Remittances made to home countries by foreign nationals living and working in other countries account for immense contribution to the economies of the receiving nations. With millions of Nigerians as foreign expatriates across the globe, the impact that their remittances back home have on the economy of Nigeria are of enormous importance – recipient households experience improved welfare. Several channels exist that help people send money across the globe safely and fast. In this article, different ways that you can use to send money from Pakistan to Nigeria would be discussed.
These are some channels to send money from Pakistan to Nigeria:
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MoneyGram
With MoneyGram, you can send money from Pakistan to Nigeria with ease. The first step is to locate any approved MoneyGram agent locations around you in Pakistan. You could use an online tool – MoneyGram Agent Location – to find one nearest to you. There are certain documents and information that would be required of you to perform an international money transfer at an agent location. A government-issued photo ID (International Passport, NICOP, CNIC), the recipient’s full name and either the address, bank details or mobile wallet details depending on the chosen delivery method.
At the MoneyGram agent location, a Send Money form would be given to you by the agent clerk to fill out. After you have filled out the form, you have to submit it along with the amount you intend to send to Nigeria, plus transaction fees. Immediately, your transaction has been cleared, your money is on its way to your recipient in Nigeria. Save your receipt and reference number, and inform your recipient.
If the chosen delivery option was the Cash pickup, you would be required to share the 8-digit reference number with your recipient. This would be used to receive the money at the approved MoneyGram agent location in proximity to your recipient. If it is a direct bank deposit delivery option, the funds would be sent directly into the recipient’s EUR-denominated Nigerian bank account.
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Western Union
Western Union offers residents of Pakistan the opportunity to send money across the world conveniently. However, the Pakistani Rupee equivalent of $3000 is the maximum amount that you can send per day with Western Union in Pakistan. To send money to Nigeria, you have to visit any of the approved agent locations of Western Union in Pakistan. The following are the Western Union agent locations in Pakistan: Fairdeal Exchange Company, Pakistan Currency Exchange, Ravi Exchange Company, Link Exchange Company, Paragon Exchange Company, NBP Exchange Company, Habib Qatar Exchange, and Sadiq Exchange Company.
At any of these agent locations, you would be required to provide an original and valid government-issued photo ID for verification before you can perform any international money transfer. Recognized means of identification include – CNIC, NICOP, and International Passport. After your ID has been verified, a Send Money form would be given to you to fill out by an agent clerk. The information that is required to provide includes your full name, your occupation, the receiver’s full name, the receiver’s address (if Cash pickup delivery is used), the relationship with the receiver, the purpose of the transaction, and the bank account of the receiver( if sending money to a bank account). After completing the Send Money form, you have to submit it to the clerk with applicable funds, including transaction fees.
For the Cash pickup delivery method, your recipient can collect the money using the tracking number, MTCN and a valid ID at any recognized Western Union agent location in Nigeria. Whereas, if you chose to send to a bank account, the recipient’s account must be a EUR-denominated bank account. Typically, the speed of delivery of funds is within minutes to 24 hours.
Conclusion
Nigerian expatriates in foreign countries have a good chance of securing excellent opportunities and economic growth. With a boost in financial status, you may desire to support your family back home by providing financial assistance. Safety and speed are chief concerns when making cross-border remittances. So, international money transfer services are guided on the principles of speed, convenience, the privacy of personal information, and safety of transfer.
In Pakistan, MoneyGram and Western Union are the primary international money transfer operators responsible for cross-border transactions. Western Union, however, does not allow commercial transactions but MoneyGram permits business transactions. So, you can use either of these IMTOs to send money back home to your loved ones in Nigeria. Typically, these transfers are fast and secure, happening within minutes to a day. Remember to you the respective online agent location tools of MoneyGram and Western Union to find one of proximity.