Banking customers planning branch visits this month must keep a close eye on the calendar, as commercial and public sector branches will see limited operational windows. According to the official holiday schedule issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the Negotiable Instruments Act, banks across various states will stay shut for up to 16 days throughout November. This extensive break includes national and state-specific festival holidays alongside standard weekend shutdowns, making it essential to schedule non-digital banking activities—such as cash deposits, demand drafts, and locker access—well ahead of time.

Weekend Shutdowns: Sundays and Second-Fourth Saturdays

A significant chunk of November’s closures stems from mandatory weekend schedules that apply nationwide to all public, private, and regional rural banks. The month carries five Sundays—falling on November 1, November 8, November 15, November 22, and November 29—on which all branches remain uniformly shut. Furthermore, under long-standing RBI norms, branches will observe mandatory closures on the second Saturday (November 14) and the fourth Saturday (November 28). Combined, these seven weekend days form the baseline of pan-India bank downtime before festival-specific holidays are factored in.

Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and Vikram Samvat Closures

The mega festive stretch around Diwali begins on Sunday, November 8, creating an overlap with regular weekly offs. However, localized branch closures extend well into the subsequent weekdays depending on state-level traditions. On Monday, November 9, bank counters will remain closed across Agartala, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Gangtok, Imphal, Jaipur, Kanpur, and Lucknow for Diwali, Lakshmi Puja, and Govardhan Puja. The following day, Tuesday, November 10, branches will suspend walk-in services across Mumbai, Belapur, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Dehradun, and Gangtok in celebration of Bali Pratipada, Vikram Samvat New Year, and localized Laxmi Puja.

Bhai Dooj and Chhath Puja Regional Schedules

Festival closures continue through midweek as Bhai Dooj and regional sister-brother ceremonies take center stage on Wednesday, November 11. On this date, branches in Kanpur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Gangtok, Imphal, and Shimla will stay non-operational for Bhai Dooj, Chitragupt Jayanti, and Ningol Chakkouba. Later in the month, the sacred festival of Chhath Puja brings banking activity to a halt in eastern belts. On Monday, November 16, branches located in Patna and Ranchi will observe full-day closures for Chhath Puja and Surya Shashti Dala Chhath (Prath Arghya), resuming normal operations only after the rituals conclude.

Guru Nanak Jayanti and Other Notable Regional Holidays

Apart from Diwali and Chhath, several other cultural observances will see branch doors shut in specific regions. Shillong will mark the Wangala Festival on Friday, November 13, and Seng Kut Snem on Monday, November 23. Dehradun branches will observe a local holiday on Friday, November 20, for Igas Bagwal. A widespread bank closure follows on Tuesday, November 24, on account of Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartik Purnima, closing branches across New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Raipur. Finally, branches across Bengaluru and Karnataka will observe a holiday on Friday, November 27, for Kanakadasa Jayanthi.

Smooth Sailing for Digital and UPI Banking

While brick-and-mortar branch counters will remain inaccessible on these notified dates, account holders need not panic regarding routine financial transactions. The RBI ensures that core digital payment infrastructures—including Unified Payments Interface (UPI), immediate mobile banking, Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)—operate seamlessly 24/7. ATMs across major hubs will remain operational for emergency cash withdrawals, allowing retail customers to execute urgent money transfers and bill settlements without interruption.