Bank Verification Number

• Question 1: What is a BVN?
  Answer: BVN means Bank Verification Number
• Question 2: What is the Goal of the Bank Verification Number?
  Answer: The purpose of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) is to uniquely verify the identity of each Bank’s customer for ‘know your customer’ (KYC) purposes.
• Question 3: What is BVN Enrolment?
  Answer: BVN Enrolment is the process of capturing a customer’s details which includes fingerprint and facial image after which a BVN is generated.
• Question 4: How does a Customer get a BVN number?
  Answer: A customer enrols at any branch of a bank where he or she has an account or intends to open an account.
• Question 5: Must every customer have a BVN, is it Compulsory?
  Answer: Yes it is.
• Question 6: How long does it take to get a BVN?
  Answer: It takes up to 24 hours after Enrolment to get a BVN.
• Question 7: What is the Benefit of enrolling for a BVN?
  Answer: The BVN helps to reduce fraud, increase the efficiency of banking operations and also enable customer access to future credit facilities.
• Question 8: How is the BVN communicated to the customer?
  Answer: Once the BVN is generated, the bank would inform you of your BVN. All customers would receive SMS alerts.
• Question 9: If a customer forgets his or her BVN what should the customer do?
  Answer: The customer should contact his or her bank where the enrolment was carried out, to retrieve the number.
• Question 10: How and Where can you update customer information? For example, In case of change of address?
  Answer: The customer goes to his/her bank and follows the bank’s processes for updating customer information. A customer can update his or her information only at the bank where he or she has an account.
• Question 11: Does the BVN change when customers update their record?
  Answer: No, the BVN doesn’t change.
• Question 12: When does my BVN expire and how do I renew?
  Answer: The BVN expires after 10 years. After 10 years of the issuance of the BVN, the customer goes back to his or her bank to re-enroll.
• Question 13: Does my BVN number remain the same for Life?
  Answer: Yes it does.
• Question 14: Can a customer Enrol in one bank and get the BVN from another bank?
  Answer: No. The customer can only pick up his or her BVN at any branch of the same Bank he or she enrolled.
• Question 15: If a person steals another customers BVN and comes to the bank what happens?
  Answer: The person’s live fingerprint will not match what is stored on the customer’s record.
• Question 16: After the BVN has been generated, what next?
  Answer: A customer’s identity can now be verified against their BVN.
• Question 17: Does a customer have to be physically present to Enrol?
  Answer: Yes, because the customer’s physical features e.g. fingerprints have to be captured.
• Question 18: What is the Enrolment procedure for corporate accounts?
  Answer: Individuals who are signatories to corporate accounts will enrol and their BVNs would be linked to the corporate account by the Banks.
• Question 19: Can minors be Enroled?
  Answer: No, only bank’s able adults can be enrolled.
• Question 20: What is Verification?
  Answer: Verification refers to the process of confirming a customer’s identity.
• Question 21: What is Offline Verification?
  Answer: Offline verification will authenticate the customer by comparing the fingerprint or the facial image with the data stored on the BVN card.
• Question 22: What happens if a customer is an amputee?
  Answer: The facial features of the customer will be captured as fingerprints will not be required for Amputees.
• Question 23: Will biometric function be implemented on POS and ATM terminals, and if yes, how will it work?
  Answer: It will be implemented at a later stage. More details to come.
• Question 24: How would Bank customers Living outside Nigeria Enrol?
  Answer: Bank customers living outside Nigeria would have to come back to the country to enroll.
• Question 25: Who does a customer contact with regards to any biometrics complaint?
  Answer: The customer should contact his/her bank.
• Question 26: Would a customer have to go to all Banks where he/she has an account to Enrol?
  Answer: No, once a customer is enrolled at one bank and a BVN is generated, the customer only has to take the BVN to other banks to link such accounts.
• Question 27: Are customers’ information secure?
  Answer: Yes they are, the details are encrypted and stored in a secure database.
• Question 28: Is it possible to start an enrolment and finish later? Can it be saved like a draft?
  Answer: No, because the enrolment is done real time, it is necessary that it is completed in one session.
• Question 29: What happens if a customer comes to enrol with bandaged or injured fingers?
  Answer: Customers with injuries or bandaged fingers are advised to return for enrolment once fingers are healed. However if you require special exemption please contact your Bank.
• Question 30: What happens to individuals that cannot write or are illiterates. How do they fill the enrolment form?
  Answer: A customer service officer will assist the customer in filling the enrolment form.
• Question 31: Can a customer choose which of his or her accounts will be linked to the BVN?
  Answer: No, a customer cannot, all accounts would be linked.
• Question 32: During Facial capture can a customer leave his/her glasses on?
  Answer: No a customer cannot leave his or her glasses on during facial capture.
• Question 33: What is the basic identification needed for enrolment?
  Answer: It depends on the level of account the customer wants to open. Please contact your bank.
• Question 34: For joint accounts how does the linking work?
  Answer: All signatories of the accounts shall be linked.
• Question 35: If a customer doesn’t have a means of identification can the customer’s data still be captured?
  Answer: Yes, please refer to question 33.
• Question 36: Are there Terms and Conditions to be agreed to by a customer before giving out his/her details?
  Answer: Yes there are Agreement clauses at the end of the enrolment forms.
• Question 37: After a customer has enrolled and collected his/her BVN, Would the customer still be required to provide another means of identification at the point of transaction?
  Answer: A formal identification is not needed because verification is done at the point of transaction.
• Question 38: Since I am a Bank customer and the Bank already has my information, do I have to fill an enrolment form?
  Answer: Yes, everybody fills a form irrespective of an existing account holder.
• Question 39: Is there a deadline for every bank customer to be enrolled?
  Answer: Yes, CBN has Saturday 31st October 2015 as the deadline.

source: nibss website