If you own a bank account in Nigeria, you might need to upgrade it at one point or the other. Bank accounts have different limits based on the maximum amount they can hold, how they can be used, and other operations. When you receive a deposit higher than what’s allowed in your account, your bank will ask you to upgrade your account.
Most people don’t wait for their banks to ask them to upgrade their account. Whichever way it is, I’ll be showing you how to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria in this article.
Bank Account Upgrade Requirements
What you need to upgrade your bank account will depend on your bank and what level of account you’re upgrading to. So, it’s ideal to discuss with your bank customer care and get the precise requirement to upgrade your bank account.
Nevertheless, one thing is for sure; an account upgrade will require more documents than was needed when opening the account. Most banks will always request for the following;
- Passport photographs – about two or three
- Utility bill – recent one within the past 3 months
- Government issued ID – this could be your National ID, Voters card, Drivers License, or International Passport
- BVN – this is required to link other of your accounts you might have with the same or other banks
Other requirements your bank may need include referees, work certificate if it’s a business account, etc. Without these documents, it’ll be impossible to upgrade your bank account. Therefore, you should have them first before heading to the bank.
How To Upgrade Your Bank Account
Upgrading your bank account should be a smooth process. However, with Nigerian banks, there can be some inconveniences. Nevertheless, to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria, you have to first visit your bank. It’s ideal to visit the same bank branch where you opened your bank account.
You have to place a request at the customer care section that you want to upgrade your bank account. The staff there is likely to first ask for your bank account details. They’ll check to see if you truly own an account with the bank and why you need to upgrade it.
This will also enable them to know what level you’re upgrading to which will tell what documents you’ll have to provide. If you came with all the needed documents as advised earlier, you’ll be given an account upgrade form to fill. Some Nigerian banks have these forms online so you can download, print, and fill before coming to the bank. This will save you time.
The account upgrade form will include basic personal details including your name, address, phone number, email, etc. It’s important that every of this information you provide is accurate and that it corresponds with what you used in opening the account earlier. If it doesn’t, you might be required to go bring an affidavit to update the details.
Once you’re done filing the form, submit it along with the documents you were asked to bring. You shouldn’t leave your original documents with the bank staff. They’ll photocopy the documents and give you back the original copies.
There’s no need for you to wait until the upgrade is complete. The process should take a few hours with a maximum of 24 business hours. However, in some cases, the process might take a few days. So, once the bank staff has collected all she needs from you and logged your query, you can leave the bank.
Once the account upgrade process is complete, you’ll get a notification from your bank as confirmation. This can come as SMS or email. Likewise, if any issue is encountered during the process, your bank will call you and inform you.
Will you need a bank upgrade letter?
Yes! In some cases, your bank will request that you write and submit a bank upgrade letter. This is just a simple letter addressed to the bank manager of that bank branch telling him that you want your account to be upgraded. The letter is usually needed for consent. Anyways, it needs to be well written.
Here’s a sample bank upgrade letter you can go with;
Subject: Bank Account Upgrade
Date: Put the current date
From
Your name as in bank records
Your New Address
To
The Branch Manager
XYZ Bank
ABC Street
Dear Sir/Madam,
I, (put your name as in bank records here) hold the bank account number (put your bank account number here) in your branch. I want to request that my account be upgraded from a (put your bank account current level here) to a (put the bank account level you’re upgrading to here).
I am attaching herewith for your perusal copies of my (enter the list of documents you were asked to provide here). Hoping for you to comply to my request at the earliest.
Regards,
Signature,
Name.
Bottom Line
If your bank puts a restriction on your bank account and asks you to upgrade it, there shouldn’t be any cause for alarm. The process is not a very difficult one. You just have to make sure that you have all the needed documents. Once the account upgrade is complete, the restriction will be removed and you can continue using your bank account as normal.
The important thing to note is that the bank upgrade procedure is different for different banks. Avoid sharing your bank details online or over the phone if you get a message to upgrade your bank account. It could be a scam. Ensure you visit your bank to confirm and do the procedure there.
Some banks can still process your bank account upgrade online and it could make things easier for you. If you confirm and verify that it’s indeed your bank you’re interacting with, then you can go ahead with the process.