Frequently asked questions

Yes, the Western Union “direct to bank account” service is an easy and convenient way to send funds directly to a receiver’s bank account in select countries.

Select our Direct to Bank Account country information tool to see which countries have this service available. There you’ll find all the necessary information to complete a transfer directly to a bank account; for example, you can find out how long will it takes for the money to be available into your receiver’s bank account depending on the destination country.

Just choose the Direct to Bank Account service when you send money online or at an agent location. You’ll need to provide the receiver’s bank account information. The requirements change from country to country, but usually include:

• Your receiver’s bank name and code
• The account’s name and number

Select our Direct to Bank Account country information tool to see which countries have this service available and what will you need.

A bank code is a series of numbers used to identify banks around the world. They can have between 3 and 23 digits depending on the bank and the country.

A bank code could be called:

• BSB
• SWIFT Code
• BIC (Bank Identification Code)
• CHIPS (Clearing House Inter-Bank Payment System) – US and Canada only
• NCC (National Clearing Code)
• BSC (Bank Sort Code)
• IFSC (Indian Financial System Code)

For some counties you may need an International Bank Account Number (IBAN) in addition to the bank code.

Ask your receiver for the bank code and IBAN (if applicable). You can refer to our Direct to Bank Account country information to see what details are required for each country.

A Bank Identification Code (BIC) is used to identify banks worldwide. BIC is the same as a SWIFT code, and it will be 8 or 11 digits long.

Ask your receiver if BIC is required in their country—you can check our Direct to Bank Account country information for more details.

An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a code used in some countries to identify a customer’s bank account. The IBAN has a letter to identify the country followed by 2 digits, and then up to 35 characters for the bank account number. Some countries require that payment sent from Australia must include the IBAN.

You can refer to our Direct to Bank Account country information to see what details are needed for each country. Ask you receiver for the IBAN if it’s required.

“Direct to Bank Account” money transfers can change from country to country, and can take up to five days. For more details, please refer to our Direct to Bank Account country information.

A mobile wallet is an electronic account that’s linked to a person’s mobile phone number. Money can be electronically deposited and used the same as cash. In countries where the service is available, funds in mobile wallets are used to pay for goods, public transportation, and utilities, as well as to pay bills and withdraw cash.

If your receiver lives in a country where this service is available, you can send money to their mobile wallet. Make sure your receiver has activated a mobile wallet with one of our partner mobile phone operators in their country.

Exchange rates for mobile money transfers will be calculated, applied, and displayed when the funds are sent, unless otherwise specified by local regulations.

Mobile money transfers are based on the mobile number provided. To ensure your money is transferred to the right receiver, you need to provide their correct mobile phone number.

If your mobile phone is lost or stolen, contact your mobile operator and they will freeze or suspend your mobile wallet account for your protection.

Mobile money transfers are paid in the legally accepted currency of the receiver’s country.

Receivers will get a text message from their mobile service provider to confirm the money has been delivered or to alert them to any issues.

Yes, and it’s available for iOS and Android.

With our mobile app you can:

• Send money: Verified users can proceed to mobile money transfers using their online log in details. If you are a new user, you can register directly on the app or at wu.com.
• Calculate fees and rates: Get up-to-date exchange rates and compare fees³ for Western Union^® services.
• Track a transfer: Find out the status of your transfers wit Western Union^® tracking app feature.
• Find an agent location: Get the locations for thousands of Western Union’s agents around the globe.

There’s no fee to download the app or to access the app from your mobile phone. But mobile phone data access and calling charges will apply. Please contact your mobile phone network provider for details.

You can download the app from the App Store (iOS) and from Google Play (Android).

Customers that have been already verified can use their existing log in details to send money with the Western Union^® mobile app.

If you are a new customer, you can register directly on the app in just a few minutes. You will need to verify your phone number and you will need to present one of the following types of IDs at an Orabank location:

• National biometric ID card
• National biometric passport
• Consular biometric card (accepted for the Burkinabe’s residing in Ivory Coast only).

Learn more about sending money online.

Simply use your existing online log in. New customers can register directly on the app or register for free online on wu.com.

Get the app for free now

App Store

Google Play

Find out more about the Western Union^® app. If you have questions that are not answered here, please contact us or read our FAQ.

Western Union’s services are for anyone who needs to send or receive money quickly. From travelers and people supporting friends or relatives abroad, to business people who need to make faster international transfers.

They are Western Union banking partners who will help you send or receive money.

You can easily locate a Western Union agent location online, just use our agent locator.

The first step is to locate the nearest agent location (find it in our agent locator online), then you should give your receiver’s details to the agent. Once all the information is entered, you will be asked to give the total amount including the service fees. The transfer will be completed after this and the money available in minutes to your receiver. Don’t forget to get the tracking number (MTCN) from your receipt and share it only with your receiver, he or she will need it to pick up the cash.

You can check your transfer status online. All you need is your name and the tracking number (MTCN) printed on your receipt.

You can check your transfer status online. All you need is your name and the tracking number (MTCN) printed on your receipt.

Each Western Union agent location has its own hours of operation. These are usually the banking hours.

Find a nearby Western Union agent location.

With the ‘Start online and pay in store’ service, you could get benefit from our lower transfer fees than if you sent a money transfer through an agent location. This is how it works:

• Go to wu.com.
• Start a money transfer on the Send money page.
• Choose “Pay cash in store” as the payment method.
• A tracking number (MTCN) will be generated, which will be valid for 24 hours to enable you to go and pay in cash at a Western Union agent location.
• Visit one of the participating Western Union agent locations and complete the transfer.

When you start a money transfer at wu.com, the exchange rate available at that time will be the one that’s ‘locked in’ for 24 hours. Once you get to the Western Union agent location to pay for the transfer, the exchange rate will be the same as what was available at the moment you started the transfer online.

When you start a transfer on wu.com and visit one of the participating Western Union agent locations to pay for your transfer, you do not need to fill in any forms. You save time and use the convenience of the service.

Find all the countries you can send money to at wu.com.

The amount of money sent depends on the region you’re sending to:

• From WAEMU to WAEMU, you can send up to 3,000,000 XOF
• From WAEMU to Zone Franc (France, Comoros):
  • You can send up to 1,000,000 XOF without any supportive documentation.
  • For amounts above 1,000,000 XOF, you must provide supportive documents when completing your transfer at an agent location.
• From WAEMU to any countries not in WAEMU or in Zone Franc:
  • You can send up to 500,000 XOF without any supportive documentation.
  • For amounts above 500,000 XOF, you must provide supportive documents when completing your transfer at an agent location.

You can pay for your ‘Start online and pay in store’ transfer at any of the participating Western Union agent locations. Click here to see the list for Ivory Coast.

You will be asked to provide the following to the agent in order to complete the transfer:

• Your mobile phone number
• The same government-issued ID you used to create your online profile
• Supportive documents as needed
• The complete amount which includes the principal and applicable fees

Once you finish filling in the details for your transfer online, a confirmation screen will be shown to you right away. After you visit one of the participating Western Union agent locations and complete your transfer, you will be given a receipt with a tracking number (MTCN) and the money will be sent. You should then provide your receiver with the MTCN to enable them to pick up the money. When the transfer is complete, and the money has been picked up by the receiver, you’ll get an SMS confirmation.

A ‘Start online and pay in store’ transfer can be cancelled before it is paid, if this is done within 24h from the transfer creation. If you wish to do a cancellation for your online money transfer, please visit or call any Western Union Agent location.

The transfer is automatically cancelled if it is not paid for, within 24 hours.

If the transfer is paid, it can only be cancelled if the money has not been collected by the receiver in the destination country.

The receipt will be provided at the agent location after the transfer is completed.

Local regulatory restrictions in some countries, allow exchange rates to be fixed only at the time of collecting the money transfer.

You can pick up your money at any Western Union’s agent location. You’ll need to provide the following information:

• Your name
• The tracking number (MTCN)
• Amount expected
• Sender’s full name
• Country the money came from
• A valid ID

Some restrictions may apply.

There is no option to receive money directly to a bank account in Ivory Coast at the moment.

Money transfers will generally be paid in cash. Other restrictions may apply. Please visit or call the nearest Western Union’s agent location to get more information about restrictions.

All fees are paid by the sender. Receiving money is free of charge unless the receiver chooses to get the money in a different currency, directly to a device or a bank account at the moment of pick up.

Yes, to send money you need to be registered. Once you have successfully registered on westernunion.com, please go to the nearest Orabank agent location with the same ID that you registered with.

No, it’s free of charge.

Anyone who meets the following requirements can register and start sending money online.

• Must have a government-issued ID (for residents in the following countries: Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Bissau Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal).
• Must have a valid passport (for non-residents in following countries: Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Bissau Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal)
• Must be of at least 18 years of old.
• Must accept our Terms and Conditions.
• Must have a valid phone number.
• Must have a bank account in Ivory Coast, a valid debit, credit or pre-paid card issued by any bank in one of the following countries (Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Bissau Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal).

Registration with a valid ID and an email address is possible only once.

You can change or update your WU Profile information from the Profile Overview tab after you log in to wu.com.

After your identity is verified you cannot change your name, last name, date of birth and nationality. If you require to change this information after your identity is verified, please contact Western Union’s Customer Care number at +225 20 25 55 51 or send an email to oci.wu.support@orabank.net..

Yes, before making your first online transfer, you will need to verify your identity:

First, fill in the online registration form and provide the following information:

• Full name
• Full address
• Mobile number
• Country and date of birth
• ID details. If an expired ID is detected, you will be asked to provide a new one.

Once you have successfully registered on westernunion.com, please go to the nearest Orabank agent location with the same ID that you registered with.

After you present a valid ID at the nearest Orabank branch, you will receive a confirmation by SMS and email. If you need to send money before your verification is completed, please visit a Western Union agent location.

You can find the nearest location to get verified in person by using our online locator.

Your User ID is your mobile number.

If you forgot your password, you can select the “Forgot password” option for a new password to be sent to your email.

If your profile is locked, please try to log in again after 30 minutes or contact Western Union’s Customer Care number at +225 20 25 55 51 or send an email to oci.wu.support@orabank.net.

You can change your password on the Profile Overview page after you log in. Please select “Edit profile” from the right-side menu and change your password.

For online registration, you can use only one email address. After you verify your email, it cannot be changed.

Please contact Western Union’s Customer Care number at +225 20 25 55 51 or send an email to oci.wu.support@orabank.net.

Yes. Only use Western Union to send money to friends and family. Never send money to someone you have not met in person. Scammers sometimes encourage people to transfer money. Do not transfer money to anyone who asks you to send them money:

• For an emergency situation you haven’t confirmed.
• For an online purchase.
• For anti‐virus protection.
• For a deposit or payment on a rental property.
• To claim lottery or prize winnings.
• To pay taxes.
• For a donation to charity.
• For a mystery shopping assignment.
• For a job opportunity.
• For a credit card or loan fee.
• To resolve an immigration matter.

If you transfer money, the person you’re sending it to gets the money quickly. After the money is paid, Western Union may not be able to give you a refund, even if you are the victim of fraud, except under limited circumstances.

If you receive an email from anyone claiming to be from Western Union and you are unsure about it, do not click on any links in the mail. This may be a “phishing” attempt to acquire sensitive information from you. Instead, immediately forward the suspicious mail to oci.wu.support@orabank.net.

Western Union will never send you e-mails to ask for your user ID, password, or credit card details.

In some countries, senders are asked to provide a ‘Test Question’ and its answer when they initiate the transfer. In cases where a ‘Test Question’ was provided by the sender, the receiver may be required to give the answer when picking up the funds. The ‘Test Question’ feature is designed for emergency situations where the receiver still needs to provide proper identification. It should never be used as additional security or to delay payment. In many places, we’ll pay the receiver whenever the receiver shows proper identification, even if he/she does not know the answer to the question. Test question is not available for payout in Ivory Coast.

Contact your government’s Office of Consumer Affairs if you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, mail or email solicitation.

If you feel you have been the victim of fraud, you can contact your local police or call us at +49 69 12 014 4038.

• Always make sure you know who you are sending money to.
• Discontinue a call if a caller coaches you to respond to questions asked by Western Union.
• Security is everyone’s responsibility. Stay informed. Keep abreast of new fraud trends.

Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Learn more about fraud protection.

My WU is a free loyalty program from Western Union.

• Transfer fee discounts on qualifying money transfers.
• Special promotions on money transfers.

Earning reward points is currently disabled in the program. If you are a My WU member, we will notify you about our new rewards program. 

Via the My WU portal:

1. Log in to your profile and go to My WU Rewards.
2. Go to the Rewards section to view your reward options.
3. Choose your reward and select Use reward.

The discount will be applied automatically to your next transfer fee.

You can use your My WU points till they expire as per My WU terms and conditions.

Earning reward points is currently disabled in the program. If you are a My WU member, we will notify you about our new rewards program. 

Yes, you can continue to redeem your My WU points until their expiry.  

To protect our customers, we review every money transfer to make sure it’s safe. For a variety of reasons, we may ask you to provide us with more information before we can allow you to continue using our services.

We need additional information to understand why you use Western Union and the relationship between you and the person or entities you’re transacting with. The more information you provide, the quicker we’ll be able to complete your request.

To have access to our services again, follow the steps below:

1. Gather the required documents. Please note that these will vary depending on your reason for using Western Union and your relationship to the person or entities you’re transacting with. At minimum you must be prepared with your government-issued photo ID, documents that relate to your purpose for using Western Union, proof of the source of the funds, and any additional documents that may provide support for the answers provided on the questionnaire. For more information, go to Help section at westernunion.com.
2. Go to westernunion.com/gcr and start the customer questionnaire.
3. Complete the customer questionnaire:

• Personal information:
  – Provide your first, middle (optional) and last names as they appear on your ID.
  – Share your current email, physical address and mobile number. Please make sure you provide an active email address for communication purposes.
  – Specify your country of birth.
  – Select your occupation and provide additional clarification if needed.
  – Enter a recent tracking number (MTCN) if available.
  – Upload a copy of your valid government-issued photo ID.
• Relationships:
  – List people or entities you’ve transacted with using Western Union.
  – For each person or entity, enter the full name, relationship, purpose of transaction and upload supporting documents.
• Source of funds:
  – Choose the source of funds from the drop-down list and upload supporting documents.
• Third party details (if you are transacting on behalf of someone else) (if applicable):
  – Explain the purpose of transaction(s) and your relationship to the third party.
  – Provide the details related to the third party.
• Fraud (if applicable):
  – Indicate if you’ve been a victim of fraud or scam.
  – If yes, share a brief description of what happened.

4. Review the accuracy of the information you provided.
5. Select Submit questionnaire to complete the process.

a. Valid government-issued photo ID is needed to verify your identity.

• Examples: passport, driver’s license, national ID.

b. Source of funds is needed to make sure that the money transfers are not related to illegal acts and correspond to the nature of your activity.

• Examples: at least the latest 3 months of bank statements, at least the latest 3 months of pay slips, employment contract with salary, loan papers, sale agreement, winning receipt, tax return statement, etc.

c. Purpose of money transfer or intended use of money is needed to understand the basis for making the payment and the type of relations between the sender and the payee.

• Examples:
  • Personal remittance/family support – the following documents are suitable to prove relationship: pictures with persons you transacted with, marriage certificate, counterparty’s birth certificate, counterparty’s government issued ID, etc.
  • Business remittance/payment for goods/services – bills, receipts, sale or purchase agreements, etc.
  • Education – evidence of tuition fees, etc.
  • Medical expenses – hospital bills, pharmacy receipts, health insurance premiums, etc.
  • Charity support – written acknowledgment from the charity, etc.
  • Purchase home – purchase agreement, mortgage documents, etc.
  • Gift – receipts, etc.
  • Travel expenses – travel tickets, hotel bookings, etc.

d. Third party activity (sending or receiving money on behalf of individual or business) information is needed to understand the purpose and nature of your relationship with Western Union.

• Examples: business registration documents, letter of authorization by the company or notary, bank statement showing access to third party funds, etc.

After we’ve received your completed questionnaire and required documentation, we’ll email you a response within 3 business days.

In case we have additional questions, we may contact you via the email address provided in the questionnaire.

We’re committed to the security of your personal information. We use organizational, technical and administrative safeguards that comply with applicable government laws and regulations to secure your personal information. We also restrict access to the personal information that we process to only our employees, agents and representatives that have a business need to know it. For more information, read our Terms and Conditions and Online Privacy Statement.