Transferring Money to Afghanistan from Outside the Country

Transferring money to Afghan bank accounts from foreign bank accounts remains impractical. The transfer of funds to Afghanistan is not restricted under Afghan law, and Afghan banks will accept transfers. However, international banks are reluctant to correspond with Afghan banks, making the transfer of funds to Afghanistan impossible.

It is possible to send money to Afghanistan via Western Union and MoneyGram. However, there is a limitation imposed by the mentioned entities on the amount of withdrawal/collection of cash. They can be used to send up to 5000 USD to Afghanistan in a single transaction. The money will be converted and paid in local currency in Afghanistan.

Money Transfer from Afghanistan to Foreign Countries

The Central Bank of Afghanistan has issued a circular restricting the transfer of money out of the country. Funds may be sent abroad only for a narrow range of purposes, such as purchasing equipment for business operations of importing medical, agricultural or educational materials. A further limitation is that a maximum of 25% of any outgoing transfer may come from an existing bank account; at least 75% of the transfer must be new (previously undeposited) funds. However, even permissible transfers are currently not possible as international banks are not accepting transfer from Afghanistan.

Domestic money transfers are possible within the Afghan banks, but is subject to withdrawal limitations of $400/week for individual account holders, and 5% of the account balance/week, not exceeding $25,000 per month, for corporate accounts.

Money Withdrawal and Limitation

New bank accounts may be opened by depositing new funds. No withdrawal restrictions apply to transactions from a newly-opened bank account. However, withdrawals from existing bank accounts are restricted to $400 per week for individual accounts, and 5% of the account balance per week, not exceeding $25,000 in a month, for corporate accounts. If an individual or a company opens a new bank account and deposits cash into the account, the account holder can withdraw their money without any limitation. However, funds transferred from an existing bank account to a new bank account are subject to withdrawal limitations.