Việt Nam adopts mandatory biometric authentication for new bank cards

Việt Nam adopts mandatory biometric authentication for new bank cards

The circular mandates that card issuers must conduct a face-to-face meeting and match the biometric data of individual customers or the legal representative of institutional customers with their identity documents.

From January 5 next year, customers will be required to conduct biometric authentication when opening a bank card. —  VNA/VNS Photo

Starting January 5, 2026, banks in Việt Nam will be required to verify biometric information from customers when issuing new cards.

The move follows the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)'s Circular 45/2025/TT-NHNN issued on November 19, 2025, which amends and supplements a number of articles in Circular 18/2024/TT-NHNN on bank card activities. The new 16-article circular introduces several key changes related to card issuance and usage. The circular mandates that card issuers must conduct a face-to-face meeting and match the biometric data of individual customers or the legal representative of institutional customers with their identity documents.

Crucially, cards can only be used for electronic transactions after the successful verification and biometric authentication of the cardholder or the legal representative. This verification must use biometric data stored on the chip component of the Citizen ID Card. Data verified via the electronic identification account established by the national electronic identification and authentication system.

For cases where the customer registers for services on an online banking application, the issuer must also verify that the registered phone number belongs to the cardholder or the legal representative.

The circular also clarifies rules for institutional customers, requiring the organisation to provide written authorisation for an individual to use the organisation's card. This individual will be designated as a supplementary cardholder.

Regarding credit cards, the new regulation imposes a limit on the total monthly cash withdrawal amount per cardholder, which must not exceed VNĐ100 million (US$3,800) across all credit cards issued under the same BIN (Bank Identification Number).

The SBV also eased residency requirements for foreign individuals. Foreigners are no longer required to have a residency period of 12 months (360 days) or more to apply for a card. Instead, the card's usage period will be limited to the foreigner's remaining legal residency period in Việt Nam. 

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