Banks stop passport transactions from January 1, 2026, what should customers do?

From January 1, 2026, banks will stop accepting passports as identification documents for making payments and withdrawals.

Therefore, banks have recently recommended that customers complete updating their personal information as soon as possible to ensure continuous transactions, especially for customers who regularly use digital banking and card services.

Customers need to quickly contact branches or transaction offices to update to chip-embedded citizen identification cards to avoid interruptions in banking transactions.

Previously, commercial banks announced: From January 1, 2026, banks will stop accepting passports as identification documents to make payment transactions, withdraw money or use cards for customers who are Vietnamese citizens.

This is a mandatory regulation that banks must comply with according to the regulations of the State Bank of Vietnam in Circular 17/2024/TT-NHNN and Circular 18/2024/TT-NHNN.

The above two circulars take effect from July 1, 2024, except for some provisions that take effect from January 1, 2026.

From January 1, 2026, banks will stop accepting passports as identification documents for making payments, withdrawing money or using cards for customers who are Vietnamese citizens.

Accordingly, Circular 17 stipulates that customers can only withdraw money or make electronic transactions when biometric information matches the data stored in the chip-embedded CCCD, ID card or data on the high-level electronic identification account.

In case of using CCCD without chip, the bank will authenticate through the National Population Database.

Circular 18 clearly states that in the case of individual customers who are Vietnamese, the issuing organization requires the customer to provide identification documents to identify the customer, including: CCCD card or ID card, or Electronic ID (through access to level 2 electronic identification account) or Identity card.

Thus, under the new regulations, passports are no longer recognized as valid documents for verifying customer information.

Processing of personal data and sharing of information with third parties is carried out in accordance with Circular 18 to ensure safety, prevent fraud and meet requirements for providing card services.

Hieu Nguyen

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ngan-hang-ngung-giao-dich-bang-ho-chieu-tu-1-1-2026-khach-can-lam-gi-ar988988.html