Applies to

• New and existing merchants integrating payments
• Business administrators and developers

Prerequisites

• Business email address you can access immediately
• Decision on Organization ID (permanent; not customer‑visible)

Key terms

Organization ID

A permanent identifier created when you register a sandbox account.

Test Business Center

Sandbox environment for configuration and test transactions.

Live Business Center

Production environment for Test and Production MIDs.

Overview: MID types and when to use them

Decision guide

1. Do you need real charges to occur?
   • Yes: Use a Production MID.
   • No: Continue.
2. Do you need to validate Production‑grade settings before go‑live (live endpoints, tokens, webhooks, risk rules)?
   • Yes: Use a Test MID (in the Production environment).
   • No: Use an Evaluation/Sandbox MID.

Procedure: create a sandbox (evaluation) account

1. Go to the Sandbox Account Sign Up Page
2. Enter required business and contact information.
3. Choose your Organization ID.
   • The Organization ID is permanent and not visible to customers.
4. Verify all details, especially the Business Email address.
5. Select Create Account and complete any prompts.
6. Open the verification email sent to the Business Email and activate your sandbox login.
7. Sign in to the Test Business Center.
8. Create and configure your Evaluation/Sandbox MID.
   • Use sandbox credentials and endpoints only.

Procedure: work in the Production environment

1. Determine the MID you need in the Live Business Center.
   • Need to test without charging cards: request a Test MID.
   • Ready to process live payments: request a Production MID.
2. Contact Sales using the appropriate regional form to request a Test or Production MID.
   • AP: Contact sales | Cybersource
   • US and Canada: Contact sales | Cybersource
   • Global: Contact sales | Cybersource
   • LAC-Spanish: Comuníquese con el equipo de ventas | Cybersource
   • LAC- Portugues: Contatar vendas | Cybersource
   • EU: Contact sales | Cybersource
3. Provide required business details and complete any approvals or underwriting steps.
4. If you requested a Test MID, configure payment methods, tokens, webhooks, and risk settings to mirror your intended live setup.
5. Execute end‑to‑end validation using the Test MID.
6. When ready, complete your go‑live approval to convert the Test MID to a Production MID.
7. After conversion, process live transactions only with the Production MID.

Notes and constraints

• Separation of environments: Sandbox data, keys, tokens, and configurations do not carry over to Production.
• Convertibility:
  • Evaluation/Sandbox MIDs cannot be moved or converted to Production.
  • Test MIDs can be converted to Production after go‑live approvals.
• Credentials: Use sandbox credentials with sandbox endpoints and production credentials with production endpoints.

Related information

• Difference between Test and Live Business Centers:
  • Test Business Center: configuration and non‑live test transactions (Sandbox MIDs).
  • Live Business Center: Production environment for Test and Production MIDs.
• Testing with a sandbox account: see the Developer Center Testing Guide 
• Go‑live steps: follow Organization ID Activation (Go Live) instructions.