KYC Update Application: Document Checklist and Ready-Made Letter (RBI Rules)

Sample format, not an official form. The letter on this page is a sample. It is not any bank’s official form and does not copy one. If your bank has its own KYC form, fill that in; you can hand this letter over with it as a covering letter.

An invented example

This is an invented example, to show how the rules work. It is not a real case.

Shirin, a nurse in Howrah, gets an SMS and then a letter from her bank saying her KYC is due. She has not moved and her name has not changed, but a neighbour tells her “they always want every paper again”. So she takes a day off and queues at the branch with her Aadhaar, PAN, voter card and two photographs.

At the counter, Mr Ghosh checks her record. Her papers on file are current and nothing has changed, so he takes a one-line self-declaration and gives her an acknowledgment with the date on it. A few days later an SMS tells her the KYC is updated. She could have sent the same declaration from her registered email without leaving work.

Behind her in the queue, Arjun has moved to a new flat. He too needs only a self-declaration, this time of the new address. The bank will confirm that address within two months, for example by sending a letter to it. Mr Ghosh, meanwhile, has a shorter queue, because neither of them needed a full KYC.

When you need a KYC update

KYC (know your customer) is the identity and address record your bank keeps for you. The RBI’s KYC Directions for commercial banks, issued on 28 November 2025, ask banks to keep it current in two situations.

When it falls due. The bank must update KYC at least once every 2 years for high-risk customers, every 8 years for medium-risk customers and every 10 years for low-risk customers, counted from the day the account was opened or the KYC was last updated. Most ordinary savings accounts are low risk, but the bank decides your category (paragraph 42(1)).
When something changes. If a document you gave the bank changes, for example a new address, a new name or a new passport, give the bank the update within 30 days (paragraph 42(6)).

The bank cannot spring this on you. Before the due date it must send you at least three notices, one of them by letter, and after the due date at least three reminders, again one by letter (paragraph 42(7)). If your account has already stopped working because nobody used it for two years, read how to reactivate an inoperative account: that has its own three-working-day deadline.

Which documents: the checklist

Find your situation in the table. The last column is the paragraph of the RBI’s KYC Directions, so you can point to it at the counter if needed.

Your situation	What you give the bank	RBI rule
KYC is due and nothing has changed	A self-declaration that nothing has changed. You can give it from your registered email or mobile number, at an ATM, through net banking or the bank’s app, by letter, or through the bank’s authorised Business Correspondent.	Para 42(3)(i), (iv)
Only your address has changed	A self-declaration of the new address, through the same channels. The bank must confirm the address within two months, for example with a letter to it. It may also ask for an address proof, but only if its own Board-approved KYC policy says so.	Para 42(3)(ii), (iii)
Your name has changed	An OVD in your new name, or your old OVD together with a marriage certificate issued by the State Government or a Gazette notification of the change.	Para 5(1)(xiv), explanation
The papers the bank holds are outdated or have expired	Full KYC, as for a new account: an OVD, your PAN or Form 60, and a photograph.	Para 42(5)(i), para 23
You opened the account as a minor and are now 18	A fresh photograph, and KYC papers that meet today’s standards if the bank does not already have them.	Para 42(3)(v)
The bank has no PAN for you	Your PAN or Form 60. The bank may stop operations in the account only after a notice and a chance for you to be heard.	Para 43

The six officially valid documents (OVDs)

Passport
Driving licence
Proof of possession of Aadhaar number
Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission
NREGA job card signed by a State Government officer
Letter from the National Population Register showing your name and address

Aadhaar is one option, not a must: you can give any of these OVDs (paragraph 23). PAN is not an OVD, but the bank needs your PAN or Form 60 as well. Never write your Aadhaar number in the letter itself; attach the copy.

If your OVD shows an old address, the bank can accept one of these for the address for now: a utility bill not more than two months old, a property or municipal tax receipt, a government or public sector pension payment order showing the address, or an accommodation allotment letter from certain employers. You then have three months to give an OVD with your current address (paragraph 5(1)(xiv)).

Make your application letter

Fill in the form. The letter below updates as you type. Print it, sign it and take it to your branch with self-attested copies of your papers, or copy the text into an email from your registered email address.

Your data stays here. What you type is used only inside this browser tab to make the letter. It is not sent to our server or to anyone else, not saved in browser storage, and never reaches analytics. Close the tab and it is gone. On a shared computer your browser’s own autofill may still remember entries, so use a private window.

Your letter

What the bank must do, and by when

These duties come from paragraph 42 of the KYC Directions. Keep the acknowledgment the bank gives you: its date is your proof of when you asked.

The bank must	By when	RBI rule
Give you an acknowledgment showing the date it received your papers or self-declaration	When you hand them in	Para 42(5)(iii)
Update its records and tell you the date of the update	Promptly. The Directions set no fixed number of days.	Para 42(5)(iii)
Confirm a new address you declared	Within two months	Para 42(3)(ii)
Keep a low-risk customer’s account working while KYC is overdue	All transactions stay allowed; KYC to be updated within one year of the due date, or by 30 June 2026 if that is later	Para 42(2)
Remind you before and after the due date	Three notices before and three reminders after, at least one of each by letter	Para 42(7)
Warn you before stopping an account over a missing PAN	Before any stop, with a chance to be heard	Para 43

Many banks let you update KYC at any branch. The Directions encourage this but leave it to each bank’s policy (paragraph 42(5)(iv)), so ask your nearest branch before you travel.

If the bank does not act

Write to the branch manager. Quote the date on your acknowledgment and ask for a date by which the update will be done.
Go up the bank’s ladder. Write to the bank’s grievance redressal officer, then its Principal Nodal Officer. We list the official contacts for SBI, PNB, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, UCO Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Bandhan Bank; other banks are in our directory.
The RBI Ombudsman. If the bank does not reply within 30 days, or you are not satisfied with the reply, complain at cms.rbi.org.in, or call 14448 for guidance. File within 90 days of the bank’s last reply, or of the 30 days running out. It costs nothing.

For bank staff: the counter checklist

A short list for the counter. It follows the Directions for commercial banks; your bank’s own KYC policy may add steps.

Give a dated acknowledgment for every KYC paper or self-declaration you receive (42(5)(iii)).
Nothing has changed? A self-declaration is enough. Ask for fresh documents only if the papers on file are outdated or expired, or your bank’s policy requires it (42(3)(i), 42(5)(i)).
Only the address has changed? Take the self-declaration and start the positive confirmation, to finish within two months (42(3)(ii)).
Do not insist on Aadhaar. Any OVD will do (23).
Name change: accept the old OVD with a State Government marriage certificate or a Gazette notification (5(1)(xiv)).
Verify the PAN against the issuing authority’s database (42(5)(ii)).
Low-risk customer with KYC overdue? Keep the account open for transactions (42(2)).
Update the system promptly and tell the customer the date of the update (42(5)(iii)).
For a customer who is elderly or unwell, mention the bank’s Business Correspondent or video KYC, where the bank offers them (42(3)(iv)).

“KYC update” scams

“Your KYC has expired. Your account will be blocked today. Click here to update.” Banks remind you through their own channels, and the RBI requires at least one reminder by letter. Never update KYC through a link in an SMS or WhatsApp message.
“Share the OTP to complete your KYC.” No bank asks for an OTP, PIN or password to update KYC. Anyone who does is a fraudster, whatever name they give.
“Install this app for video KYC.” Start video KYC only from the bank’s own app or website, and install apps only from the official app store.
Already lost money? Call 1930 and read the first 24 hours after a fraud.

Questions people ask

Do I have to visit the branch to update my KYC?

Not if nothing has changed. A self-declaration through your registered email or mobile number, an ATM, net banking, the bank’s app, a letter or the bank’s Business Correspondent is enough. If only your address changed, the same channels work, and the bank then confirms the new address within two months.

Is Aadhaar compulsory for KYC?

No. Any of the six officially valid documents will do: passport, driving licence, proof of possession of Aadhaar, voter ID, NREGA job card or a National Population Register letter. You also need your PAN or Form 60.

My KYC is overdue. Will my account be frozen?

If you are a low-risk individual customer, the bank must keep allowing all transactions and get your KYC updated within one year of the due date, or by 30 June 2026 if that is later. It must also send you reminders, at least one by letter. Update it as soon as you can.

How long can the bank take to update my KYC?

The RBI asks banks to give you a dated acknowledgment, update their records promptly and tell you the date of the update. It sets no fixed number of days, except two months for confirming a new address. If nothing happens, complain to the bank and then to the RBI Ombudsman.

Can I use this letter instead of the bank’s own form?

It is a sample, not an official form. Many branches accept a signed letter with self-attested copies, but if your bank has its own KYC form, fill it in and attach this letter as a covering letter.

Where this comes from

This guide is general information, not legal advice. IFSC Bank Guide is independent and not linked to any bank. The facts come from these public sources:

Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Know Your Customer) Directions, 2025, RBI/DOR/2025-26/169, 28 November 2025 (page updated as on 1 October 2026): the definition of OVDs (paragraph 5), the documents for individuals (paragraph 23), updation and periodic updation of KYC (paragraph 42) and PAN for existing customers (paragraph 43).
RBI, Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026: frequently asked questions. When and within how long you can complain to the RBI Ombudsman.
RBI complaint portal (cms.rbi.org.in).
This guide follows the Directions for commercial banks. Small finance, payments, regional rural and co-operative banks have their own Directions; ask your bank for its rules. Related guides: reactivating an inoperative account and changing your SBI mobile number.

Bank procedures differ. Your branch may have its own form and may ask for more under its Board-approved KYC policy; the RBI rules above are the minimum it must follow.

KYC update: document checklist and a ready-made application letter