Video KYC Explained: How V-CIP Works, What You Need, and Why Calls Get Rejected

Step 1: keep your PAN card and phone ready. Step 2: sit in a well-lit room in India. Step 3: answer a bank official’s questions on a live video call. In short, that’s video KYC, which banks now use to open accounts and update KYC without a branch visit. Officially, it is called the Video-based Customer Identification Process, or V-CIP, and the Reserve Bank of India sets detailed rules for it. This guide explains how video KYC works, what you need, what the bank must do to keep it safe, and why some calls get rejected.

What is video KYC?

Video KYC is a live, consent-based video interaction between you and a trained official of the bank, used to identify you and collect your KYC information. Under the RBI’s Know Your Customer Directions for commercial banks (updated as on 1 October 2026), banks may use V-CIP to:

• Open new accounts for individual customers and certain others;
• Convert an account opened through Aadhaar OTP-based e-KYC into a fully KYC-compliant account;
• Carry out periodic updation of KYC (re-KYC) for eligible customers.

RBI defines V-CIP as a seamless, secure, live, informed-consent-based audio-visual interaction in which an authorised bank official identifies the customer using facial recognition and carries out due diligence.

How video KYC works: step by step

1. Start in the bank’s app or website. Enter basic details and give consent for V-CIP.
2. Share your identity data digitally. The bank may use Aadhaar OTP e-KYC, an offline Aadhaar XML or Secure QR code, your record from the Central KYC Registry, or documents fetched from DigiLocker.
3. Join the live call. A trained bank official connects with you on video.
4. Show your PAN card. The official captures a clear image of your original PAN card during the call, unless you provide an e-PAN. A photocopy or a printed e-document will not do.
5. Answer questions. Expect questions about your details. The questions vary from call to call.
6. Face match and liveness. Your live face is matched against the photo in your Aadhaar or document data. The system checks that you are a real, live person.
7. Location and time stamp. The bank captures your geolocation and the date and time of the call.
8. Audit and activation. A concurrent audit checks the process. The account becomes operational only after that audit is complete.

What you need

RBI’s rules say the video part of V-CIP must take place within three working days of the bank downloading or obtaining your identification information, whether from CKYCR, Aadhaar authentication or an offline Aadhaar XML or QR code. A printed copy of an e-document, including a printed e-PAN, is not valid.

How the RBI rules protect you

The KYC Directions require several safeguards from banks:

• The bank’s own systems. V-CIP infrastructure must be in the bank’s own domain, not a third-party platform it does not control, and the connection must be end-to-end encrypted.
• Location checks. Connections from IP addresses outside India or from spoofed IP addresses must be blocked.
• Trained officials only. Calls must be handled by specially trained bank officials.
• Your Aadhaar number is masked. The bank must redact or black out the Aadhaar number when it stores the record.
• Records kept. The video and data are stored securely with time stamps, so they can be audited.
• Technology support allowed. Banks may use AI and face-matching tools to help verify, but a trained official makes the call.

Why video KYC calls get rejected

Under the rules, the official must reject the process if there is any doubt. Common reasons include:

• Someone prompting you. If another person is seen or heard telling you what to say, the account must be rejected.
• Poor video or face mismatch. Dim lighting, a hat or glasses, or an old Aadhaar photo can make matching hard.
• Using a photocopy of PAN or a printed e-PAN instead of the original card or a digital e-PAN.
• Being outside India or using a VPN. The bank must block foreign or masked IP addresses.
• A dropped connection. A broken call cannot be resumed; you start again.

Assisted video KYC with a business correspondent

The Directions also allow banks to run V-CIP with the help of a business correspondent (BC), for customers who need assistance. This can help people in villages and small towns who do not have a good smartphone or connection. The BC helps only at the customer’s end, and the bank remains responsible for the process.

Stay safe: video KYC scams

Fraudsters sometimes pose as bank staff and ask people to complete “video KYC” over WhatsApp or a link they send. Remember:

• Start video KYC only from your bank’s official app or website, never from a link received by SMS or a stranger’s call.
• No genuine official will ask for your OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or password during video KYC.
• Do not install screen-sharing apps at anyone’s request.

If money is taken from your account without your consent, report it at once; our guide to zero liability for unauthorised transactions explains your rights. If your account is frozen because KYC is overdue, read our re-KYC guide.

Video KYC vs branch KYC

Parents opening accounts for children should read our minor account guide, since requirements for minors differ.

Here is the short version.

FAQs

Is video KYC allowed by RBI?

Yes. The RBI’s KYC Directions permit V-CIP for account opening, conversion of OTP-based accounts and periodic KYC updation, subject to safeguards.

Can I do video KYC from abroad?

No. Banks must block connections from IP addresses outside India.

Is a photocopy of PAN accepted?

No. The official captures your original PAN card, or you can provide an e-PAN.

When does the account start working?

Only after the bank’s concurrent audit of the V-CIP process.

Takeaway: Video KYC lets you complete full KYC from home on a live call with a bank official, using Aadhaar data or DigiLocker and your original PAN. Start it only from your bank’s official app, sit somewhere well-lit in India, and never share an OTP during the call.