So, you’re looking for Visa. Most people assume they’re just tucked away in some nondescript glass tower in Silicon Valley, but the reality is actually a bit more nomadic and, frankly, more interesting.
If you need the "official" answer for a mailing address or a tax form, Visa Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Specifically, they just recently finished a massive move into a brand-new, custom-built global headquarters in the Mission Rock neighborhood.
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For years, people associated Visa with Foster City—that sleepy, suburban town on the peninsula—and for good reason. They were there forever. But as of 2024 and 2025, the center of gravity for the world's largest payment network has officially shifted back to the heart of the city.
The Mission Rock Era: Where Visa Lives Now
The new spot isn't just an office. It’s a 13-story statement piece. If you’re walking near Oracle Park (where the Giants play), you can’t miss it. It’s a 300,000-square-foot building that looks a bit like a jagged rock formation, which is intentional—the architects at Henning Larsen apparently drew inspiration from Devil’s Postpile in the Sierras.
The exact address is part of the Mission Rock development, right along the San Francisco waterfront.
Why move? Honestly, it was about talent. The old Foster City campus was great, but it didn't exactly scream "cutting-edge fintech hub" to a younger generation of engineers and designers who wanted to live and work in the city. By moving to Mission Rock, Visa basically doubled its San Francisco footprint. They went from housing about 650 people at their old One Market Plaza offices to room for over 1,500 at the new site.
What Happened to Foster City?
Don't worry, Foster City isn't a ghost town. While the "Global Headquarters" title moved to San Francisco, the 900 Metro Center Blvd campus in Foster City is still very much alive.
Visa didn't abandon the peninsula; they rebranded it. It’s now their primary Technology and Product Center. Think of it this way: the executives and the brand folks are mostly in the city, but a huge chunk of the "engine room"—the people actually keeping the global payment rails running—still calls Foster City home.
They actually spent a ton of money recently renovating that Foster City campus to make it feel less like a 1990s office park and more like a modern tech campus with outdoor gardens and collaborative spaces.
A Quick History of Visa’s Moving Vans
Visa's geography is kind of a back-and-forth saga.
- The Fresno Start: Technically, the whole thing started in 1958 in Fresno, California, when Bank of America dropped 65,000 credit cards into people's mailboxes in a massive experiment known as the "Fresno Drop."
- The Foster City Decades: For a long time, Foster City was the undisputed home. It was the base of operations as Visa evolved from a bank-owned association into the global powerhouse it is today.
- The San Francisco Flirtation: Back in 2009, right after their massive IPO (which was the biggest in U.S. history at the time), they actually moved the HQ to downtown San Francisco.
- The U-Turn: Just a few years later, in 2012, they decided it was too "unwieldy" and moved the headquarters back to Foster City.
- The Final (Current) Move: In 2019, they announced the plan to return to San Francisco for good, which culminated in the 2024 opening of the Mission Rock building.
More Than Just One Building
If you’re asking "where is Visa headquartered" because you're trying to find where the decisions are made, you have to look beyond California. Visa is a "chaordic" organization—a term coined by their legendary founder Dee Hock to describe a mix of chaos and order.
Because they operate in over 200 countries, they have massive regional hubs that act as mini-headquarters.
- London: Their European headquarters (which became more integrated after Visa Inc. bought Visa Europe back in 2016).
- Singapore: The nerve center for the Asia-Pacific region.
- Miami: The hub for Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Dubai: Managing the Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) region.
The Bottom Line for 2026
If you're heading to a meeting or sending a formal letter, the "Global HQ" is the Mission Rock building in San Francisco.
It’s a signal that the company is trying to stay relevant in a world of crypto, digital wallets, and "buy now, pay later" startups. They want to be where the action is.
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Pro Tip: If you're visiting the new HQ, try to score an invite to the rooftop deck. It has some of the best views of the Bay and the ballpark you can find in the city, and it’s where a lot of the informal "big deals" actually get discussed these days.
To keep track of Visa’s global footprint or reach out to their corporate offices, you should verify the specific department you need, as "Technology" and "Corporate" are now split between Foster City and San Francisco.