> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.lumiid.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.lumiid.com/api-integration/government-verification/bvn-verification-api-or-nigerian-bank-verification-number-lookup.md).

# BVN Verification API | Nigerian Bank Verification Number Lookup

Verify Nigerian Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) with the LumiID **BVN Verification API**. Retrieve verified customer identity data for KYC, onboarding, compliance checks, and fraud prevention.

Submit an 11-digit BVN to receive the available identity record. Choose **Basic** for core identity data. Choose **Advance** for enhanced KYC data when available.

## BVN verification overview

|                        |                                |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| **Country**            | Nigeria 🇳🇬                   |
| **Identifier**         | Bank Verification Number (BVN) |
| **BVN format**         | 11-digit numeric               |
| **Verification tiers** | Basic • Advance                |
| **Sandbox**            | Supported                      |

### Available endpoints

| Endpoint                       | Description                                                             |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **POST** `/v1/ng/bvn-basic/`   | Verifies a BVN and returns core identity information.                   |
| **POST** `/v1/ng/bvn-advance/` | Returns an expanded BVN profile for enhanced verification. Coming soon. |

### Verification tiers

* **Basic** — Returns name, date of birth, gender, and registered phone number.
* **Advance** — Returns an expanded BVN profile, including biometric and enrolment information. *Coming soon.*

### Common use cases

* Verify customer identities during Nigerian KYC onboarding.
* Reduce identity fraud before account activation or lending.
* Confirm BVN details during compliance and due-diligence checks.

***

## Basic BVN verification

**POST**

```http
{{baseUrl}}/v1/ng/bvn-basic/
```

***

### Headers

| Header          | Type   | Description                                      |
| --------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `Authorization` | string | Secret API Key. Format: `Bearer YOUR_SECRET_KEY` |
| `Content-Type`  | string | `application/json`                               |

***

### Request Body

| Field       | Type   | Description                                      | Required |
| ----------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------ | -------- |
| `id_number` | string | A valid 11-digit Bank Verification Number (BVN). | ✅ Yes    |

#### Example Request

```json
{
  "id_number": "22123456789"
}
```

***

### Sample Response

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "code": "BVN_VERIFIED",
  "message": "BVN verification successful",
  "verification_type": "BVN",
  "summary": {
    "verified": true,
    "verification_type": "BVN",
    "provider": "LumiID",
    "confidence_score": 1.0
  },
  "data": {
    "bvn": "22123456789",
    "firstname": "JOHN",
    "lastname": "MUSA",
    "middlename": "DOE",
    "birthdate": "16-05-1997",
    "gender": "Male",
    "phone": "08012345678",
    "match_result": "CONFIRMED"
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_8d4fa1bc22e",
    "timestamp": "2026-07-28T10:20:13Z"
  }
}
```

***

### Response Fields

#### Top-Level Response

| Field               | Type    | Description                                           |
| ------------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `success`           | boolean | Indicates whether the request completed successfully. |
| `code`              | string  | Machine-readable response code.                       |
| `message`           | string  | Human-readable status message.                        |
| `verification_type` | string  | Always `BVN`.                                         |
| `summary`           | object  | Verification summary.                                 |
| `data`              | object  | Verified BVN information.                             |
| `meta`              | object  | Response metadata.                                    |

***

#### `data`

| Field          | Type   | Description                                                      |
| -------------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `bvn`          | string | Verified Bank Verification Number.                               |
| `firstname`    | string | First name.                                                      |
| `lastname`     | string | Last name.                                                       |
| `middlename`   | string | Middle name, if available.                                       |
| `birthdate`    | string | Date of birth (DD-MM-YYYY).                                      |
| `gender`       | string | Gender of the BVN holder.                                        |
| `phone`        | string | Registered phone number.                                         |
| `match_result` | string | Verification result. Returns `CONFIRMED` for successful lookups. |

***

## Advanced BVN verification

> **Coming Soon**

**POST**

```http
{{baseUrl}}/v1/ng/bvn-advance/
```

The Advance endpoint retrieves the complete BVN record from NIBSS for enhanced KYC and biometric verification.

***

### Headers

| Header          | Type   | Description                                      |
| --------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `Authorization` | string | Secret API Key. Format: `Bearer YOUR_SECRET_KEY` |
| `Content-Type`  | string | `application/json`                               |

***

### Request Body

| Field       | Type   | Description           | Required |
| ----------- | ------ | --------------------- | -------- |
| `id_number` | string | A valid 11-digit BVN. | ✅ Yes    |

***

### Sample Response

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "code": "BVN_VERIFIED",
  "message": "BVN verification successful",
  "verification_type": "BVN",
  "summary": {
    "verified": true,
    "verification_type": "BVN",
    "provider": "LumiID",
    "confidence_score": 1.0
  },
  "data": {
    "bvn": "22123456789",
    "firstname": "JOHN",
    "lastname": "MUSA",
    "middlename": "DOE",
    "birthdate": "16-05-1997",
    "gender": "Male",
    "phone": "08012345678",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "photo": "BASE64_IMAGE",
    "title": "Mr",
    "marital_status": "Single",
    "nationality": "Nigerian",
    "profession": "Engineer",
    "employment_status": "Employed",
    "residential_address": "12 Admiralty Way, Lekki",
    "state_of_residence": "Lagos",
    "state_of_origin": "Osun",
    "lga_of_origin": "Osogbo",
    "tracking_id": "S000000000000001"
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_8d4fa1bc22e",
    "timestamp": "2026-07-28T10:20:13Z"
  }
}
```

***

### Additional Response Fields

In addition to all Basic fields, the Advance endpoint returns:

| Field                 | Type   | Description                           |
| --------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------- |
| `photo`               | string | Base64-encoded biometric photograph.  |
| `email`               | string | Registered email address.             |
| `title`               | string | Customer title (Mr, Mrs, Miss, etc.). |
| `marital_status`      | string | Marital status.                       |
| `profession`          | string | Occupation or profession.             |
| `employment_status`   | string | Employment status.                    |
| `nationality`         | string | Nationality.                          |
| `residential_address` | string | Registered residential address.       |
| `state_of_residence`  | string | State of residence.                   |
| `state_of_origin`     | string | State of origin.                      |
| `lga_of_origin`       | string | Local Government Area of origin.      |
| `tracking_id`         | string | NIBSS tracking identifier.            |

***

## Test BVN verification in the sandbox

Use the Sandbox environment to test your integration without consuming wallet credits or querying the live NIBSS infrastructure.

#### Test BVN

```
22123456789
```

The sandbox always returns deterministic test data and should only be used for development and testing.

***

### BVN verification FAQ

#### What is a BVN?

A BVN is Nigeria's 11-digit Bank Verification Number. Use it to identify a customer during verification workflows.

#### Which BVN data does the Basic endpoint return?

The Basic endpoint returns the BVN, name, date of birth, gender, phone number, and verification result.

#### Can I test the BVN Verification API before production?

Yes. Use the sandbox test BVN above during development and integration testing.


---

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