Send Money from the USA to Iraq

There is no single cheapest provider on this corridor — it depends on how much you send and how your recipient is paid. Compare the total amount received in Iraqi dinars rather than the advertised fee, since the exchange rate margin is usually the larger cost. Bank deposit is typically cheaper than cash pickup.

Delivery ranges from minutes to a few business days depending on the provider and payout method. Western Union can deliver within minutes when you pay by debit card. Bank-funded and economy transfers typically take one to three business days but usually cost less. Transfers sent outside banking hours or over a weekend may not settle until the next working day.

Across the providers we compare, the available payout methods are cash pickup, bank deposit, mobile wallet and card payout. The most widely used options in Iraq are cash pickup through exchange houses, plus bank deposit. Cash remains dominant in Iraq, and cash pickup generally exposes you to less of the gap between the official and parallel dinar rates than a bank deposit does. Not every provider supports every method, so check the table above before you commit.

No. Western Union and MoneyGram offer cash pickup in Iraq, so your recipient can collect the funds with valid photo ID and the transfer reference number. That said, cash pickup through exchange houses, plus bank deposit generally cost less than cash collection.

Providers rarely give you the mid-market rate — the reference rate you see on Google or Reuters. Instead they add a margin, typically between 0.4% and 4%, and keep the difference. That margin is often larger than the visible transfer fee, which is why a "no fee" service can still be more expensive overall. For USD to IQD, compare the quoted rate against the mid-market rate to see the real spread you are paying.

Yes, provided you use a licensed provider. Every service listed on this page is regulated in the USA under FinCEN and state money-transmitter licences, which requires safeguarding of customer funds and identity verification. Send only to people you know personally, keep your transfer reference private, and be sceptical of anyone pressuring you to send money urgently to someone you have not met.

Yes. Each provider sets its own transfer limits, which vary by how much identity verification you have completed and how you pay. Larger transfers may require additional documentation such as proof of source of funds. For transfers above roughly $10,000, a specialist foreign-exchange broker will often beat an app on rate.

Remitly states on its own site that it does not currently support transfers from the United States to Iraq. Wise lists Iraq by name among the countries where it does not offer services. If you already use those services, you will need an alternative from the comparison table above for this corridor.

Only two major providers verifiably serve this corridor. Remitly and Wise both state they do not, and several others could not be confirmed either way — so the practical choice here is narrow, and that matters more than any fee difference. Many Iraqi banks remain restricted from dealing in US dollars under measures linked to US Treasury oversight. As of early 2026 the Central Bank of Iraq's own published list covered 28 restricted banks and four blacklisted institutions, and a partial relief announced in July 2026 restored correspondent banking access for several banks while still excluding the dollar itself. Those restrictions are aimed at correspondent banking and trade finance rather than at consumer transfers, and cash-pickup services through exchange houses run on a different rail. We have found no source confirming that they block or degrade personal remittances — and equally no source confirming personal remittances are unaffected. We are not going to assert either. Check that your provider is operating before you send. Iraq's official exchange rate has been held near 1,300 dinars to the dollar since February 2023 (1,310 as of September 2026), but the gap with the parallel market persists and has widened again: on 5 September 2026 Baghdad and Erbil exchange bureaus were trading around 1,540-1,547 dinars per dollar, prompting rumors of an official devaluation that Iraq's central bank publicly denied that same week, saying no rate change has been made. If you want cost certainty, cash pickup generally exposes you to less of that gap than a dinar bank deposit. A 1% US federal excise tax applies to remittance transfers funded with cash, a money order or a cashier's check, effective January 2026. Transfers funded from a bank account, debit card or credit card are not subject to it — so how you pay can change the total cost. MoneyGram's US site blocks automated verification, so its row here reflects its published partner network rather than a check of current pricing or speed against MoneyGram's own corridor page.