FR
ENHow to send money from France to Senegal
France is the biggest source of money for Senegal in the World Bank’s estimates, and your recipient can receive it as cash, in a bank account or in a mobile wallet. This guide goes through the transfer in order, with what to check at each step, where to turn if something goes wrong, and where to find the numbers in the comparator.
10 providers compared. The comparator shows what your recipient gets after fees and the exchange-rate margin.
In short
- Compare what your recipient receives. A provider with no fee can still keep a margin on the exchange rate.
- Look the company up on REGAFI, the register of the French banking supervisor, before your first transfer.
- If something goes wrong, write to the company first. The mediator comes next, and may ask for proof of your written complaint.
- Type the recipient’s name and phone number or account number exactly, and read them back before you pay.
About this route
World Bank estimates put the money sent from France to Senegal at about 700 million US dollars in 2021, around 27% of all the remittances Senegal received. In these estimates France is the biggest source, ahead of Italy. The figures are modelled estimates, based on migrant numbers and incomes (World Bank data, method note).
Before you start
- A valid ID document. Expect the provider to ask you to prove who you are before your first transfer. Have your ID document ready and use your name exactly as it appears on it.
- Your recipient’s details. For a mobile wallet: their full name and the phone number of the wallet. For a bank deposit: their full name, the name of the bank and their account number. For cash pickup: their full name as it appears on their ID, and a phone number if the provider asks for one.
- A way to pay. Providers take a bank account, a debit card or a credit card, and not every provider takes all three. The price can change with the way you pay, so 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 mobile wallet if they use one, a bank deposit if they have an account, cash pickup if they need cash the same day. The price can differ between the three, and not every provider offers all of them.
- 2
Compare what your recipient gets
Enter the amount in the comparator to send money from France to Senegal 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
Look the company up on REGAFI
Search for the company before you open an account. The name and the address on the register have to match the company exactly. The details are in “Check the company and know your rights” below.
- 4
Open the account and verify your identity
You will give your name, address and date of birth and upload your ID. Some providers also ask for a selfie. Use the name that is on the ID.
- 5
Enter your recipient’s details
Type the name and the phone number or account number slowly, then read them back against what your recipient sent you. For a wallet, check that the number has no missing digit and no space.
- 6
Read the final screen, then pay
Before you pay, the screen should show the exchange rate, the fees and the amount your recipient will receive. 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 confirmation and tell your recipient
Save the reference number, send it to your recipient and keep it until the money has arrived. If it is late, write to the provider and quote the reference.
What it really costs
A transfer usually has two costs. The fee is on the quote. The margin is the gap between the mid-market rate (the rate with no margin added) and the rate you are given. It is not on the quote. A provider can charge no fee and still keep a margin. The amount your recipient receives is the figure to compare.
Example with 300 €, from our estimates of Nov 14, 2026. At the mid-market rate of Nov 13, 2026, 300 € is worth 196,787 XOF. After fees and the exchange-rate margin, the 10 providers compared would deliver:
| Estimate | Fee | Margin on the rate | Your recipient gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most favourable | 0.90 € | 0.0 % | 196,196 XOF |
| In the middle | 1.50 € | 1.5 % | 192,866 XOF |
| Least favourable | 7.99 € | 2.8 % | 186,182 XOF |
From the most to the least favourable estimate the gap is 10,014 XOF, about 15 € 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.
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 | 9 | A few minutes | Same day |
| Bank account | 6 | A few minutes | 3–5 days |
| Cash pickup | 5 | A few minutes | A few minutes |
Figures from our comparison (the delivery times providers publish). Confirm on the provider’s site.
- Mobile money. The money is paid into your recipient’s wallet, under the phone number you typed. The wallet has to be active, and which wallets a provider can pay depends on the provider, so check which wallets the provider pays into before you send.
- Bank deposit. The money goes to the account number you typed. How long it takes depends on the provider and on the banks involved.
- Cash pickup. Your recipient collects at an agent location with valid photo ID and the reference you send them. Ask the provider which IDs it accepts and where its locations are.
Check the company and know your rights
In France, a company that provides payment services has to be authorised. The ACPR, the banking supervisor, publishes the register. Before your first transfer:
- Search REGAFI. The register lists the companies authorised to carry out banking, financial, e-money or payment services, and it is updated daily. The company name, trade name and address must be exactly those of the company you are looking for: the ACPR warns about scams and identity theft (ACPR: REGAFI, in French).
- For a firm from another European country, check its home register. A company based in another country of the European Economic Area can operate in France through a branch or under the freedom to provide services. The ACPR advises consulting the register kept by its home authority, and the EBA keeps a central register of payment institutions (EBA: payment institutions register).
- Use the blacklists, but not alone. The ACPR and the AMF publish lists of sites and entities that are not authorised to offer payment services in France. They cannot be complete: a name that is not on them is not necessarily authorised (ABE Info Service: blacklists, in French).
If something goes wrong, the order is the company, then the mediator:
- Write to the company first. A complaint should in principle be in writing, by letter, email or online form. The company has to acknowledge it within ten working days and answer within two months. Its reply has to name the consumer mediator (ACPR: making a complaint, in French).
- Then the mediator. You can go to the mediator if the answer does not satisfy you, or if the company has not answered within two months (15 days for a dispute about a payment service). Mediation is free. The bank mediator asks you to show that you complained in writing first, and to apply within a year of that complaint: ask the mediator named in the reply whether the same conditions apply (Service-Public: bank mediator, in French).
- The ACPR does not settle disputes. It is not part of its role to step into a dispute between a company and a customer, but you can report a company that does not follow the rules.
In Senegal, payment services are regulated by the BCEAO, the central bank of the West African Economic and Monetary Union:
- The BCEAO publishes the list of authorised payment institutions. It does so under its instruction on payment services. The version we read is dated Feb 28, 2026, so look for the latest one (BCEAO: authorised payment institutions, in French).
- Ask who pays your recipient. The list covers payment institutions only: a bank, or any other kind of institution that pays your recipient, is not on it. If you want to check, ask the provider which company pays your recipient.
Mistakes to avoid
- Comparing the fee only. The amount your recipient receives is the number that counts.
- A number that does not match. A wallet or account number that is valid but belongs to someone else can be paid out to that person. Getting it back depends on the provider.
- Trusting a name because it is not on a blacklist. The lists cannot be complete. Look for the company on REGAFI, or on its home register.
- Complaining by phone only. The mediator needs proof of a written complaint to the company, so write, and keep a copy.
Questions
How long does a transfer from France to Senegal 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 France to Senegal?
No transfer is risk-free, but you can check the company first. Search its name on REGAFI, the ACPR register: the company name, trade name and address must match exactly, and the ACPR warns about scams and identity theft. The ACPR’s and the AMF’s blacklists cannot be complete, so a name that is not on them is not necessarily authorised. If something goes wrong, write to the company first. If its answer does not satisfy you, you can then go to a consumer mediator, and you will usually need proof of your written complaint.
Which mobile wallets can receive money in Senegal?
It depends on the provider you choose. Ask the provider which wallets it pays into, and check that your recipient’s is one of them before you send. The table above shows how many providers offer mobile money on this route.
How can I check that a money transfer company is authorised in France?
Search its name on REGAFI, the ACPR register. If it is based in another European country, search the register of that country or the EBA’s central register, and check that the name and the address match.
Who can I complain to if the money does not arrive?
The company first, in writing. If its answer does not settle it, the consumer mediator named in its reply, and you will usually need proof of your written complaint. The ACPR does not settle individual disputes.
Does my recipient pay to receive the money?
The amount in our comparison is what the provider says it will deliver. A bank or a wallet can have its own charges, so ask your recipient to check.
10 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.
- ACPR: REGAFI, registre des agents financiers et des organismes d’assurance (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- ABE Info Service: Listes noires de l’ACPR et de l’AMF (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- ACPR: Formuler une réclamation (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- Service-Public: Médiateur bancaire, comment y recourir ? (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- European Banking Authority: Register of payment and electronic money institutions under PSD2 (read on Nov 13, 2026)
- BCEAO: Liste des établissements de paiement agréés dans l’UMOA au 28 février 2026 (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)