List of IDs needed to open a Philippine savings bank account

If before you don’t want to open a bank deposit account because you might not have the two (2) valid IDs required,  you now have a reason to open one because the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) recently compelled banks to ask for only one (1) identification card for banking transactions.

Effective as early as June 2008, the BSP circular relaxes the bank’s requirement on IDs and also expanded the list of IDs a bank client can use.

The move is meant to “promote access of Filipinos to services offered by formal financial institutions,” as well as to “encourage and facilitate remittances of OFWs through the banking system.”

For first-time bank clients, the following IDs may be presented:

• Passport
• Driver’s License
• Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance
• Police Clearance
• Postal ID
• Voter’s ID
• Barangay Certification
• Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) e-Card
• Social Security System (SSS) Card
• Senior Citizen Card
• Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) ID
• OFW ID
• Seaman’s Book
• Alien Certificate of Registration / Immigrant Certificate of Registration
• Government Office and GOCC ID / Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ID / Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) ID
• Certification from the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP)
• Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Certification
• Integrated Bar of the Philippines ID
• Company IDs issued by private entities or institutions registered with or supervised or regulated either by the BSP, SEC, or Insurance Commission

Students who are beneficiaries of remittances who are not yet of voting age can still open an account by presenting the original and submitting a clear copy of one valid photo-bearing school ID duly signed by the principal or head of school.