Before you can complete several important transactions in Nigeria, you’ll need to provide your Bank Verification Number, popularly called by its short-form BVN.

In this guide, you’ll discover how to check your BVN without stress.

The Bank Verification Number was introduced back in 2014 by the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Administration. The government brought the law into place in a bid to make transactions more transparent by linking all your various bank accounts under the same 11-digit numbers.

Presently, all banks make it compulsory that you enroll for BVN or link your existing one to your account before you’ll be able to perform several important transactions.

Note: this guide is only for those who have successfully enrolled and received their 11 digit numbers. If at the moment you haven’t enrolled here’s what you have to do first:

• Visit the bank with which you have an account
• Request for the BVN enrollment form
• Complete the form and submit

After a few hours, your BVN will be generated and linked to your bank account.

In the event that you already have a Bank Verification Number but you can’t remember it, keep reading to see how you can retrieve it.

How to check your BVN on Phone

To check your Bank Verification Number using a mobile phone, follow the steps below:

• Dial *565*0# using any mobile phone number linked to your bank account(s).
• Wait for the network to send you a notification and SMS displaying your BVN.
• Copy the code before closing the notification.

As you can see, it’s indeed as easy as ABC to check your BVN. Note: you can only complete the above steps using a phone number linked to any bank account you have.

If the phone number with which you dialed the code isn’t linked to any account, the whole process will be unsuccessful.

What you should know

• The code above works irrespective of your bank. In other words, customers of the various banks in Nigeria (UBA, GTB, Access, etc.) all dial *565*0# whenever they forget their BVN. So, feel free to use it.
• Moreover, customers of the various networks in Nigeria use the same code. To put it differently, you can check your BVN on MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile by dialing *565*0#.
• Each time you use the code above, you’ll have to pay a fee of 10 naira. Therefore, it is better to save the number on your mobile device, jotter or somewhere you can reach easily.
• In Nigeria, All bank accounts are 10 digit numbers and it is not the same as your BVN.
• Nowadays, banks make it extremely easy for customers to open an account. For some banks, it’s as easy as dialing a simple code on your mobile device and following the instructions you see. However, you might not be able to perform several transactions like withdrawal, bill payment, and the likes if you do not do the BVN linking.
• You cannot enroll for BVN more than once. Therefore, in the event that you don’t know the phone number linked to your account and, as a result, you can’t use the guide above, all you have to do is visit your bank branch. Tell them you’re interested in checking your Bank Verification Number. You’ll have to answer a few questions to prove your account ownership. If you’re able to provide adequate answers, the customer care representative will read out your BVN to you.