How to Send Money Internationally: A Step-by-Step Guide

Sending money to another country for the first time can feel like more work than it should be. You have to figure out which service to use, what information your recipient needs, how long the transfer will take, and what it actually costs once every fee is added up. This guide walks through each step, from gathering the right details to tracking your money once it’s on its way.

What You Need Before You Start

Before you open any app or website, gather a few details. You’ll need your recipient’s full legal name exactly as it appears on their ID, since even a small misspelling can delay a transfer or send it to the wrong person. Depending on how the money will arrive, you may also need their bank account and routing information, a mobile wallet number, or the address of the location where they plan to pick up cash.

You’ll need your own identification too. Most providers ask for a government-issued ID to verify who’s sending the money, and some transfers require extra details like your recipient’s phone number or a reason for the transfer. Ria’s what information do I need to send money online FAQ breaks down exactly what’s required for a typical transfer, worth a quick read before your first one.

Step 1: Choose How the Money Will Arrive

International transfers don’t all work the same way. Depending on where you’re sending money and what your recipient prefers, you can usually choose from a few delivery methods.

Bank deposits send funds straight into your recipient’s account, which works well if they’re already banked and want the money to show up without a trip anywhere. Cash pickup lets your recipient collect the money in person at a local agent location instead, a common choice in places where banking access is limited or where someone simply prefers cash in hand. Mobile wallet transfers send money directly into a digital wallet, useful in countries where wallets like these are the everyday way people pay for things. In some countries, home delivery is also available for recipients who can’t easily reach a bank branch or agent location.

Ria’s send money page lists which of these options are available for each country, so you can see what’s on the table before you commit to a delivery method. If your recipient doesn’t have a bank account, that alone may decide the choice for you.

Step 2: Compare the Total Cost, Not Just the Fee

A transfer’s advertised fee is only part of what it costs. The exchange rate applied to your transaction also determines how much money your recipient actually receives, and that rate can vary between providers and even between delivery methods at the same provider. Globally, sending remittances costs an average of 6.36 percent of the amount sent, according to the World Bank’s Remittance Prices Worldwide database, which tracks pricing across hundreds of country corridors.

Here’s a simplified example of why both numbers matter. Say you send $500 and pay a $5 fee, so $495 gets converted. If the exchange rate applied is a little weaker than the rate quoted on a financial news site, your recipient could end up with less local currency than a quick mental calculation might suggest, even though the fee alone looked small. Checking the total amount your recipient will receive, not just the fee at checkout, gives you the real cost of the transfer. Ria’s fees and exchange rates FAQ explains how these two pieces combine on an actual transfer.

Step 3: Know Your Rights as a Sender

If you’re sending money from the United States, federal law gives you some baseline protections. Under the Remittance Transfer Rule, the rules on international money transfers protect consumers in the United States who use a remittance transfer provider to send more than $15 to a person or company in another country. That means your provider has to disclose the exchange rate, the fees, and the amount your recipient should expect to receive before you pay.

You also get a short window to fix mistakes. After paying, you generally have up to 30 minutes to cancel a remittance transfer at no charge, unless the money has already been picked up or deposited into the recipient’s account. If you notice a typo in the recipient’s name or account number right after sending, that cancellation window is exactly what it’s there for. Federal law also generally requires your provider to give you disclosures and receipts in the language it used to advertise to you, so a transfer marketed in Spanish should come with Spanish-language paperwork too. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s guide to remittance transfer rights covers the rest of what providers owe you, including how to report an error.

Step 4: Send the Transfer

Once you’ve picked a delivery method and checked the total cost, sending the money is usually the simplest part. Create an account, verify your identity, enter your recipient’s details, choose how they’ll receive the funds, and pay. Ria’s send money online page walks through this process from a browser or the mobile app.

If you plan to send money to the same person again, saving their details after this first transfer will save you a step every time after that.

Step 5: Track the Transfer and Confirm It Arrived

After you send the money, you should receive a confirmation with a tracking number or reference code. Hold onto it. It’s an easy way to check a transfer’s status if your recipient says the money hasn’t shown up yet, and most providers let you look up a transfer’s progress online without calling anyone.

Delivery times vary by destination and delivery method. Cash pickups and mobile wallet transfers can complete in minutes, while bank deposits sometimes take a day or two depending on the receiving country’s banking hours and time zone. Ria’s how long does it take FAQ lists typical timeframes by delivery method, worth checking if you’re sending money ahead of a deadline like rent or a bill.

Staying Safe When You Send Money Internationally

International money transfers attract scammers who impersonate government agencies, romantic interests, or emergency situations to pressure people into sending money quickly. Before sending money to someone you’ve only met online, or to resolve an unexpected government fee, take a moment to verify the request separately, through a phone call or a message to a number you already know is real rather than one provided in the message asking for money. Legitimate government agencies and businesses don’t typically ask you to wire money to resolve a debt or avoid arrest.

If a request involves urgency, secrecy, or an unusual payment method your recipient wouldn’t normally suggest, treat that as a signal to slow down and double-check before sending. Ria’s fraud awareness page has more detail on common scam patterns and how to report one if you think you’ve been targeted.

Common Mistakes First-Time Senders Make

A handful of small errors account for a lot of the confusion first-time senders run into.

Misspelling the recipient’s name or entering the wrong account number is the most common one, and it’s also the easiest to prevent by double-checking details against an ID or a recent bill before you submit. Assuming a transfer will arrive instantly regardless of delivery method trips people up too. So does looking only at the flat fee and skipping the exchange rate, which can quietly change how much your recipient receives. Sending late in the day or on a local holiday in the receiving country can also push delivery back further than expected. Finally, showing up to a cash pickup location without ID is a common snag, since most agents need it to release the funds.

None of these are hard to avoid once you know to look for them, which is really the point of walking through the process before your money is already on its way.

Quick Answers Before You Send

Do I Need a Bank Account to Send Money Internationally

Not necessarily. Cash pickup and mobile wallet transfers let you send money to someone without a bank account on either end, as long as they can get to a payout location or already use a digital wallet.

How Much Can I Send in One Transfer

Limits vary by provider, payment method, and destination country, and they can depend on how much of your identity you’ve verified. Check your provider’s transfer limits before assuming you can send a large amount in a single transaction.

What Happens if I Get the Recipient’s Details Wrong

Contact your provider right away. Depending on how far along the transfer is, you may be able to cancel it within the short window described above, or your provider may be able to help correct the error before the funds are paid out.

Can I Send Money Internationally From My Phone

Yes. Most major providers, Ria included, offer mobile apps that cover the whole process: entering recipient details, choosing a delivery method, paying, and tracking the transfer afterward.

Sending Money Abroad Gets Easier After the First Time

The first international transfer usually takes the longest, mostly because you’re learning what information to gather and what to expect along the way. After that, most of these steps become familiar, and sending money to family or friends abroad starts to feel closer to routine banking. Keep your recipient’s details up to date, check the total cost before you commit to a transfer, and hold on to that tracking number. The next transfer will go a lot faster.