Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – Sacombank, the Saigon Commercial Bank of Vietnam, recently issued a customer notice clarifying that, starting January 1, 2026, it will suspend providing all types of account transactions, bank card payments, and withdrawals to Vietnamese citizens using passports as identification. Customers are advised to visit any branch or transaction outlet as soon as possible to update their identity verification documents to their national identity cards according to the new regulations.
It is understood that this adjustment is not a unique measure by Sacombank, but a policy requirement uniformly implemented by the Vietnamese banking industry. From January 1, 2026, all banks in Vietnam will completely cease accepting passports as identification documents for Vietnamese citizens to conduct payment transactions, withdrawals, and bank card usage.
According to the new regulations, Vietnamese citizens must use a chip-embedded national identity card, identity card card, or secondary electronic identity card to complete identity verification when conducting banking transactions. The State Bank of Vietnam stated that the core purpose of this strengthened identity verification process is to improve the accuracy of identity verification, enhance the banking system's ability to prevent fraud and forgery risks, and promote industry-wide data standardization to ensure the security and order of financial transactions. (End)
