Transaction Violates Law
This decline means the issuer or card network determined that completing the transaction would violate a law or regulation, such as sanctions or OFAC screening, or restrictions on goods and services in the cardholder's or merchant's jurisdiction. It is a compliance-driven block rather than a fraud or funds-related decline.
Decline code by card network
| Card network | Code | Network's wording |
|---|---|---|
| Visa | 93 | Transaction Violates Law |
| Mastercard | 93 | Transaction Violates Law |
Common causes
- The transaction involves a party, country, or entity on a sanctions or watch list (e.g. OFAC).
- The goods or services being purchased are restricted or illegal in the cardholder's or merchant's jurisdiction.
- The issuer's compliance systems flagged the transaction under anti-money-laundering or regulatory screening rules.
What merchants should do
- Do not attempt to reprocess or resubmit the transaction, since retrying a legally blocked transaction can create additional compliance exposure.
- Review whether your business is properly registered and compliant for the jurisdictions and product categories you sell into.
- Consult your acquirer or a compliance advisor if this decline occurs repeatedly, as it may indicate a jurisdictional or product-classification issue rather than a one-off event.
How to prevent this
- Screen transactions against sanctions and restricted-party lists before submitting for authorization, especially for cross-border sales.
- Ensure your product and service listings are accurately classified and legally permitted in every market you serve.
- Work with legal counsel to review compliance obligations if you operate in regulated categories or high-risk countries.
Because this response is tied to legal and regulatory obligations rather than commercial risk, merchants should treat repeated occurrences as a compliance signal warranting review rather than a payments-processing glitch to troubleshoot.
Frequently asked questions
Can this decline be appealed or retried?
Generally no. This is a compliance-based block, and repeatedly retrying the same transaction is not appropriate. If you believe the decline is in error, contact your acquirer or the cardholder's issuer.
Does this decline mean my business is under investigation?
Not necessarily for a single occurrence, but a pattern of these declines is a strong signal to review your compliance program, transaction screening, and jurisdictional coverage.