BVN has no expiry date, remains for life – CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the Bank Verification Number (BVN) issued in Nigeria remains for life and has no expiry date, as reported by a national newspaper.

Its Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Alhaji Isa Abdulmumin, said this in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to rumours that the 11-digit number will expire after a ten-year-period.

Abdulmumin said the claim was completely false and advised bank customers to be guided accordingly.

“The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to reports suggesting that the Bank Verification Number issued by the Bank in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) expires after a ten-year period.

“Contrary to these claims, we wish to clarify that the BVN issued in Nigeria has no expiry date.

“Once a customer’s biometrics have been captured and enrolled in the database of NIBSS, the BVN remains for life.

“However, the Regulatory Framework for BVN issued by the CBN in 2021 stipulates that customers can only change their records due to certain conditions spelled out in the document and after being cleared by relevant authorities.

“Therefore, we urge bank customers in the country, especially those whose biometrics have been captured by the system, to continue using their unique identifiers as they last their entire lifetime,” he said.

BVN is an 11-digit number that acts as an individual’s universal ID in all banks in Nigeria.