Options Contract Symbol (OCC Format) Regex for PHP

What this pattern does

This page provides a well-structured, multi-part regular expression for matching options contract symbol (occ format), ported and verified for PHP. Financial data validation has zero tolerance for false negatives — a missed invalid entry can corrupt downstream calculations. The snippet below is ready to drop into your PHP project — whether you're validating in a Laravel validator, a WordPress plugin, or a standalone PHP script.

Php Implementation

<?php
// Options Contract Symbol (OCC Format)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Finance > Securities & Trading

define('OPTIONS_CONTRACT_SYMBOL_OCC_FORMAT_PATTERN', '/^([A-Z]{1,5})(\d{6})([CP])(\d{8})$/');

function validate_options_contract_symbol_occ_format(string $input): bool {
    return (bool) preg_match(OPTIONS_CONTRACT_SYMBOL_OCC_FORMAT_PATTERN, $input);
}

// Example
var_dump(validate_options_contract_symbol_occ_format("AAPL240119C00200000")); // bool(true)

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Finance > Securities & Trading category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for PHP developers because especially relevant in PHP where PCRE backtracking limits can trigger silent failures on malicious input. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

OCC format: 1-6 char ticker (right-padded with spaces in the 21-char version) + YYMMDD expiry + C or P + 8-digit strike price in 1/1000 of a dollar. Strike 00200000 = $200.000.