FR
ENHow to send money from Canada to Nigeria
A transfer from Canada to Nigeria usually goes through a money services business, which has to be registered with FINTRAC (banks follow other rules), and the offer that looks cheapest is not always the one that delivers the most. This guide goes through the transfer in order, with what to check at each step and what the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada advises, and it points to the comparator for the numbers.
11 providers compared. The comparator shows what your recipient gets after fees and the exchange-rate margin.
In short
- Compare what your recipient receives. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada warns that low or no fees can come with a less favourable exchange rate.
- Check the business in the FINTRAC registry before your first transfer, and in Quebec in the Revenu Québec register too.
- Paying by credit card may cost more: the transfer may count as a cash advance.
- Ask before you pay whether you can cancel and what protection applies. We found no federal rule that sets a cancellation period.
About this route
World Bank estimates put the money sent from Canada to Nigeria at nearly 600 million US dollars in 2021, around 3% of all the remittances Nigeria received. Among the sending countries this site covers, four send more to Nigeria: the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany. The figures are modelled estimates, based on migrant numbers and incomes (World Bank data, method note).
Before you start
- Your ID. Expect the provider to ask you to prove who you are before your first transfer. Have your ID ready and use your name exactly as it appears on it.
- Your recipient’s details. For a bank deposit: their full name exactly as the bank holds it, the name of the bank and their account number, which in Nigeria has 10 digits. For cash pickup: their full name as it appears on their ID, and a phone number if the provider asks for one.
- How you will pay. Depending on the business you can pay by bank account, debit card, credit card, cash or money order, and the price can change with the way you pay. Read the quote for the one you will use.
- Time. A first transfer, or a large one, can be held for extra checks. Do not leave it to the day the money is needed.
Step by step
- 1
Choose how your recipient will receive it
A bank deposit if they have an account, cash pickup if they do not or need cash the same day. Not every provider offers both, and the price can differ between the two.
- 2
Compare what your recipient gets
Enter the amount in the comparator to send money from Canada to Nigeria and read two numbers: what your recipient receives and when. Do not judge a provider by its fee alone. Our prices are estimates from public pages. Check the final price on the provider’s own screen before you pay.
- 3
Check the business in the registry
Look it up in the FINTRAC registry, and in the Revenu Québec register if you live in Quebec, before you open an account. The details are in “Check the business and know where to turn” below.
- 4
Open the account and verify your identity
Providers usually ask for your name, address and date of birth and a photo of your ID, and some also ask for a selfie. Use the name that is on the ID.
- 5
Enter your recipient’s details
Type the name and the 10-digit account number slowly, then read them back against what your recipient sent you. If you paste the number, check that no space came with it.
- 6
Read the final screen, then pay
Before you pay, check the exchange rate, the fees and the amount your recipient will receive. Ask whether that amount depends on the rate when you pay or when your recipient collects the money. If the amount is clearly lower than in step 2, ask why before you pay. Our figures are estimates, so a small gap is normal.
- 7
Keep the receipt and transaction number
You may need them to track the transfer later. Send the reference to your recipient and keep both until the money has arrived.
What it really costs
The total cost can include three things: the transfer fee, the exchange rate and what your recipient pays to collect. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) notes that some businesses advertise low or no fees and may make up for it with a less favourable rate, so it advises checking both (FCAC: sending money to someone in another country). The amount your recipient receives is the figure to compare, but also ask whether your recipient will have to pay anything to collect it.
Example with 400 CA$, from our estimates of Nov 14, 2026. At the mid-market rate of Nov 13, 2026, 400 CA$ is worth 376,991 NGN. After fees and the exchange-rate margin, the 11 providers compared would deliver:
| Estimate | Fee | Margin on the rate | Your recipient gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most favourable | 4.76 CA$ | 0.0 % | 372,504 NGN |
| In the middle | 3.15 CA$ | 1.5 % | 368,411 NGN |
| Least favourable | 12.62 CA$ | 3.5 % | 352,318 NGN |
From the most to the least favourable estimate the gap is 20,186 NGN, about 21 CA$ at the mid-market rate. On our estimates, that is roughly what the choice of provider is worth on this transfer. The provider shows the final price.
To check a quote you already have, use the true cost checker. To see the mid-market rate, use the currency converter.
Paying by credit card can cost more. The transfer may count as a cash advance, and your card issuer may charge interest right away at a higher rate than for purchases. Ask your issuer before you pay.
How the money can arrive
These are the ways to receive that our comparison lists for this route, with the number of providers that offer each and the fastest and slowest delivery time they publish.
| How it is received | Providers offering it | Fastest | Slowest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile money | 6 | A few minutes | Same day |
| Bank account | 9 | A few minutes | 1–2 days |
| Cash pickup | 6 | A few minutes | Same day |
Figures from our comparison (the delivery times providers publish). Confirm on the provider’s site.
- Mobile money. Some providers list a mobile wallet as a way to receive in Nigeria. Ask the provider which wallets it pays into, and check that your recipient has an active account with one of them.
- Bank deposit. The money is paid in naira to the account number you typed, a 10-digit number that is standard across Nigerian banks (NIBSS: NUBAN). How long it takes depends on the provider and on the banks involved.
- Cash pickup. Your recipient collects at an agent location with the reference you send them and an ID that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) accepts: an international passport, a driver’s licence, a National Identity Card or the INEC Permanent Voters Card. The CBN’s guidelines also say larger payouts must go through a bank account, so ask the provider what limit applies (CBN guidelines).
Check the business and know where to turn
In Canada, a money services business, and a foreign one that serves clients in Canada, must register with FINTRAC, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, before it starts to operate. Operating without registration is an offence. Before your first transfer:
- Search the FINTRAC registry. It is updated monthly and shows each business’s name, registration number and status. Check that the status is “Registered”. Registration is not a licence or an endorsement: it shows only that the business has met the legal requirement to register (FINTRAC: registry).
- In Quebec, check Revenu Québec too. A business offering funds transfers in Quebec must be authorised by Revenu Québec, which keeps a register of authorised businesses. An authorised business may be missing from it: if you cannot find the one you want, contact Revenu Québec (Revenu Québec: register).
- No trace, ask. If you cannot find the company, ask it for its legal name and registration number before you send anything.
If something goes wrong, the business comes first, and Canada has no single body for money transfers:
- Ask about protection before you pay. FCAC advises checking whether there is any kind of protection or guarantee. We found no federal rule that gives money-transfer customers a set period to cancel or a refund right, so ask the business whether you can cancel and, if so, for how long.
- Complain to the business, then to your province. If the answer does not settle it, contact the consumer protection office of your province or territory (federal, provincial and territorial offices).
- FINTRAC cannot step in. It cannot assist consumers with a transaction, and it cannot help recover funds (FINTRAC: conducting transactions with a money services business).
On the Nigerian side, the CBN licenses the international money transfer operators (IMTOs) that pay out there:
- Look for the operator on the CBN list. Search the legal name of the company. If you do not find it, ask the provider which licensed operator or bank pays your recipient (CBN: licensed IMTOs).
- Know what the CBN requires. An operator must disclose the exchange rate, the commission, the fees and any other amount charged, pay in naira at the prevailing rate on the Nigerian foreign exchange market, and refund wrong or disproportionate charges (CBN guidelines).
- If the complaint is not settled. The operator has to investigate and answer within two weeks of receiving your complaint. If you are dissatisfied, it must offer an internal review, which has to decide within one week of receiving your letter of dissatisfaction. You can then escalate to the Consumer Protection Department of the CBN.
Mistakes to avoid
- Comparing the fee only. The amount your recipient receives is the best number to compare.
- Taking a registration for an approval. FINTRAC says registration does not mean it endorses or licenses the business. Read the status and the name in the registry, not only the fact that a listing exists.
- A name or number that does not match. A valid number that belongs to someone else can be paid out to that person. Getting it back depends on the provider.
- Paying by credit card without asking. The transfer may be charged as a cash advance, with interest from day one.
Questions
How long does a transfer from Canada to Nigeria take?
It depends on the provider and on how your recipient receives the money. The table above shows the fastest and the slowest delivery time providers publish for each way. A first transfer can take longer while the provider checks your identity.
Is it safe to send money from Canada to Nigeria?
No transfer is risk-free, but you can check the business first. Search the FINTRAC registry and check that its status is “Registered”; in Quebec, search the Revenu Québec register too. Registration shows only that the business met the legal requirement to register: it is not a licence or an endorsement. We found no federal rule that sets a cancellation or refund period, so ask the business before you pay whether you can cancel and what protection applies.
How do I check that a money transfer business is registered in Canada?
Search its name in the FINTRAC money services business registry and check that its status is “Registered”. In Quebec, search the Revenu Québec register too, and contact Revenu Québec if a business you expect is not listed.
Can I get my money back if the transfer goes wrong?
We found no federal rule that sets a cancellation or refund period for money transfers, so ask the business before you pay what protection applies and keep your receipt. If a problem is not settled, complain to the business, then to your province’s or territory’s consumer protection office. FINTRAC cannot help recover funds.
What does my recipient need to collect cash in Nigeria?
The reference number you send them and an ID that the Central Bank of Nigeria accepts: an international passport, a driver’s licence, a National Identity Card or the INEC Permanent Voters Card. The provider’s pickup instructions say which ones it takes.
Does my recipient pay to receive the money?
The CBN’s guidelines say the contract between an operator and its agent must prohibit charging your recipient any fee other than the ones agreed with you at the start. A receiving bank can still have its own charges, and FCAC notes that a recipient may need to pay a fee or tax to collect, so ask your recipient to check.
11 providers compared. The comparator shows what your recipient gets after fees and the exchange-rate margin.
More guides
Around this route
Sources
Pages read for this guide. Rules and procedures can change: check the official page before you act.
- FINTRAC: Money Services Business Registry (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- FINTRAC: Conducting transactions with a money services business (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- Revenu Québec: Money-Services Businesses (and Private Automated Teller Machines) Register (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Sending money to someone in another country (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada: Federal, provincial and territorial Consumer Affairs offices (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- World Bank Data360: bilateral remittance estimates, 2021 (WB_KNOMAD_BRE) (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- World Bank: Bilateral Remittance Matrix (new), 2022 (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- Central Bank of Nigeria: Reviewed Guidelines of International Money Transfer Services in Nigeria, January 31, 2024 (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- Central Bank of Nigeria: International Money Transfer Operators (the licensed list) (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- NIBSS: NUBAN (Nigerian Uniform Bank Account Number) (read on Nov 13, 2026)