Operation guidelines on Joint accounts of illiterate and visually impaired people

Q: Whether two illiterate people (thumb impression) open a joint account?

R: Normally, Banks do not allow the opening of joint accounts of two illiterate persons. However, at the discretion of the bank, they may allow the opening of accounts of closely related people like illiterate husband and wife under the condition that the account should be operated jointly.  It means both the illiterate account holders have to personally visit the branch for the operation of the account.

Q: Whether illiterate persons allowed to open accounts jointly with literate persons?

R: Yes. At the discretion of the Bank, an illiterate person is allowed to open accounts jointly with a person who is literate and closely related to him. The mode of operation has to be jointly operated in that case. Operation by ‘Either or Survivor’ former or survivor ‘or’ latter or survivor’, etc. not allowed. It is incumbent upon the banks to examine, every request for opening joint accounts very carefully viz. the purpose, nature of the source of income of the customer, etc.

Q: When the joint account between an illiterate and literate person is opened, whether bank issue a chequebook to them?

R: No. Cheque book facility will not be extended in the single or joint savings bank account of the illiterate depositors.

Q: Whether banks issue Debit cards/ATM cards to illiterate people?

R: As most likely illiterate people will not be able to operate an ATM or a POS machine on their own, banks do not issue debit cards/ATM cards to illiterate customers.

Q: Whether an illiterate person can open a Current account in the bank?

R: No. Banks may at their discretion open deposit accounts other than the Current accounts of an illiterate person.

Q: What are the types of facilities available to visually impaired persons

R: Visually impaired people will be offered all types of banking facilities like chequebook facilities, locker facilities, retail loans, credit cards, etc.

Q: What is the procedure for opening an account for a visually impaired person?

R: Banks are required to follow the same procedure for opening the account of a visually impaired person as they do for their other customers.

Q: Whether the same rule apply to illiterate customers and visually impaired customers for the operation of the bank account?

R: No. Banks do not equate visually impaired customers with illiterate customers. Banks extend normal services to visually impaired customers as they do for their other customers including those among them who use their thumb impression for operating the bank account.

Q: Whether cheque book can be issued to a visually impaired person?

R: Visually impaired persons shall be allowed to open an account with the checkbook facility and all procedures about the use of such chequebooks must be by those for the other customers.

Q: Whther the visually impaired may open a joint account with a visually impaired person?

R: A visually impaired person may be allowed to open an account either singly or jointly with others, including person(s) who is/are visually impaired.

Q: How do visually impaired people use the ATM card?

R: As per RBI guidelines in all existing and future ATMs, make at least one-third of new ATMs installed as talking ATMs with Braille keypads to enable a visually impaired person to use ATM cards in such ATMs.

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Details of banking service available to blind and low vision customers

Accounts of old sick and physically disabled persons

Operations of bank accounts by disabled persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, etc.