Can a MATCH listing be removed?
Only the acquirer that placed the listing can remove it, entirely at their discretion, and in practice only where it was added in error or was for PCI non-compliance you have since fixed. Otherwise it expires automatically after five years.
This is the question with the most bad information around it, so the direct answer first: no third party can remove you from MATCH, and anyone charging a fee to do so is selling something they cannot deliver.
Mastercard operates the database. The acquirer that added you is the only party that can remove the entry, and it is under no obligation to. In practice there are two circumstances where it happens:
The listing was an error. Wrong entity, wrong reason code, or a listing that should not have been filed. You will need to evidence that, and the acquirer that filed it is the one you have to convince.
The listing was for PCI DSS non-compliance and you have since become compliant. This is the one reason code with a clear remediation path.
Outside those, the entry stays for five years and then falls off automatically.
Being listed is not the end of processing. Some acquirers will board a MATCH-listed merchant where the reason code is understood, the underlying problem is fixed and the volume justifies the work. It narrows the field considerably and it usually costs more, but it is not nothing. Knowing your reason code is the first useful step.
Last reviewed
20 September 2026. Regulation in this area moves. Check the primary sources below before acting on anything here, and treat this page as orientation rather than legal advice.
- Mastercard MATCH overview Mastercard operates MATCH and defines the reason codes and the five-year retention