National ID Now Required for Old Bank Accounts in Nepal

Bank customers who opened their accounts before national identity cards became a mandatory part of customer verification will now have to add their national identity number to bank records.

Nepal Rastra Bank has instructed licensed banks and financial institutions to gradually update the identification details of existing account holders, extending the requirement beyond customers opening new accounts.

The directive brings older accounts into the national identity-based verification system. Customers who previously submitted citizenship certificates or other identification documents will also be required to provide their national identity number once it is available.

Banks to seek customer declarations

Banks and financial institutions have been told to obtain a self-declaration from account holders on whether they have received a national identity card.

The declaration must be collected by the end of Ashoj through mobile banking applications or other suitable channels.

Customers who have already received their national identity card must submit either the card or the national identity number printed on it. Banks will then add the information to their customer records.

The process is expected to affect a large number of long-standing customers whose accounts were opened when citizenship certificates and other documents were sufficient for banking identification.

No immediate restriction for customers without an ID number

Customers who have not yet completed the national identity card process will not immediately lose access to their bank accounts.

Banks must inform such customers that they need to obtain a national identity number and update their records by the end of Poush. Financial institutions have also been instructed to provide the necessary notices and guidance.

The directive places the responsibility on banks to communicate the requirement clearly rather than abruptly restricting account services.

For customers, this means messages sent through mobile applications, text alerts or branch notices should not be ignored. Even accounts that have been operating for years will now need updated identity information within the prescribed period.

Bank records to be connected with national identity system

The new arrangement is aimed at linking customer identification records in the banking system with the national identity framework and making financial records more consistent.

It also marks a broader shift in customer verification. The national identity number is no longer limited to new account-opening procedures; it is being brought into the records of existing customers across the banking sector.

Nepal Rastra Bank has, however, clarified that national identity cards will not be mandatory for accounts opened in the names of children below 16 years of age.