That is the latest announcement from commercial banks. To avoid transaction interruptions, customers need to contact bank branches/transaction offices to update to chip-embedded citizen identification cards (CCCD).

This is a mandatory provision that banks must comply with the State Bank's regulations in Circular 17/2024/TT-NHNN and Circular 18/2024/TT-NHNN. These two circulars take effect from July 1, 2024, except for some provisions that take effect from January 1, 2026.

Specifically, according to the provisions of Point c, Clause 5, Article 17 of Circular 17, from January 1, 2026, customers are only allowed to withdraw money and make payment transactions by electronic means on their payment accounts after completing the verification of identity documents and biometric information of the account owner or representative (for individual customers) or legal representative (for institutional customers).

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The bank will stop providing payment and withdrawal services via payment accounts and cards on all channels for Vietnamese customers using passports as identification documents. Photo: Anh Nguyen.

Biometric data stored in the encrypted information storage unit of the CCCD card or identity card of that person has been accurately authenticated as being issued by the police agency, or through authentication of that person's electronic identification account created by the electronic identification and authentication system.

Biometric data has been collected and checked (ensuring a match between the person's biometric data and the biometric data in the encrypted information storage of the CCCD card, or the identity card has been authenticated as being issued by the police, or with the person's biometric data through electronic identification account authentication).

Or that person's biometric data is stored in the national population database in the case of using a citizen identification card that does not have an encrypted information storage unit.

Clause 2, Article 9 and Clause 1, Article 12, Circular 18, effective from January 1, 2026, also stipulate that before entering into a contract to issue and use a card at the request of a customer, the issuing organization must request the cardholder to provide complete documents, information, and data to identify the customer according to regulations.

In case the individual customer is Vietnamese, the issuer requires the customer to provide identification documents to identify the customer including: CCCD card or ID card, or Electronic ID (through accessing the level 2 electronic identification account) or Identity card.

Processing of personal data of customers and related persons as prescribed in Circular 18 or personal data provided by organizational customers; providing information to third parties to serve the provision of card services to cardholders or handling cases of suspected fraud, forgery, or violation of legal regulations.

Previously, according to Clause 4, Article 5 of Circular 48/2018/TT-NHNN (issued on December 31, 2018, amended by Circular 11/2022/TT-NHNN), a valid passport is recognized as one of the valid documents to verify customer information. This applies to transactions such as withdrawing savings, checking balances or performing procedures at the transaction counter.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ngung-giao-dich-ngan-hang-bang-ho-chieu-tu-1-1-2026-2465055.html