How to send money to Iraq in 2026: in dollars or dinars, to an account and to a card
Since 15 July 2026 Iraqi banks pay out transfers from abroad in dollars or credit them to a dollar card, while the official rate of 1,300 dinars per dollar has stayed the same since February 2023. An account number has 23 characters, a transfer takes 1-3 days, and salaries, pensions and state payments in the country already go by card.
In short
- The official rate has been 1,300 dinars per dollar since February 2023.
- Since 15.07.2026 a transfer is paid out in dollars or to a dollar card.
- An account number has 23 characters.
- State institutions accept payment only electronically since July 2025.
In detail
Sending money to Iraq: routes and timing in 2026
Routes checked on 8 October 2026. Money reaches Iraq by bank transfer to a dollar account or a dinar account, and an account number has 23 characters. The official rate is 1,300 dinars per dollar, and dinar amounts on this page are converted at it.
| Route | Now | Currency credited | Time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer to a dollar account | works | US dollars | 1-3 business days | a 23-character account number, the recipient's name |
| Bank transfer to a dinar account | works | dinars at the bank's rate | 1-3 business days | a dinar account number, the bank's international code |
| Crediting to a bank's dollar card | works since 15 July 2026 | US dollars | 1-3 business days | a card issued on a dollar account |
| Money transfer service | works | US dollars or dinars | from a few minutes | the recipient's ID document |
Is the sender's bank looking at a transfer to Baghdad more closely than usual? There are usually more options than it seems: tell a manager about the sum and the purpose, and they will suggest a working route.
Dollars or dinars: the currency a transfer to Iraq arrives in
1,300 dinars per dollar has been the official rate since February 2023, and in June 2026 the central bank confirmed it does not intend to change it. Banks buy dollars from the central bank at 1,310 and sell them to clients at no more than 1,320 dinars per dollar.
Since 15 July 2026 banks pay out transfers from abroad to clients in dollars from their own funds or credit them to a dollar card. Payments inside the country, such as rent, purchases and salaries, are made in dinars, so the recipient exchanges part of the sum at the bank at the official rate and keeps the rest in dollars. That way only current spending is exchanged, and the reserve does not lose on rate differences.
If the money is for a family's living costs, it is convenient to split it: the dollar reserve to an account, current spending in dinars. So that the transfer goes through without questions from the bank and arrives in the right currency, we will suggest the best way to send money to Iraq.
We will help you send money to Iraq
Mistakes cost more than fees: a transfer to a dinar account when the recipient needs dollars, payment for a supply without a contract and documents for the goods, which the bank asks to explain, a large sum in one payment without papers on where the money came from. We will help you avoid them: we will choose the route and timing, prepare the documents on the source of the money for the bank and see the transfer through to crediting.
Details and terms are with a manager in the chat: they depend on the sum and the purpose of the transfer.
Salary to a card and card payments: how Iraq is moving to electronic payments
2.65 trillion dinars ($2.1 billion) of state payments went electronically through the largest state bank in the first quarter of 2025, 3.4 times more than a year earlier. Since July 2025 state institutions accept payment only electronically, and salaries and pensions arrive on cards.
Since April 2024 electronic payment companies work under a 10-year central bank licence, and the central bank itself is building an instant transfer system that will work around the clock. For the recipient this is convenient: money from abroad arrives in the account, and from there it is paid by card at a petrol station, in a shop and at a state office.
Money is sent to Erbil and other cities of Kurdistan the same way as to Baghdad: to a bank account or through a money transfer company. The region's banks are supervised by the same central bank, which has a branch in Erbil, and the account number there also has 23 characters. A recipient in Erbil likewise finds it convenient to keep a dollar account for the reserve and a dinar account for expenses. The capital is covered on the Baghdad page.
A transfer to Iraq of $10,000, $100,000 and more: what the bank will ask
- Up to $10,000. The recipient's bank checks the name, the account number and the purpose: help for relatives, study, medical treatment.
- $10,000-100,000. A statement of the sender's account and a contract are needed: a lease, a supply contract, a services contract.
- From $100,000. The bank looks at the source of the money and the contract, and for payment for a supply also at the documents for the goods. Here a manager will help split the sum and gather the papers.
Which documents on the money to prepare is described in the article on proof of source of funds, and a large transfer in the article on sending a large sum abroad. Moving with capital is covered on the capital relocation page.
Sending money to neighbouring countries
- How to send money to Jordan: instant transfers by phone
- How to send money to Kuwait: the southern neighbour with the most valuable dinar
- How to send money to Saudi Arabia: a border in the desert
- How to send money to Turkey: the northern neighbour and trading partner
- How to send money to Iran: the eastern neighbour with the longest shared border
- How to send money to Lebanon: an account in fresh dollars
If all your capital is moving to another country, start with the capital relocation page.
FAQ
Do Iraqi banks pay out transfers from abroad in dollars since 15 July 2026?
Do state institutions in Iraq accept card payments?
For how long is an electronic payment company licensed in Iraq?
Can money be sent to Erbil the same way as to Baghdad?
We will suggest the best way to send your money
We will choose a transfer method for your amount and country, prepare the documents on the origin of the money for the bank, make the transfer through licensed partners and follow it until the money is credited. Ask your question in the chat - the manager will suggest the best terms and the cost. The legal side with banks and government bodies is handled by Murblz specialists and locally licensed partners.
Details and cost are with the manager in the chat. Describe your situation and we will reply right away.
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