Sending money to Senegal: costs, rules and inflows
- France to Senegal, €140
- 2.41% average total cost (€3.37) 1
- Italy to Senegal, €140
- 7.90% average total cost (€11.07) 2
- Sub-Saharan Africa average, Q3 2025
- 8.46% 3
- Remittances from workers abroad, 2024
- FCFA 2,139.8 billion 4
- Payment services rules
- BCEAO Instruction No. 001-01-2024 5
Average cost by corridor
The World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide (RPW) database publishes Q3 2025 averages for sending money to Senegal from France and Italy 1,2. RPW lists a small negative average exchange rate margin for both corridors 1,2.
RPW shows no Q2 2025 average for either corridor 1,2. The Italy page shows one average, for the €140 amount 2.
| Corridor | Amount | Average fee | Exchange rate margin | Average total cost | Data collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France to Senegal 1 | €140 1 | €3.41 1 | minus 0.03% 1 | 2.41% (€3.37) 1 | 24 July to 3 September 2025 1 |
| France to Senegal 1 | €345 1 | €4.49 1 | minus 0.03% 1 | 1.27% (€4.39) 1 | 24 July to 3 September 2025 1 |
| Italy to Senegal 2 | €140 2 | €11.08 2 | minus 0.01% 2 | 7.90% (€11.07) 2 | 24 July to 1 September 2025 2 |
How individual services compare
From France, RPW lists La Banque Postale via Western Union as a bank and money transfer operator (MTO). All other services in the sample are MTO services 1. A Western Union card transfer made online and paid into a mobile wallet showed a €0.99 fee, a 0.20% margin and a 0.91% total cost, the lowest in the €140 sample 1. The same Western Union card transfer paid out in cash cost 3.05% 1. A Ria cash transfer made at an agent showed a €7.00 fee and a 4.66% total cost, the highest in the sample 1.
From Italy, MoneyGram debit card transfers to a mobile wallet or bank account showed a €0.99 fee and a 0.41% total cost, the lowest in the €140 sample 2. TapTap Send debit card transfers to a mobile wallet cost 1.23% 2. Bank account transfers from UniCredit Banca showed a €38.50 fee and a 27.50% total cost 2. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena showed a €50.25 fee and a 35.89% total cost, the highest in the sample 2.
Remittance inflows
The BCEAO balance of payments report for Senegal for 2024, dated December 2025, put remittances from workers abroad at FCFA 2,139.8 billion in 2024 4. The figure for 2023 was FCFA 1,657.2 billion 4. The report credits migrant remittances, up FCFA 482.6 billion, for a rise in the secondary income surplus to FCFA 2,276.9 billion from FCFA 1,818.1 billion in 2023 4.
BCEAO rules for payment services
BCEAO Instruction No. 001-01-2024 covers payment services in the West African Monetary Union, which includes Senegal 5. The main rules for money transfers are:
- Money transfer operations are listed as a payment service in Article 4 5.
- Providing these services requires prior approval and listing as a payment institution under Article 9 5.
- Providers may form service partnerships, but partnerships with an exclusivity clause are banned under Article 7 5.
- No one may act as a payment services agent without first being registered, under Article 38. The payment institution stays fully responsible to third parties for acts done in its name, under Article 39 5.
- Tariff information must be displayed in reception areas and on websites, under Article 53 5.
- Changes to general tariff conditions must be reported to the Banking Commission and the BCEAO within 30 days of taking effect, under Article 29 5.
What the averages leave out
RPW prices are collected by researchers posing as customers and contacting firms in each corridor 6. The amounts tested are the local currency equivalents of US$200 and US$500, set in 2008 6. The World Bank says fees and taxes charged in the receiving country are not tracked in the database 6.
The global average cost of sending remittances was 6.36% in Q3 2025, according to the World Bank report 3.
Common questions
What does it cost to send €140 from France to Senegal?
The RPW average for Q3 2025 was 2.41%, or €3.37. That is a €3.41 average fee and a minus 0.03% average exchange rate margin 1.
What does it cost to send money from Italy to Senegal?
The RPW average for sending €140 in Q3 2025 was 7.90%, or €11.07. Individual services ranged from 0.41% to 35.89% 2.
Is it cheaper to send to a mobile wallet in Senegal?
For some providers in the RPW sample, yes. A Western Union online card transfer from France cost 0.91% to a mobile wallet and 3.05% for cash pickup 1.
How much money do Senegalese abroad send home?
The BCEAO reported FCFA 2,139.8 billion in remittances from workers abroad in 2024 4.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.
Sources
- World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide: Sending money from France to Senegal (Q3 2025 data)
- World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide: Sending money from Italy to Senegal (Q3 2025 data)
- World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide main report and annex, Issue 54, Q3 2025 data (September 2025)
- BCEAO: Balance des paiements et position extérieure globale du Sénégal, 2024 (December 2025)
- BCEAO: Instruction No. 001-01-2024 relative aux services de paiement dans l'UMOA
- World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide methodology (accessed 20 October 2026)
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