SBI credit card status, plus HDFC: VKYC, CPV, delivery explained

How do I check my credit card application status?

Use your bank's own tracker, with the reference number sent after you applied. The table lists what seven banks ask for and the timelines we found in the documents read. None of the seven gives a time for VKYC, CPV or any other verification step.

Official pages: HDFC Bank, SBI Card, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak, RBL Bank and IDFC FIRST Bank. Kotak also answers by SMS: send CCAPP and your 13 digit application number to 5676788 from your registered mobile.

Bank	What you enter	Time the bank publishes
HDFC Bank	Mobile number plus reference number, form number or date of birth	About 7 to 10 working days to process, from submission of the completed form (application consent terms); none on the tracker page
SBI Card	Application or reference number	21 days overall, from submission and receipt of all documents
ICICI Bank	Reference number or registered mobile details; also iMobile under Services, Card Services, Track application	A few hours to a few days to process; physical card typically 7 to 10 working days from approval
Axis Bank	Application ID, per Axis support	Status communicated within 21 working days of receiving the completed application and documents; generally 3 to 15 working days to deliver an approved card
Kotak Mahindra Bank	Application reference or form number	Minimum 2 working days to process; card within 7 working days of approval
RBL Bank	Not listed on the tracker page	Up to 20 days to process, if KYC and other details are complete
IDFC FIRST Bank	Reference number, or mobile number and date of birth, then OTP	Generally a few working days to process

Read at each bank's own pages on 31 October 2026. American Express was not read because its tracker page would not load. Other banks were not checked.

What does each application status mean?

Labels differ by bank. ICICI and IDFC FIRST both run from application received, through checks and verification, to the card going out. At IDFC FIRST, under review means documents and eligibility checks are running, verification pending means the bank may need more from you, approved means accepted and being processed for dispatch, and rejected means eligibility or verification requirements were not met.

A card offer shown on screen is not an approval. HDFC's consent terms call a co-branded card offer on a platform in-principle, subject to the bank's approval and verification.

Status	What the bank says it means
Application received or initiated	The bank has your application (IDFC FIRST, ICICI)
Appointment	A step after applying and before documents are verified. ICICI does not describe it further
Under review, Sanction in Progress	Eligibility, creditworthiness and other checks are running (IDFC FIRST, ICICI)
Verification pending	More verification or documents may be needed, and the bank may contact you (IDFC FIRST)
Approved	Accepted and being processed for dispatch (IDFC FIRST). ICICI shows a digital card in iMobile and Net Banking after approval
Dispatched	Shipped. ICICI and Kotak send the courier name and airway bill number by SMS
Rejected	Eligibility or verification requirements were not met (IDFC FIRST). RBI requires the specific reason in writing

What happens on a VKYC call?

VKYC is RBI's Video based Customer Identification Process, or V-CIP. A trained bank official identifies you on a live audio and video call, and RBI treats a compliant call as equal to a face-to-face check.

RBI's KYC Directions for commercial banks, updated as on 1 October 2026, set the rules in paragraph 27. Non-bank issuers such as SBI Card fall under separate RBI directions, not read for this guide. The official must capture a clear image of your PAN card unless you give an e-PAN, match your photo against your Aadhaar or other ID and your PAN, and confirm your economic and financial profile. A printed copy of an e-document, including an e-PAN, is not valid. If the official sees anyone prompting you, the bank must reject the account opening process. If the call drops, a fresh session is needed. Blinking or smiling on request is not mandatory.

The video must carry your live GPS location, and the system must be able to block connections from IP addresses outside India. If your current address differs from your ID, the bank must capture records of the current address. Paragraph 27 does not say you must be in your Aadhaar address city. The banks read here do not publish what a location mismatch does to an application.

How long does approval take after VKYC, and can it still be rejected?

No bank document read here says how long a decision takes after VKYC. It can still be rejected, because VKYC checks identity while the credit decision remains with the issuer.

HDFC's consent terms say the bank can accept or reject an application at its absolute discretion. They also let it review and reprocess an application within 120 days of the application date, and run the credit bureau check again. RBI's KYC rule adds one step: accounts opened through V-CIP become operational only after a concurrent audit. The banks read here do not say how long that takes.

If you are declined, RBI's rule on rejected applications requires the specific reason in writing. IDFC FIRST's application tracking page says specific reasons are usually not displayed, so ask for the letter.

What is CPV, and is physical verification normal after VKYC?

CPV stands for contact point verification. No RBI text or bank document read here defines it for a card applicant, and no RBI text read here requires it after VKYC or forbids it. HDFC's consent terms let the bank verify information at your office or residence and contact your employer, so a visit or call about your work can follow a video call there.

RBI's KYC Directions name CPV as one way to confirm a current address when a customer is onboarded without meeting the bank or using V-CIP. Its payment aggregator directions define the term for merchants as physical verification of an address or place of business. Neither describes a card applicant's visit.

The banks read here do not publish what a card CPV involves, how long it takes, or what a failed one means. Ask the bank in writing what is pending.

How long does delivery take, and where can the card go?

Published times run from 3 to 15 working days at Axis, 7 to 10 at ICICI and within 7 at Kotak, each counted from approval or for approved applications, and SBI Card counts 21 days for the whole process. Kotak delivers only to your registered correspondence address unless it approves delivery to a branch. Axis can re-dispatch a returned card, if you ask, only to the alternate address given in your application.

ICICI and SBI Card also offer a digital card or e-card before the plastic arrives. Kotak hands the card only to family members at home and only to you at an office. Branch delivery needs a call to 1800 4100. After two failed attempts, Kotak takes a re-dispatch request by phone only if your address is unchanged and you verify it, so update a changed address first. ICICI makes the first attempt within 5 working days of a re-dispatch request.

RBI's paragraph 11(5) notes that unsolicited and applied-for cards have been misused before reaching the customer. It makes loss from misuse of 'such unsolicited cards' the issuer's responsibility, without repeating the words for applied-for cards. Report any misuse to the bank at once.

How long can a new card stay inactive?

About 30 days. If a new card is not activated for more than 30 days from issue, RBI requires the issuer to seek OTP consent. With no consent, it must close the account at no cost to you within seven working days of asking.

This is paragraph 11(6) of RBI's card directions for commercial banks, updated as on 1 October 2026. RBI's separate directions for non-bank card issuers use the same wording. Customer actions such as generating a PIN, changing transaction controls, an IVR or recorded customer care call, or an SMS may count as activation. ICICI counts setting a UPI PIN on a RuPay card as consent. For an add-on card, consent comes from the primary cardholder.

An issuer also cannot report a new card account to credit bureaus before activation, under paragraph 11(7). Any such report already made must be withdrawn at once.

Bank	If the card stays inactive	When the first fee is billed
HDFC Bank	Notice after 30 days from card open date; closed if not used within 7 more days	In the statement of the month charged; on PIXEL cards, also charged if the card closes within 90 days of issue, whatever the offer
SBI Card	No activation clause in its MITC	In the statement of the month charged
ICICI Bank	OTP consent needed; closed by day 37 at no cost	No fee unless the new card is activated
Axis Bank	Activate within 30 days, or permanently deactivated in the next 7	Joining fee levied after activation
Kotak Mahindra Bank	No activation clause in its MITC	Within 90 days of issue, in the next statement; at activation on Dream Different, which also has a Rs 170 cancellation fee if cancelled within 90 days of issue, effective 1 September 2026; first statement on Kotak811 Super Money
RBL Bank	Benefits withdrawn within 7 working days if not activated or used in the first 30 days	First year fee after the first debit transaction
Canara Bank	No activation clause in its MITC. A separate inactivity fee of Rs 100 to Rs 1,000, by card type, applies at the end of each card year if turnover is below the tariff minimum, for example Rs 100 under Rs 12,000 on Classic and Standard; nil on Visa corporate	In advance at the start of the card year; no refund if the card ends

From each bank's MITC. HDFC version 4.17, October 2026; PIXEL section updated 9 September 2026. Canara tariff as on 1 April 2022. ICICI last updated 9 October 2026. Add GST to any fee.

Can a bank charge a card fee before I activate?

It depends on the bank. ICICI and Axis tie the first fee to activation and RBL to the first debit, while Kotak's general rule and the HDFC and SBI Card wording do not mention activation. RBI requires closure at no cost for a card closed because you gave no consent, so question any fee billed on such a card.

An example. Axis MY ZONE lists a Rs 500 joining fee, levied after activation. Activate it, and GST at 18% adds Rs 90, so Rs 590 is billed. Never activate it and refuse OTP consent, and the card closes at Rs 0. HDFC PIXEL Play also costs Rs 500 plus GST, or Rs 590, waived if you spend Rs 20,000 in the first 90 days. HDFC's MITC for PIXEL cards still charges the joining fee if the card closes within 90 days of issue. If you plan to close a card early, read that line first.

If a card you never asked for is activated without your consent and you are billed, RBI paragraph 11(4) says the issuer must reverse the charges and pay you twice their value. Cards with no joining or annual fee are on the lifetime free list, and the card finder filters the rest.

What can I do if my application is stuck for months?

Complain to the bank first and keep proof that you did. If it does not reply within 30 days, or any longer time set by RBI, NPCI or card network rules, or you are unhappy with the reply, you can go to the Ombudsman within 90 days of that period ending or of the bank's last communication, whichever is later, under the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026, in force from 1 July 2026. The scheme covers a deficiency in service and excludes a bank's commercial judgment or decision, and it does not mention stuck card applications, so the Ombudsman decides whether yours qualifies.

Our Ombudsman guide covers the process. This is what the documents say, not legal advice.

Sources

This explains what the documents say. It is not financial advice.

Credit card application status: what VKYC, CPV and delivery mean at SBI, HDFC and other banks