Nigeria - Open a New Bank Account

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Procedure

Apply In-Person:

1. To open a new bank account in person, the applicant has to visit the office of the bank of his/her choice.
2. List of banks recommended by the Central Bank of Nigeria can be found in the following link: list of banks
3. Visit the link, go through the list, then choose a bank of as applicable to your convenience and click on the corresponding link to get the address and contact details.
4. Pay a visit to the bank with all the documents listed in the “Required documents” section of this page.
5. Obtain an application form to open a bank account from the relevant department with respect to the need.
6. Complete the form with your personal details, contact details, employment details and other required details in the fields provided.
7. Attest it with your signature and attach the required documents with the completed form. Then, submit it to the relevant authority.
8. After a set of necessary verification processes, you will be provided with your new account details and relevant documents related to your account.
9. You may also have to make an initial deposit of a particular amount of time. However, this may vary with respect to the bank you choose.
   

Apply Online

1. To open a bank account online, you have to visit the official website of any commercial bank of your choice.
2. List of banks recommended by the Central Bank of Nigeria can be found in the following link: list of banks
3. Visit the link, go through the list, and then choose a bank of as applicable to your convenience.
4. Search for the website of the bank that you choose in the browser and make a click on the website link.
5. In the homepage, locate the correct option to open a new bank account and click on it. The online application will be opened in your browser.
6. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the online form with required details in relevant fields provided and by clicking the applicable options.
7. Proceed to upload the necessary documents as required in the online application form.
8. After completing it as required, you can proceed to submit it by clicking the relevant option.
9. Once submitted, after some time, your account will be opened and you will be displayed with your account details.
10. You may be asked to visit the office for some verification processes and making the first deposit (with respect to the bank’s specification).

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Required Documents

Savings, current and non-residents’ account:

• Completed application form
• Valid proof of identification
• Residential address proof/Utility bill
• Passport size photographs (as required)
• Reference/employer letter
• Residence permit

Corporate Account:

• Incorporation certificate
• Registration proof as Taxpayer/TIN
• Exemption Letter
• Valid Identity document copies of Directors
• Passport size photos of directors
• Board Resolution

Office Locations & Contacts

Central Bank of Nigeria - Head Office,
Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way
Central Business District,
Cadastral Zone,
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
P.M.B. 0187, Garki Abuja.
Nigeria
Phone: +234 700 225 5226
Toll free line: +234 800 225 5226
Email: [email protected]
Website: Link

Eligibility

• Any Nigerian, who wishes to open a bank account for keeping his/her money in a safe or for purpose of recorded transactions, can apply.
• The person must have a valid proof of Identification (individuals) or Incorporation (Non-individuals).
• In case of current and non-residents’ accounts, the applicant must be producing two references having the same bank account.

Fees

• Please approach the authorities.
  

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

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Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.gIn the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Applicants are free to choose a bank of his/her choice and so they are advised to make a choice wisely.
• Documents and eligibility requirements may vary with respect to the bank you choose.
• It is important that the completed form must contain all the information required properly and the form must be filled legibly, in order to get accepted by the Authority.
• Make sure that you attach all the required documents as specified by the authority to avoid rejections.

Required Information

• Full name of applicant
• Sex, Age and marital status
• Nationality
• Address details
• Contact and Email address
• Educational Qualifications
• Monthly Income
• Utility bill number
• Resident permit number

Need for the Document

• A Bank account can serve many purposes for a citizen of the Republic or a business person like paying taxes, storing large amount of money in a safe place, making online transactions without doing anything in-person and many other purposes.
• By opening a bank account, the account holders can also make use of the financial assistance that the banks offer in terms of education, business, property, etc.,

Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

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e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

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Others

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