How to send and receive money with PayPal in Nigeria

Editorial staff

4 years ago

PayPal is an online payment service that makes it easy to send and receive money online. With PayPal, users can transfer money, receive money, withdraw money, send invoices to clients and many more. PayPal is also available in Nigeria. In this article, you will learn how to send and to receive money with PayPal in Nigeria.

Based in the United States of America, PayPal is accepted in up to 200 countries worldwide!

In the past, there was restriction on Nigerians using PayPal to send and Receive money. Nigerians were not allowed to open a account. But in 2014, that restriction was lifted and Nigerians were allowed to operate a personal account. But the account can only send money. There was no possibility to receive money.

Somewhere around 2018, PayPal business account was opened for Nigerians to register. Through PayPal Business account, Nigerians are able to receive money. But with certain conditions. The account is only open for businesses, entrepreneurs and freelancers who conduct business online. The business account gives Nigerians the opportunity to receive payments through their website. You can also request payment from customers, create invoices and more with the business account.

Types of PayPal accounts

There are two types of PayPal accounts available to Nigerians.

1. Personal account

The personal account is meant for individuals who wants to use PayPal to send money or pay for services online. If you also love shopping on websites online that accepts PayPal then the personal account is for you!

2. Business account

Business account is for businesses that want to receive payment from their customers online. The business account gives businesses tools to add Payment solutions to their websites and receive money. There are many tools and options that is beneficial to businesses

Requirement to open a PayPal Personal Account in Nigeria

Here are the requirement to open a PayPal personal account in Nigeria:

Your name is required. It has to be your legal name that is on your birth certificate and documents
Your email address
A strong password
A Debit or credit card. Only Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Verve is not accepted.
Your address will be required.

PayPal personal Account Nigeria — Provide accurate information to open your PayPal personal account

Requirement to open a PayPal Business Account in Nigeria

Here are the requirements to open a PayPal business account in Nigeria:

Your name. It has to be your legal name
Your business name. You should have a registered business name if want to open a business account unless you are a freelancer
Your business information will be required
Your Government issued ID card. Preferably international passport will be required
Valid email address
Phone number

Note that you should only provide truthful and accurate information or else you will lose your account no matter how much you have in it.

PayPal business account Nigeria — PayPal business account sign up page

How to open a PayPal account in Nigeria

Follow these steps to open a PayPal account in Nigeria:

1. Decide the kind of account you want

There are two types of account you can open, personal or business account. Decide which one you need right now.

2. Visit PayPal website

You need to visit the PayPal website to create your account. For personal account you can go to the personal account creation page. For business account you can go to the business account creation page.

3. Fill the account opening form

Completely fill the account opening form with all information required. You must make sure that all information you provide are true or you may lose your account.

4. Confirm your email address

You will be required to confirm your email address. This is normal when opening accounts on the internet. Login to your email and confirm.

5. Manage your account

At this point your account is active! You can start using your account. Add new cards to your account, change your password and so on.

How to send money with PayPal in Nigeria

Follow these steps to send money with PayPal in Nigeria

To send money, you have to login in to your account.

2. Click on send payment

You will see “send payment” on the top menu, click on it.

PayPal Send Payments — Click on send payments

3. Enter the details of recipient

Enter the name or email of the recipient

4. Enter the amount and payment method

Enter the amount you want to send. If you have many card added to your account, choose which one you want to pay with

5. Send payment

Once you are ready, send!

6. Pay via invoice

You can ask whoever you are sending money to to send you invoice. The invoice will appear in your account and you just click and pay.

7. Use pre-approved payment

If you have active payment that you need to make, such as Facebook ads, subscription to themes and so on, you can set up a pre-approved payments. So that money will be automatically deducted without you needing to do it manually.

How to receive money with PayPal in Nigeria

Follow these steps to receive money with PayPal in Nigeria

1. Open a PayPal business account.

Only businesses are allowed to receive payment. Unfortunately, you cannot receive money with personal account

2. Set up payment on your website

You will find instructions in your account how to set this up on your website to receive payment from your customers. Just click on tools and follow on screen instructions

3. Send invoice

You may also be able to send invoice with your business account to customers

4. Request for funds

You can also request for funds from your customers.

5. Use your PayPal email

You can also use your PayPal email to receive money

Does PayPal work in Nigeria?

Yes, PayPal works in Nigeria! As a Nigerian, you can open a personal PayPal account to send money. You can also open a business account.

Can I receive money through PayPal in Nigeria?

You cannot receive money with a PayPal personal account in Nigeria. You can only send money, make payments and shop online. But with a PayPal business account, you can receive money from your customers.

What if I don’t live in Nigeria, can I send and receive money with personal account?

Yes and no.

Nigeria is not the only country that cannot receive payment with a personal account. There are many countries. As a matter of fact, there are countries that cannot even open PayPal at all! Ghana is an example. So if you live in a country that is restricted, you may still be unable to receive money with your personal account.

However, if you live in a country that is on the approved list to receive money. You can open a PayPal account in that country and you will be able to send and receive money.

You can find a list of countries and their PayPal status here

Is PayPal available in Nigeria?

Yes, PayPal is available in Nigeria. Nigerians can open a personal account to send money, make payments online or shop online. But Nigerians cannot receive money with a personal account. A business account is also available for Nigerian merchants who want to receive payment online.

What makes PayPal important?

PayPal is important because:

It is accepted in up to 200 countries
Credit card security: Once you register your card with PayPal that is all. You will not need to enter it into any website you want to buy from.
Financial Security: If you purchase an item with PayPal and the item is not as expected or you got cheated by the seller, with PayPal buyer protection, you can get your money back!
Trusted brand: PayPal is a trusted brand worldwide
Ease of Payment: You can add many cards to your PayPal account for ease of payment
It is free to use!
You get discounts regularly from big brands around the world

PayPal Customer service number

The customer service number of PayPal is +1-402-517-4519 and 009 1 402-517-4519

Conclusion

PayPal is a great service but with some limitations in Nigeria. Hopefully this limitation will be lifted some day. But you should never try any unaccepted ways that break PayPal’s policy.

Can you receive money with PayPal in Nigeria?

With a PayPal personal account, you cannot receive money in Nigeria. However, if you have a PayPal business account, you can receive money from customers. But the biggest obstacle will be taking the money out of PayPal as you cannot use a Nigerian bank to withdraw.

Which Nigerian Bank cards accept PayPal?

PayPal works with any card issued by any Nigerian bank. The card should be Visa or Mastercard. Verve card is not accepted. Also, you should have a minimum of $2 in equivalent as PayPal will charge your card for verification purposes. If you have a Mastercard or Visa card and it is not accepted, reach out to your bank as your account might be limited.

How to accept PayPal payments using Flutterwave?

You should be using the Flutterwave platform for your business. You can easily integrate PayPal and use it to receive money from customers. On your Flutterwave merchant checkout page, make sure that you select the Pay with PayPal option, you will be taken to PayPal to log in and set things up.