What an OVD is
An Officially Valid Document (OVD) is a document type RBI’s KYC Master Direction accepts as proof of identity and/or address for KYC purposes. The list includes the passport, driving licence, voter ID, Aadhaar, job card issued under NREGA, and the letter issued by the National Population Register.
Why the list matters
A regulated entity can only rely on documents from this defined list to establish identity for standard KYC — a document type outside the OVD list, however legitimate it looks, does not on its own satisfy the KYC requirement.
Official source
The list of officially valid documents is defined in the RBI Master Direction on Know Your Customer (KYC), 2016, which also sets out the deemed OVDs, such as recent utility bills, that can support a current address.
