CBN Denies Charging Nigerians Abroad For Non-Resident BVN

CBN Denies Charging Nigerians Abroad For Non-Resident BVN.
The platform is free with no hidden charges, CBN’s Hakama Ali confirms.
NRBVN supports diaspora banking access, saving time and travel costs.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has refuted reports claiming that Nigerians living abroad are being charged $50 to obtain their Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN).

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Hakama Ali, Acting Director of Corporate Communications at the CBN, made the clarification on Friday, stating that the $50 charge often mentioned is not a fee for obtaining the BVN itself but a recoverable processing cost linked to remote biometric and due diligence verification.

Ali emphasized that the newly launched NRBVN platform remains free of charge, with no hidden fees attached. The $50, she explained, strictly covers secure identity authentication, data processing, and the technology infrastructure required to support remote enrolment for Nigerians in the diaspora.

“Nigerians in the Diaspora previously paid as much as $200 for this process. The $50 currently being charged is only a processing fee for remote verification and not for obtaining the BVN itself,” Ali said.

She also described media reports suggesting that Nigerians abroad are being charged for their BVN as misleading and inaccurate, urging the public to disregard such information.

The CBN official further noted that the NRBVN system is voluntary, secure, and specifically designed to offer a convenient solution for Nigerians living outside the country.

According to Ali, the NRBVN platform is part of the Bank’s broader digital transformation strategy aimed at enhancing access to financial services for Nigerians worldwide.

The NRBVN, launched in partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), now allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain their BVN remotely without needing to travel, providing them seamless and secure access to financial services.