> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lightspark.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cardholder Setup

> Prepare a customer to receive a card

Before you can issue a card, the cardholder must be a Grid `Customer`
in good standing with at least one funded internal account. This page
covers the requirements and the order they must be satisfied in.

## KYC must be APPROVED

`POST /cards` is rejected with `400 CARDHOLDER_KYC_NOT_APPROVED` if the
cardholder's `kycStatus` is anything other than `APPROVED`. There is no
"issue and verify later" path.

If you're a regulated platform that creates customers directly with
KYC data, the customer reaches `APPROVED` as soon as the verification
returns approved. If you're using the hosted KYC link flow, gate
issuance on the `CUSTOMER.KYC_APPROVED` webhook.

```bash theme={null}
# Check KYC status before issuing
curl -X GET "$GRID_BASE_URL/customers/Customer:019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001" \
  -u "$GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET"
```

## The cardholder needs a funding source

Every card must be bound to at least one `InternalAccount` at issue
time. The account must:

* Belong to the cardholder (no cross-customer funding in v1).
* Be denominated in a card-eligible currency. In v1 this is USDB; the
  request is rejected with `400 FUNDING_SOURCE_INELIGIBLE` otherwise.

If the cardholder doesn't have an internal account yet, internal
accounts are created automatically when the customer is created based
on your platform configuration. You can list them with:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X GET "$GRID_BASE_URL/customers/internal-accounts?customerId=Customer:019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001&currency=USDB" \
  -u "$GRID_CLIENT_ID:$GRID_CLIENT_SECRET"
```

## Pre-fund before authorizations arrive

Cards decline at auth time if the bound funding source can't cover the
transaction. The decline code surfaces as `INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS` and is
visible on the resulting `CardTransaction`. Fund the source the same
way you would for any other internal account — via the funding
payment instructions or, in Sandbox, with
`/sandbox/internal-accounts/{id}/fund`.

<Note>
  Just-in-time funding works the same as for other Grid flows: receive a
  deposit into the funding source, let it confirm, then expect the
  cardholder to transact. There is no separate JIT path for cards in v1.
</Note>

## Ready to issue

Once the cardholder is `APPROVED` and a funded internal account exists,
issue the card with `POST /cards`. See
[Issuing cards](/cards/card-management/issuing-cards) for the request
shape and lifecycle states.