue.
You can use any email address, whether from someone directly in your organization or from a third party or service provider. The collaborator will receive an email with a link to complete the access setup for their new account.
Once the collaborator is created, assign them a role:
From the main Collaborators page, click the collaborator's name to access their details.
Select Add or change role and choose the previously created role that best fits that collaborator's responsibilities.
Click Confirm and then Save.
File preparation
Prepare a .csv file specifying the data for each customer and their cards. Include the first line with the headers and separate each field with commas. All fields are required. The file supports up to 100,000 rows; if you have more cards, split the information into multiple files. The average token creation time is 60 minutes per 10,000 rows. The .csv file name must contain only letters, numbers, hyphens (-), underscores (_), and periods (.). See the specifications in the following table:
Order
Header
Description
Format
Example
1
external_reference
Unique customer identifier in your system.
Alphanumeric
ORD-123456
2
customer_email
Cardholder's email address.
Alphanumeric. The username in the email must contain at least 2 characters.
The cardholder_name field must contain only letters without accents and spaces, avoiding numbers and special characters such as .,;:-_/\'"&@+()ñ and ç.
File encryption
The .csv file must be encrypted before submission. The expected format is PGPPretty Good Privacy: encryption protocol that ensures data confidentiality and integrity through public key cryptography. with .asc or .enc extension.
See below the encryption process using GnuPG, a free encryption software. You can use other tools or methods as long as the result is in PGP format.
Access the official website of GnuPG and download the version compatible with your operating system. In the "GnuPG binary releases" section, select the desired option. For Windows, use this direct link.
Follow the installation wizard instructions.
Verify the installation by opening the command prompt (CMD on Windows) and running:
bash
gpg --version
You will see a response similar to the following.
bash
gpg (GnuPG) 2.4.8
libgcrypt 1.11.1
Copyright (C) 2025 g10 Code GmbH
License GNU GPL-3.0-or-later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
Encrypted file security relies on a key pair: one public keyCryptographic key that is shared publicly and used to encrypt data. Data encrypted with this key can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key. and one private keySecret cryptographic key used to decrypt data. Only Mercado Pago has access to this key, ensuring the security of encrypted data.. Keys are valid for 6 months and a new key is published two months before the current one expires, so there may be a period when two keys are valid at the same time.
Always use the key with the most recent expiration date. Additionally, the Key IDUnique identifier of the public key used to specify which key to use during encryption. is unique to each key and changes each time a new one is generated.
Key ID
Generated on
Valid until
7E4B7B8AF8B36301
27/04/2026
24/10/2026
To use the public key, copy the following content and save it as an .asc file on your device:
With the .asc file saved, follow the steps below to import the key and encrypt your .csv file.
Create an empty folder and place the public key .asc file and the .csv file you want to encrypt inside it.
Open that folder in Terminal (Mac/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows).
Import the public key by running the following command:
bash
gpg --import [file-name].asc
Finally, you will receive a message confirming that the key was processed.
bash
gpg: key 7E4B7B8AF8B36301: public key "54e8e256-542b-4c53-92a6-876eefb9e2b4 <a7a416b8-00bc-40dd-8c6a-28229b0e2df8>" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
With the public key configured, encrypt your file by running the following command. Replace your_file_name.csv with the actual name of your file and KEYID with the KeyID corresponding to the downloaded key:
The command parameters are detailed in the following table:
Parameter
Description
--output encrypted_file.enc
Defines the name of the encrypted output file
--armor
Generates output in ASCII format
--encrypt
Indicates the encryption operation
--recipient "KEYID"
Specifies the identifier (KeyID) of the recipient's public key that will be used to encrypt the data
your_file_name.csv
Input file containing sensitive data (card and email) to encrypt
GnuPG may display a warning informing that it is not possible to guarantee the key's identity. This warning is expected and does not indicate risk, as the Mercado Pago public key is not signed by third parties. If the key was obtained from this page, type s and press Enter to continue.
After confirmation, a file with the name entered in the --output option is generated in the same folder. This is the file you must send to Mercado Pago.
Encrypted file submission
Access the URL provided by your business representative.
In the Token generation interface, drag or select the encrypted file (.asc or .enc).
Verify the file name is correct and click Generate Tokens.
The system will display the status "Generating tokens...". Completion may take several hours depending on the file size. You can monitor the procedure in the Latest results field.
Results file interpretation
Once processing is complete, check the result on the Mercado Pago panel. Only cases processed completely successfully or partially generate a results file.
Results location
Check the most recent status of your submissions in the Latest results section.
Click the download link to get a .csv file with details of the generated tokens and any errors.
If you have completed the token creation but have not yet processed charges on the platform, contact your business representative to continue with the integration process.
Error resolution
If processing was partial, the results file will include the errors found. See the following table to identify and resolve each error type.
Error
Description
Resolution
Customer record generated incorrectly
Error creating the customer record or adding the card.
Review customer and card data. If the error persists, contact your business representative.
Once you have identified the errors, fix and upload a new file only with corrected data for records that had problems. You can perform as many imports as needed.
