Go live

Live mode is switched on per merchant once Borga has verified the business and the card acquirer has approved it. The dashboard tracks the steps under Settings → Live environment.

1. Apply under Live environment

   An owner or admin opens Settings → Live environment, enters your website and names your procurator (prókúruhafi) with their email, and accepts the current Terms of Service. A merchant without a kennitala on record is refused with missing_kennitala, and live actions are refused with terms_not_accepted until the terms are accepted. Borga emails the procurator a link. It works for 14 days, and sending a new one (to fix a typo, or for another procurator) makes the old link stop working.

2. The procurator confirms and answers

   The procurator opens the link. They do not need a Borga account to open it. They start by confirming with their electronic ID on behalf of the company. Kenni confirms that they hold procuration (prókúra) for the company with your kennitala and returns its legal name, which Borga keeps on the application together with who confirmed it and when. A login without procuration is refused with missing_procuration, a different company with company_kennitala_mismatch, and a personal login with kennitala_type_mismatch. The login must be fresh (under five minutes old), so it is checked as soon as they return from Kenni.

   Because Kenni has just identified them, confirming gives the procurator a Borga account and makes them an admin of your merchant (you see them under Members, and member.added in the audit log), so they can sign in to the dashboard afterwards to follow the application. The application is theirs from then on: a confirmation by anyone else is refused with live_application_claimed, and the answers must come from the browser that confirmed. The confirmation stays on the application, so they can finish the rest later from the same link; in a new tab or on another device they confirm again first.

   Then they answer the card acquirer's questions: their phone number for its KYC review, what you sell and how soon buyers receive it, your expected annual card volume and average transaction, the store name and address for cardholder receipts, and the bank account settlements are paid to. Answers sent without a confirmation in that browser are refused with live_application_not_confirmed. When they are in, Borga stores the legal name on the merchant together with who confirmed it and when. From then on the type and kennitala cannot change, and the link only says the application was sent and points to the dashboard.

   For a sole trader, the link goes to the person the merchant trades as, who confirms with their own electronic ID. A login by anyone else is refused with kennitala_mismatch, and a login on behalf of a company with kennitala_type_mismatch.

3. Borga applies for a card terminal

   Borga submits your merchant to the card acquirer as a sub-merchant and is the acquirer's registered partner for checkout, 3-D Secure and stored cards. You go through the acquirer's due diligence and sign a contract directly with it, which covers settlement and chargebacks: the acquirer pays out to your bank account and deducts Borga's fees. This is manual on Borga's side today and usually takes one to three business days. The dashboard shows pending while the application is open.

4. Live mode is enabled

   When the acquirer approves, Borga stores your live terminal and enables live mode, and emails the person who applied and the procurator. The Live environment page turns green, and you can create live API keys under Developers.

How money flows

The acquirer settles card payments straight to your bank account, on the schedule in your acquirer contract, and deducts Borga's fees from the settlement. Borga never holds or pays out funds. Chargebacks are handled between you and the acquirer through its merchant portal; Borga records the reversal on the payment when the acquirer reports it. The Terms of Service describe this in full.

Website checklist

Card scheme rules require every online merchant to publish certain information before a cardholder pays. The card acquirer checks your website when it reviews your application, so have this in place before you apply. Section 9 of the Terms of Service sets out the same list.

About you

• Your legal name (company name, or your own name if you are a sole trader)
• Kennitala, and VAT number if you are VAT-registered
• Address
• Phone number and email address

Products and services

• A description of what you sell
• Prices, including VAT and other taxes
• For creams and liquids for external use: the quantity and the ingredient list

Terms and conditions

Publish your own terms. They must state at least:

• Your company name
• The country and town you operate from
• Which law governs the purchase
• Cancellation and return rights, refund rules and, for subscriptions, how to cancel
• Delivery terms, if you ship anything: delivery method, delivery time, carrier and shipping cost

Cancellation and refund terms must be shown in Icelandic and English on the same page as the payment, before the payer confirms. A link to another page or a pop-up is not enough.

Privacy

• A privacy policy that meets the Icelandic data protection act (no. 90/2018) and the GDPR, including how card data is handled

Checkout flow

• A checkbox in your cart or checkout where the payer confirms they have read and accept your terms
• The payer cannot continue to payment until the box is ticked

Payment page

• Card scheme logos (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) where payment methods are listed
• The transaction currency
• The name you trade under
• Your address, email and phone number

Before you flip the switch

• Allowed redirect domains. Add every domain your return_url and cancel_url use under Settings → Account. Live sessions reject anything else with redirect_url_not_allowed.
• Publishable key origins. If you use embedded checkout, create a live publishable key and add your production origins to it.
• Webhook endpoints. Endpoints are per mode. Create a live endpoint under Webhooks and store its signing secret.
• Accounting provider. Connect PayDay or DK+ in live mode under Settings → Accounting system; the test-mode connection does not carry over. Without a connection, Borga records invoices but does not book them.
• Bank invoices. Enable them again for live mode under Settings → Bank invoice if you offer them.
• Your website. Work through the website checklist above; the acquirer reviews your site as part of the application.

What changes in live mode

	Test	Live
Keys	sk_test_, pk_test_	sk_live_, pk_live_
Card processing	Processor staging, test cards	Your own terminal, real cards
Redirect URLs	http://localhost allowed	HTTPS on allowed domains only
Fees	None	Per transaction, see pricing
Data	Separate	Separate

Nothing else changes: the same endpoints, request shapes and webhooks apply in both modes. Most teams keep a test key in staging environments permanently.