Bank Verification Number BVN is requested across different channels as a form of identification; Nigerian banks use it to keep track of different account numbers and the activity of the owners.
Currently, most account registrations in Nigeria require personal BVN; many people have been unable to register on some platforms due to the inability to get their BVN.
Some have found it difficult to create different accounts they need due to the inability to obtain their BVN number because of queues in different Nigerian banks.
You do not have to worry as the solution is here for you. Currently, it has been made possible for customers to check their BVN with mobile phones.
You can use any network service provider to check your BVN number, including MTN, GLO, Airtel or 9mobile.
The country’s apex bank – the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), mandated the use of BVN on February 14, 2014, following its establishment of a single Biometric Identification System.
The BVN is a personal security number, and it is not something one should be careless about. Your BVN should be kept private, and to check your BVN, please do it secretly or personally.
You must read through the article and understand the meaning of BVN, relevance, and why you must keep your BVN secret and safe.
Bank Verification Number, BVN
Bank Verification Number, commonly known as BVN, is a unique identification number that can be verified across all financial institutions in Nigeria. A customer’s BVN is mapped to the individual’s biological traits, namely:
- Fingerprint
- Signature
- Facial photograph captured at the point of enrollment.
Benefits and uses of BVN
Below are the benefits or users of the Bank Verification Number in Nigeria.
- The unique BVN is accepted as a means of identification across all banks in Nigeria.
- BVN offers the verification and validation of the customers’ identity seamlessly across multiple electronic platforms.
- With BVN, Financial institutions can track customers, especially in loan repayment.
- BVN limits Cyberfraud.
- The BVN database is searched to display relevant information about an individual; this is called the bio-data (it includes names, phone numbers, addresses, dates of birth).
- BVN helps reduce queue in Banking Halls.
- Standardized efficiency of Banking operations.
BVN enrollment process
Below is the step by step guide on how to enrol for your Bank Verification Number in Nigeria. Follow the steps below to obtain a BVN.
- Walk into any branch of your bank.
- Fill in and submit the BVN Enrolment form.
- Present yourself for data capturing (such as Fingerprint, facial Image etc.)
- An acknowledgement slip with the transaction ID is issued to you.
- Within 24hours, the system confirms your application, your BVN is generated, and you receive an SMS for pickup.
Before you continue; this guide is valid only when the phone captured in BVN enrollment is used.
Check BVN on MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile
To check or access your BVN on MTN, 9mobile, Airtel and Glo, follow the instructions below:
- On your Mobile phone and sim card used in BVN enrollment, dial *565*0#.
- Wait until your number is displayed on the screen of your device.
- Then copy the BVN and save it in a safe place.
Cost of checking BVN on MTN, Airtel and others
There is a popular saying that ‘Nothing goes for Nothing.‘
To check or access your BVN using your mobile phone across all network like MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile cost the same amount.
You will be charged at least N20 to access or check your Bank Verification Number.