# Character Limit Enforcement for Cards

## Overview  
Lithic will begin enforcing cardholder name character limits on the `shipping_address` object across all physical card lifecycle endpoints: Create Card, Renew Card, Reissue Card, and Convert Virtual to Physical.

## Details  
Today, Lithic documents that the total combined length of `first_name` and `last_name` may not exceed 26 characters (25 for the name fields plus 1 space), but currently accepts a combined length greater than 26. The name is truncated before sending to our card fulfillment providers to minimize production-rejected records due to ISO 7813 requirements.

After the enforcement, Lithic will return a 400 error "The combined length of `first_name` and `last_name` may not exceed 25 characters (26 including the space on the physical card). Received (N) characters."

The combined character limit will be enforced on all endpoints that accept `shipping_address` for physical cards:

- [Create Card](https://docs.lithic.com/reference/postcards)
- [Renew Card](https://docs.lithic.com/reference/postcardrenew)
- [Reissue Card](https://docs.lithic.com/reference/postcardreissue)
- [Convert Virtual to Physical](https://docs.lithic.com/reference/postconvertphysical)

## Release Timeline  
- Sandbox Enforcement: August 25, 2026  
- Production Enforcement: October 27, 2026

## User Impact  
Clients must update their validation of `first_name` and `last_name` character lengths across all physical card lifecycle API calls before the release dates. After enforcement, requests exceeding these limits will be rejected with a 400 error.

Specifically, clients should:

- Ensure `first_name` is always provided (non-null, non-empty, minimum 1 character)
- Ensure the combined length of `first_name` + `last_name` does not exceed 25 characters
- Apply these validations to Renew, Reissue, and Convert to Physical flows — not just initial card creation

We recommend clients validate their existing integrations against the sandbox environment after the sandbox enforcement date to identify any impacted flows before production enforcement.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via the **HELP** link in your Lithic Dashboard.