How to send money from Kazakhstan to Germany in 2026: euros to a private person, a student and when moving

From Kazakhstan to Germany money goes in 2026 by bank transfer in euros: tenge are exchanged at the Kazakh bank, and in 1-3 business days the euros reach a 22-character German account. Without opening an account you send up to $10,000 per transaction, from your own account any amount.

In detail

Sending money to Germany from Kazakhstan: to a student, to yourself and to family

5 tasks come up on this route more often than others, and for each the Kazakh bank asks for its own set of papers.

Checked on 9 October 2026.

Rates on 7 October 2026: 453.65 tenge per dollar according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan and 1.1177 dollars per euro according to the European Central Bank, which is about 507 tenge per euro. Dollar amounts are rounded up.

Euros to a private person: what the bank in Kazakhstan will ask

$10,000 (4.54 million tenge) per transaction - this is how much the National Bank of Kazakhstan's currency rules No. 40 allow you to send without opening an account. From your own account at a Kazakh bank the law sets no cap on the amount, so money for studies and a move is best sent from an account.

At a branch or in the app the bank checks your ID card with the 12-digit individual identification number and asks for the purpose and basis of the payment. A currency contract with the recipient is not needed for a personal transfer: it is required for transactions under contracts above $10,000. For a large amount bring a document on its source: a sale agreement, a salary certificate or a statement.

A euro transfer goes in 4 steps:

1. The recipient sends the 22-character German account number and the name exactly as held at the bank.
2. You open a currency transfer at your bank and choose euros.
3. The bank exchanges tenge into euros at its own rate and deducts the fee.
4. In 1-3 business days the euros arrive in Germany through correspondent banks.

A money transfer system suits amounts up to $10,000: the sender comes with an ID card, and the recipient's name is written exactly as in their passport. Since 24 July 2026 transfers through the largest such system are made at its operator's outlets. If the amount is large or the bank asks for a basis, our manager will find the route and the papers, and the general procedure for large amounts is in the article sending a large amount abroad.

A student's blocked account for the visa: €11,904 from Kazakhstan for a year of study

€11,904 ($14,000) in 2026 is held in a special account with which a student proves for the visa that they have enough money to live on. Up to €992 a month can be withdrawn from it, and the account opening fee is paid on top of this amount.

Worked example: €11,904 at the rates of 7 October 2026 is about 6.04 million tenge, plus the bank's rate and the transfer fee. The amount is above $10,000, so it is sent from the parents' or the student's own account at a Kazakh bank, as one payment in euros. The purpose is "top-up of student account", and the bank is shown the admission letter and the details from the letter of the company that opened the account.

There is no tax on this money in Germany: the inheritance and gift tax law exempts parents' funds for maintenance and education. The semester fee and housing are paid by a separate transfer to the invoice the university sends.

How a German bank credits euros from Kazakhstan

22 characters in a German account number: the country code, 2 check digits, an 8-digit bank code and a 10-digit account number. Euros from Kazakhstan land in a euro account with no second exchange, provided the name in the payment order matches the name at the bank.

A German bank reviews a large incoming payment under the Anti-Money Laundering Act and asks where the amount came from. A statement of the Kazakh account together with a sale agreement or income certificate answers that question.

€100,000 ($120,000) per person at each bank is the deposit protection in Germany, so after a move large savings are conveniently held at two banks. A basic account is the right of everyone who lives legally in the European Union, so with a German residence permit an account for a transfer from Kazakhstan is opened on general terms.

Sending money to Germany and tax: a move, a gift, a flat

There is no tax on moving your own money: savings you transfer to yourself when you move are not income in Germany.

A gift to a German resident is subject to gift tax above the allowance: €400,000 ($450,000) to a child from each parent over 10 years, €500,000 ($560,000) to a spouse and €20,000 ($23,000) to other recipients. The gift is reported to the tax office within 3 months.

Since 1 April 2023 a flat in Germany is paid for only by bank transfer, so the money for the purchase arrives in a German bank account in advance. In Kazakhstan the contract is attached to such a transfer, and our manager will check the documents before sending, so that both banks accept the payment the first time.

More on transfers from Kazakhstan and to Germany

• How to send money to Germany - times from different countries and the bank's check
• From Kazakhstan to Georgia - dollars, lari and a Georgian bank card
• Capital relocation - how to move savings when you relocate

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