Sending and receiving money in Lebanon

Money Works By Karen Santos Sep 1, 2020

As Lebanon grapples with the recent tragedy, you may want to reach out and help your loved ones and your communities. We are here and are ready to support the people of Lebanon as they confront these challenging times.

We hope the below Q&A will help you with all the answers you need.

You can send money to Lebanon via multiple channels depending on the country you are sending from:

If you wish to send money from retail, you can send from any of Western Union locations across more than 200 countries and territories.  Please use the agent locator link to find an agent location near you.

If you wish to send money online, Western Union has digital services in more than 75+ countries.  Follow this link – WU.COM to determine if this service is available in your resident country.

For all digital or retail transactions, you will be required to provide the necessary receiver information and provide a valid ID.  Acceptable IDs are subject to in-country laws and regulations. For your first money transfer online, you will need to create a personal online profile and then have your identity verified. Once your profile is verified, you will be able to send money online.  Please visit the FAQ page on WU.com for more info.

In line with the decree issued by the Central Bank of Lebanon on August 6, our Agents are now required to pay transactions in USD only. They are applying a 2% fee on the principal paid out to the recipient to cover the cost of securing USD banknotes and being able to pay recipients in USD in Lebanon.

As per the Central Bank decree, all agent locations are required to pay out in USD.  Receivers may contact our agent customer service hotline for assistance and guidance:

OMT +961 1 391000

BOB Finance 1262

Western Union does not benefit from this 2% fee.

USD payout was already scarce prior to the tragedy. Given the high volumes of money transfers to Lebanon in the aftermath of the tragic incident in Beirut, there has been enormous pressure on Agent locations and at times some of these locations can run out of USD notes.

We are conscious that this situation is causing much inconvenience to our customers, but please be assured we are working diligently with our Agents to increase USD currency availability in the country.

Agents in Lebanon charge only the additional 2% on the principal paid out to the recipient. Please decline to pay any additional charges. If you have been charged additional charges, please report this to: ExecutiveResolutionsDept@westernunion.com

Receivers may contact our agent customer service hotline for assistance and guidance:

OMT +961 1 391000

BOB Finance 1262

In line with the decree issued by the Central Bank of Lebanon on August 6, our Agents are now required to pay transactions in USD only.

The 2% fee deduction is visible on retail customers receipt, when sending from select countries. Full deployment currently in progress for remaining countries.

The following message is also presented to all customers using our digital platforms:

“Money transfers sent to Lebanon are subject to a 2% cash handling fee, which will be collected from the principal amount during payout in USD at the agent location.”

In Addition, our agent representatives also inform the senders with the following message:

“All transactions sent to Lebanon are paid in USD and subject to a 2% cash handling fee on the principal amount at the payout”

We would like to assure our customers in Lebanon that their transfers will be paid out in USD.  We are navigating through the current hard currency shortage environment in Lebanon, working in partnership with our Agents, to increase USD currency availability in the country. We are working hard to ensure an optimal customer experience for our valued customers.

Western Union stands in solidarity with Lebanon in the aftermath of the horrific explosion in Beirut on August 4. We offered senders zero-fee international money transfers to Lebanon from August 6-13 and were gratified by the overwhelming global response from the world to Lebanon in their time of tragedy.

The Western Union Foundation also extended its current donations to International Medical Corps for relief efforts to the people of Beirut affected by this tragedy. The Foundation donated to International Medical Corps in February, for COVID-19 relief.