How to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria

If you’re here in the hope of finding a guide on how to upgrade your bank account (in Nigeria), then you’ve opened the right article.

Some bank accounts have limitations, maybe you opened a Tier1 account that can receive a maximum deposit of N300K, and now you’ve been receiving much more than that, you might want to upgrade your bank account before your bank makes it mandatory to do so when you receive a deposit higher than the limitations placed.

Maximum deposits limitations placed on a bank account depend on what level the account is, is it Tier1, Tier2, or Tier3.

So in this guide, I will be showing you how to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria, whichever bank you might be using, this guide will cover all since Nigerian banks use the same process to upgrade bank accounts.

Let’s get started, but before that, let me explain to you what a Tier1, Tier2, and Tier3 account is.

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Difference between a Tier1, Tier2, and Tier3 bank account in Nigeria

A tier 1 account is essentially a bank account that can be opened without the use of any valid documents; you can open this account with just your BVN.

A tier 2 account can be opened with your ID card, for example, NIN ID and a passport photograph; it is slightly more advanced than a tier 1 account, but it still has limitations placed on it.

Tier 3 accounts do not have any limits and requires know your customer(KYC) documents such as your utility bill, any valid means of ID card, (international)passport.

Requirements needed to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria

Before continuing, it is important that you understand the requirements that the bank requires of you in order to upgrade your bank account. Below are the needed documents:

• A government-issued means of ID (either Voter’s card(Permanent), National ID card, International passport, or Driver’s license)
• Last three month period utility bills such as rent bills, NEPA bills, Tax bills, or any other
• Two square-shaped passport
• Referees, a work certificate if it’s a business account, and other documents that may be required by your bank

Those are the four major requirements you must bring to the bank in order to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria.

Now that you’re aware of the requirements, let’s proceed to see how you can upgrade your bank account.

How to upgrade your bank account

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Once you have all the needed requirements ready, go to your bank branch near you, meet with a customer representative and tell them you would like to upgrade your bank account to either Tier1, Tier2, or Tier3.

You will be asked to provide all necessary requirements that were stated above earlier, let them know that you have it.

You will now be issued a form(s) to fill for the account upgrade, make sure to fill in the correct info only, as just a single mistake can make the bank decline your request.

Below are some of the info you will have to fill in:

• Your full name
• Your home/office address
• Bank account number
• Type of account (Savings or current)
• Your bank verification number (BVN)
• Your mobile phone number

After you’ve finished filling out the form, turn it in with the documents you were asked to bring. It is not a good idea to leave your original documents with the bank employees. They’ll make photocopies of the documents and return the originals to you.

Now all you have to do is wait, you will be notified via SMS or Email whether your application has been approved or not. Typically takes up to 24hrs, the process might take longer due to some reasons in some other cases.

Will you need to write a bank account upgrade letter?

This question might be going through your mind, the simple don’t-waste-my-time answer to this is – it depends.

Your bank may ask you to draft and submit a bank upgrade letter in various instances. This is merely a basic letter to the bank manager of that particular bank branch, requesting that your account be upgraded.

Summary

Don’t panic if your bank places a restriction on your account and requests you to upgrade it.

The procedure isn’t particularly stressful. All you have to do now is make sure you have all of the required documentation, visit your bank to ask for an upgrade and the restriction will be removed once the account upgrade is completed, and you will be able to use your bank account as usual.

Although it is very rare, some banks still allow you to upgrade your bank account online, which may make things easier for you. You can proceed with the process once you’ve confirmed and verified that you’re engaging with your bank.

Conclusion

Hope this guide will be of help to you and guide you through how to upgrade your bank account in Nigeria, although the process might be slightly different depending on which bank you’re using, they all go in line with the content on this page.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave them down below.