Physical Verification (Home and Office Address) is an important part of a new Credit Card Application. A lot of people have queries regarding physical verifications, how and why it’s done, what questions are asked, and whether any documents are necessary. In today’s post, I will try to explain everything in an easy way.
Btw, don’t confuse Physical Address Verification with Physical KYC, which happens during the Document Submission process of a Credit Card Application. There you need to authenticate yourself using your Aadhaar Card. That is different. Here we are dealing with Credit Card Verifications after everything is processed.
What is Credit Card Physical Address Verification?
Physical Address Verification is the last leg of a new Credit Card Application. It is very crucial also since your application approval or rejection is purely based on the outcome of this process. A lot of credit card applications, even after going through all steps correctly, get rejected due to faulty Physical Verifications. So you should be aware of it. Keep reading to learn more.
Physical Verification is said to be done when a Bank Official (or a third party agent appointed by the bank) visits the applicant’s home and office physically, and verifies whether the customer really stays at the residence address, and really works at the work address, mentioned in the given application.
Additionally, some standard questions are asked regarding the applicant and their family. More on that later.
Is Physical Verification always done while Applying for a New Credit Card?
Ans: No. Physical Verification is NOT always done. Read below.
Physical Verification won’t be done for New Credit Card Applications in the following cases:
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In case of Pre-approved Credit Cards, no Physical Verification will be conducted.
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In case of Secured Credit Cards against Fixed Deposits, no Physical Verification will be conducted.
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If you have an existing Bank Account Relationship (Savings or Salary), then in most cases (not always), no Physical Verification will be conducted.
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When applying for Credit Cards via 3rd Party Services like Paisabazaar or Bankbazaar, in most cases (not always), no Physical Verification will be conducted.
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When applying for Co-Branded Credit Cards via 3rd Party Apps (for example, RBL Zomato Edition Credit Card or Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card), in most cases (not always), no Physical Verification will be conducted.
However, an exception is Flipkart Axis Credit Card, where physical verification was conducted for some people (not everyone though). -
Apart from that, even for new Credit Card Applications via Direct Bank Channels, physical verifications may or may not be conducted depending on the Location of the Applicant, their Employment Details, availability of Agents, etc.
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Some Credit Card Providers, such as OneCard or AU Credit Card, do not do Physical Verification at all.
Types of Physical Verification:
There are 2 Types of Physical Verification:
- Home Verification: The verification agent visits your home, takes a few pictures of your residence building, and asks you some questions.
- Office Verification: The verification agent visits your office/business location, takes a few pictures of your office building/shop, and asks you some questions.
Mostly same procedure is followed in both the cases.
List of Questions Asked during Physical Verification:
- Full Name & Address (Usually not asked).
- Date of Birth.
- Number of Dependent Family Members. (How many family members are dependent on your income)
- House is Rented or Self-owned. (Even if you don’t own the house, maybe your parents own, consider it self-owned if it is not a rented property)
- Number of Years you are staying in the current Property.
- Educational Qualification. (Should corroborate with your Credit Card application information)
- Employment Information: Company & Designation. (Should corroborate with your Credit Card application information)
- Number of Years you are working in your current Company.
That’s all the information that is asked during Physical Verification. Note that in case of Office Verification, so many questions are generally not asked.
Q: I am not at home. Can someone else Attend Home Verification?
Ans: Yes. Any family member can attend since often salaried people are at the office when these verifications occur. But make sure the answers provided corroborates with your Credit Card application. If you are present yourself, it increases the authenticity and reduces the mistakes in your application.
Q: I have taken Leave from Office / Out of Station due to work. Can someone else Attend Office Verification?
Ans: Yes. All they need is someone who can confirm that you work in that office/company. Even if you are not on spot, no issues.
Q: I am working from home. Can I skip Office Verification?
Ans: Yes. You can ask the Verification Agent to come over to your Home Location. Generally, they will deny it since Home Verification is assigned to a different agent. It is best if you can ask any office colleague or your boss to confirm with the agent that you work there. This can be in person or via call also. You may share your manager’s number who can confirm it. Anything works, its flexible.
I hope this gave you the complete picture. If you have further queries, drop a comment below.
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