Send Money from the USA to Tunisia: What It Really Costs in 2026
The Tunisian dinar never leaves Tunisia. It can't be bought abroad or carried out of the country, so every dollar you send has to be converted by a Tunisian bank, through one of the few services set up to reach one. Which of them you use, and how big your transfer is, decides how many dinars arrive.
What to Do First
Ria Money Transfer charges the least for $500 into a Tunisian bank account in our current data, about $7.90 all-in; Sendwave at about $8.99 and MoneyGram at about $9.52 are the next standing prices. Pay from your US bank account, send to a Tunisian bank account by its RIB if your family has one, and price your own amount before you commit.
Wise and Xoom reach Tunisia too, but our data prices them only for other ways of paying or receiving, so they are not in the table.
A fixed fee is heavy on a small amount: a $15 fee, for example, is 7.5% of a $200 transfer before the exchange rate takes anything, but only 0.3% of $5,000. At $200, Ria Money Transfer has the lowest standing price we hold, about $3.69 all-in. If you send a few hundred dollars every month, the fixed part of the fee is the number to watch over a year.
Who Quotes the Dinar Right Now
Compare Money Transfer Services
Sending 1,000.00 USD → TND from the US · Estimated typical cost · bank deposit, bank-funded
Showing 5 of 17 services we can price for USD → TND
Estimates only, not live quotes. "Recipient Gets" is for a bank deposit funded from a bank account, on today's mid-market rate: for a "provider quote", minus the rate markup and fee from that provider's own recent quote; for an estimate, minus the provider's typical markup and fee. Rows are ranked by total cost, the fee plus the rate markup, so a fee charged on top of the amount sent counts against a provider even when its recipient gets more. Real cost varies by corridor, amount, delivery and payment method, and promotions (e.g. new-customer offers can be cheaper). Tap a provider to get its live rate before sending. The dot by each provider shows confidence, and the label says how the figure was grounded: "corridor estimate" is a rate we measured for this exact pair; a currency-code estimate (e.g. "USD estimate") is measured for that source currency but not this destination; "typical estimate" is the provider's general figure across all its corridors; "provider quote" is that provider's own recent quote for this pair, its markup and fee applied to today's mid-market rate exactly as its calculator shows them, and a provider whose quote depends on a payment or delivery choice is left out here and priced on its own calculator. Margins are verified against live provider quotes and the World Bank Remittance Prices database; the date above is the most recent collection. See how we collect these prices and our advertising disclosure.
Only services we have seen quote Tunisian dinars appear here. Filling the list with providers we haven't checked on this route would be guesswork.
Fixed Fees and Small Transfers
The table adds the fee to the margin taken in the exchange rate, measured against the mid-market USD/TND rate at the moment each service quoted, for a deposit paid from a US bank account.
| Service | Rate and fee at $1,000 | Cost shape | $200 | $500 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taptap Sendrate ref differs | 3.0025 TNDNo fee | -1.04% rate, no fee | ≈−$2.09 | ≈−$5.22 | −$10.44 | −$52.21 |
| Ria Money TransferDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account | 2.9298 TND$0.90 fee | 1.40% rate + $0.90 | ≈$3.69 | ≈$7.90 | $14.92 | $71.05 |
| Sendwave | 2.9297 TND$1.99 fee | 1.41% rate + $1.99 | ≈$4.77 | ≈$8.99 | $16.01 | $72.22 |
| MoneyGram | 2.9266 TND$1.99 fee | 1.51% rate + $1.99 | ≈$4.98 | ≈$9.52 | $17.08 | $77.57 |
| Western UnionDelivered by direct to bank, paid by bank account | 2.9115 TND$0.99 fee | 2.02% rate + $0.99 | ≈$5.01 | ≈$11.06 | $21.15 | $101.85 |
From our current data, collected November 5, 2026, for a transfer from the US paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account. Each rate is the service's margin from that data on the latest mid-market rate, 1 USD = 2.9715 TND on November 6, 2026, so it moves with the market. ≈ marks a price between two amounts the provider quoted, where its fee and rate are known to hold. How we collect these prices.
- Wise and Xoom don’t price a transfer paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account on this route, only other ways to pay or receive.
- We hold no current quote for this route from BOSS Money, Instarem, OFX, Pangea, Paysend, Remitly, Revolut, WorldRemit and XE.
Total cost in US dollars of dinars paid into a Tunisian bank account. Each column's lowest standing price is set in green; a promotion, or a rate above our mid-market reference, keeps its label and is never called lowest. Services that reach Tunisia without a row here are covered in the next section.
Look at how each price changes across the columns. A service that charges only through the rate costs the same share of every transfer, so there is no amount at which it gets better or worse. A fixed fee falls as a share of the transfer as the amount grows. In our current data Ria Money Transfer costs about 1.85% of the amount on $200 and 1.42% on $5,000, all-in.
At the mid-market rate on November 6, 2026, a $500 transfer is worth about 1,486 TND before any cost, so each percentage point a service takes leaves your family roughly 15 dinars short.
A Short List, and the Reasons for It
Here is what our data shows about the services that don't appear in the table, and why.
- Paysend: not listed for Tunisia
- Its own list of destinations, read when we last collected its prices, includes Algeria from the US but not Tunisia, and we hold no quote for it on this route.
- Wise and Xoom: other payment or delivery only
- Our data prices them for Tunisia only for other ways of paying or receiving than a deposit paid from a bank account, so they have no row in the table. Each service's own calculator prices the choice you make.
- Cash pickup at banks and post offices
- La Poste Tunisienne pays out international transfers at its post offices, a network of more than a thousand, and Tunisian banks pay them out too. For $1,000 collected in cash, Ria Money Transfer at $16.91 has the lowest standing price, then MoneyGram at $19.28 and Western Union at $27.18. Cash pickup is priced apart from a deposit, so price it on its own if that is what your recipient needs.
The short list has one cause. With no market in dinars outside Tunisia, a transfer company can't net its flows in the currency the way it does with dollars or euros; it needs a Tunisian bank to convert and pay out every transfer. Fewer firms take that on, and an app you use for Morocco or Algeria may not reach Tunisia at all, so confirm the destination in the app before you count on it.
A Currency That Stays in Tunisia
The Tunisian dinar can't be bought outside Tunisia, and carrying dinar notes into or out of the country is prohibited. The exchange rules behind that date from a 1976 law, and the Banque Centrale de Tunisie manages the rate rather than letting it float freely.
The rate moves gradually rather than in jumps. Through 2025 the dinar gained ground against the dollar, so each dollar sent bought somewhat fewer dinars, and since early 2026 it has given some of that back. Mid-market on November 6, 2026, the latest day we read it, the dollar bought 2.97 dinars. Waiting for a better day is unlikely to repay the effort; the service you choose moves the result far more.
What this means for your family: money paid into an ordinary dinar account is money to be spent in Tunisia. A resident can't simply convert it back into euros or dollars later, so if the money is meant as savings in a hard currency, read the section below before you send.
RIB, Post Office or Counter
- Bank deposit
- Every Tunisian account has a 20-digit RIB: two digits for the bank, three for the branch, thirteen for the account and a two-digit key. You need all twenty. BIAT, Banque de Tunisie, Amen Bank, Attijari Bank, STB and BNA are the names you'll see most. Get the number in writing rather than over the phone.
- Postal account
- Plenty of households keep their money with La Poste Tunisienne rather than a commercial bank. Ask which your recipient uses, and check that the service you choose can deposit into it.
- Cash pickup
- The recipient brings the transfer reference and their national identity card. It is the fastest option and the practical one for someone without an account. For $1,000, a cash payout runs more than the cheapest deposit in our current data.
A cash payout is usually ready within minutes of the transfer clearing. A deposit to a bank or postal account typically takes one to two business days, and longer over a weekend or a Tunisian or US holiday.
Keeping Savings in Euros or Dollars
If you are Tunisian and live in the US, Tunisia's exchange rules treat you as a non-resident, and you can hold a foreign-currency account or a convertible-dinar account at a Tunisian bank. Money in those accounts keeps the right to leave the country, which an ordinary dinar account doesn't have.
The rules for people living in Tunisia have started to loosen. The 2026 finance law included a measure letting residents open a foreign-currency account without the central bank's prior approval, though it can only be funded from limited sources, such as other currency accounts and the annual travel allowance. Parliament has also been examining a new exchange code since late 2025 to replace the 1976 law. Until it takes effect, the rules described on this page apply.
If the money is savings rather than help with bills, ask the bank in Tunisia which account it should go to before you send. Every price on this page is for a transfer that arrives in dinars.
Tunisia Questions, Answered
What is the cheapest way to send money from the US to Tunisia?
Ria Money Transfer is cheapest at $500 in our current data, at about $7.90. Pay from your US bank account, send to a bank account by its RIB where you can, and price your own amount before you commit, because a fixed fee weighs heavily on the small transfers most families send.
Who actually quotes the dinar from the US?
In our current data, Ria Money Transfer, Sendwave, MoneyGram and Western Union name standing prices for a transfer paid from a US bank account into a Tunisian bank account. Wise and Xoom quote the dinar too, but only for other ways of paying or receiving, so they sit outside our table. The dinar cannot be bought outside Tunisia, so every service has to settle through a Tunisian bank, and that keeps the list short.
What details do I need to send money to a Tunisian bank or postal account?
For a bank, the recipient's full name as the bank holds it and the full 20-digit RIB: two digits for the bank, three for the branch, thirteen for the account and a two-digit key. Many households bank with La Poste Tunisienne instead, so ask which account your recipient uses and check that the service you choose can deposit into it.
Can my family take the money back out of Tunisia?
Not freely. The dinar is a closed currency: it cannot be exported, and money paid into an ordinary dinar account cannot simply be converted back into euros or dollars. If you are Tunisian and live abroad, you can hold a foreign-currency or convertible-dinar account at a Tunisian bank, and money in those accounts can leave the country again. Ask the bank before you send if the money is savings.
Is there a US tax on sending money to Tunisia?
A transfer paid from your bank account or with a US debit or credit card isn't taxed, and every service in our table is priced for payment from a bank account. The 1% federal excise tax that began on January 1, 2026 applies only when you pay in cash, by money order, by cashier's check or with a similar paper instrument.
Key Takeaways
- For a $500 transfer, the price to beat right now is Ria Money Transfer at about $7.90 all-in. The way you pay and how the money arrives change the price, so check yours in the live comparison.
- Small transfers pay the most. A fixed fee takes a bigger share of a small amount, so it matters most if you send little and often.
- The dinar is closed: it can't be bought abroad or exported, and money in an ordinary dinar account stays in dinars.
- Get the full 20-digit RIB, or check whether your recipient banks with La Poste, and pay from your bank account so the 1% US cash tax never applies.
- For savings, a Tunisian living abroad can use a foreign-currency or convertible-dinar account.
Price Your Transfer in Dinars
Put in the amount you send and see the dinars that reach Tunisia after each service's fee and margin.
Related Calculators & Guides
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The Moroccan dirham, tied to a euro-heavy basket, compared the same way.
Where the official rate and the informal one are far apart.
Sources & References
- Belgian Foreign Affairs: practical information for travel to Tunisia (currency rules)
- La Presse: a new exchange code under review (June 2026)
- Business News: foreign-currency accounts for residents in the 2026 finance law
- Managers: La Poste Tunisienne post-office network for transfers from abroad
- World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide
- IRS: Excise taxes
Provider pricing and exchange rates are set by the companies named and can change. Figures in this guide are checked against these official sources. Always confirm the live rate before you transact.