HCMC – Starting January 5, 2026, banks will be required to verify customers’ biometric data in person before issuing new bank cards.
This regulation is part of Circular 45/2025, recently issued by the State Bank of Vietnam, according to a report from the Vietnam News Agency.
The updated rules for issuing and using bank cards emphasize stronger identity verification. For corporate clients, banks are required to obtain written authorization that specifies the individual permitted to use the card as a supplementary cardholder.
The regulation broadens the locations where card-accepting devices can be installed, enabling banks and payment service providers to place them in branches, transaction offices, and payment agent points to make cash withdrawals easier.
Under the new requirements, card issuers must meet with customers in person to perform biometric matching. This applies to individual customers as well as authorized representatives of organizational clients. Additionally, banks are required to verify that phone numbers used for online banking registration belong to the customers.
Cards will be eligible for electronic transactions only after ID documents and biometric data have been authenticated using chip-based ID cards, electronic identity accounts, national population databases, or directly collected biometrics for foreigners without digital identity and Vietnamese-origin individuals with undetermined nationality.
For credit cards, the circular caps monthly cash withdrawals per card BIN at VND100 million for each cardholder.
The previous requirement for foreign customers to have at least 12 months of remaining residency has been removed. Now, the card’s validity will correspond with the duration of the customer’s remaining permitted residency in Vietnam.
