PNB account holders beware! PSU bank set to close these accounts after April 15, 2026

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has warned account holders with inoperative accounts to complete their Know Your Customer (KYC) process soon or else, the bank will close their account within a month.

In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), the PSU bank has advised such account holders to complete their KYC by April 15, 2026, to activate their inoperative account, or else, the PSU bank will close it on or after April 16, 2026, without informing them.

What is an inoperative bank account?

According to the RBI website, an inoperative account is a savings or a current account wherein no ‘customer-induced transaction’ has taken place for a period of over two years.


Also read: PNB customers can now update KYC without visiting home branch: How to do it via SMS, app, net banking

What is the procedure for reactivating an inoperative account?

For the activation of an inoperative account, the customer can update his/her KYC information/data at home, non-home branch, and also through V-CIP, subject to the facility of V-CIP being provided by the bank. The banks shall activate the inoperative account, only after adhering to the KYC guidelines.

How to activate an inoperative account

The transactions in account which are in the nature of:
a) a financial transaction initiated by or done at the behest of the account holder by the bank/third party or;
b) a non-financial transaction, or;
c) KYC updation done in face-to-face physical mode or through digital channels such as internet banking or mobile banking application of the bank.
Financial transaction
A monetary transaction in the savings account of the customer with the bank either by way of a credit or debit transaction.
Non-financial transaction
An inquiry or request for any product/service initiated by the account holder through any ATM or internet banking or mobile banking application of the bank or through third party application providers, which requires two-factor authentication (2FA) and leaves a trail for audit purposes. For eg, transactions such as a change in the transaction limit, request for the issue of a cheque book/credit card, nomination facility, balance enquiry, etc.

Different ways to activate inoperative bank account

The existing process of making an inoperative account active is as follows:

To activate through your home branch

Customers need to visit the base branch of the bank where the account is maintained with a request letter for the activation of the inoperative account and submit fresh KYC documents.

Activation through non-base branches

An individual customer can visit any non-base branch and submit a request letter for the activation of an inoperative account, along with Aadhaar details, provided the re-KYC has been completed through a biometric channel.
Branch shall convert such accounts into the operative category and allow transactions in the account after verification.