How to receive or send money from abroad: SWIFT, card transfers, fees and NBU limits

You can receive money from abroad in Ukraine with no NBU limits: by SWIFT transfer to an account via IBAN, by transfer to a card through Visa or Mastercard, or in cash through money transfer systems. The cheapest option is usually a transfer in the same currency to a currency account, because you avoid double conversion. Sending money abroad from Ukraine is harder: since 11 August 2026 payments abroad from hryvnia accounts and transfers from a currency account to accounts abroad are limited to UAH 200,000 a month. Transfers from parents, children, siblings and grandparents who are Ukrainian tax residents are not taxed.

Andrii Kolisnyk November 5, 2026 6 min read

Three ways to receive money from abroad

Method	How it works	When it suits
SWIFT transfer to an account	The sender transfers money from their bank account to yours via IBAN. It goes through correspondent banks and takes one to several business days	Large and regular amounts, wages, currency transfers to a currency account
Transfer to a card by number	Through Visa or Mastercard card to card, or via online transfer services. The money arrives within minutes	Small amounts from relatives and friends when speed matters
Cash transfer	The sender pays at a money transfer point, and you receive cash or a credit using a transfer code	When the recipient has no account or card, or for one-off transfers

There are no NBU limits on receiving money from abroad. But each method has its own service and bank limits per transaction, and the bank may check large amounts as part of financial monitoring.

What you need for a SWIFT transfer

For the transfer to arrive without delays or returns, give the sender exact details:

IBAN, the account number starting with UA. A currency transfer needs an account in that currency: a dollar account for dollars, a euro account for euros.
Your first and last name in Latin letters exactly as in your international passport or your bank contract.
The bank's name and SWIFT code (BIC). You can find them in the app or on the bank's website under details for currency transfers.
A correspondent bank, if your bank requires one for a particular currency.
Payment purpose in English: for example, family support, loan repayment, salary under a contract. A vague or odd purpose often leads to extra questions.

The sender also chooses who pays the bank fees:

Option	Who pays	What you receive
OUR	The sender pays all fees, including intermediary banks	The full amount; most expensive for the sender
SHA	Each side pays its own bank's fee	The amount minus intermediary and your bank's fees
BEN	All fees are deducted from the transfer	The smallest amount

What makes up the cost of a transfer

The fee in the tariff is only part of the cost. The full price of a transfer has three parts:

The sender's fee at their bank or service.
Fees of intermediary banks and your bank for crediting, unless the sender paid them.
The conversion rate. The biggest losses often hide here: the service or bank exchanges currency at its own rate, worse than the market rate.

So for regular income, open an account in the currency you are sent, and compare not the fee but the amount that actually arrives. How to judge losses on the exchange rate and sell currency well is explained in the article on currency exchange.

What you can do with currency in your account

Keep it in currency in an account or on deposit. Whether it is better to hold savings in dollars or hryvnias is worked out in the article "A hryvnia or a dollar deposit".
Sell it to the bank and receive hryvnias on your card.
Withdraw cash. Since 11 August 2026 the limit on withdrawing foreign currency cash from currency accounts is UAH 200,000 a day in hryvnia equivalent.
Pay by card abroad. Payments for goods and services from currency cards are, with some exceptions, not limited.

How to send money from Ukraine abroad

During martial law the NBU restricts currency outflows, so sending money from Ukraine is harder than receiving it. After the easing of 11 August 2026 the main rules are:

Payments for goods and services abroad from hryvnia accounts, including by card or by SWIFT transfer after the bank buys currency, up to UAH 200,000 a month. This limit also covers renting housing abroad.
Transfers from a currency account to a recipient's account abroad for goods, works and services, also up to UAH 200,000 a month.
Paying for accommodation abroad with a currency card has a separate limit of UAH 500,000 a month, which now also covers renting housing.
Card-to-card transfers abroad have separate monthly limits shown by the bank in its app. Check them before a large transfer.

Paying for treatment, study abroad and other special cases may follow separate rules: ask your bank which documents are needed.

Taxes on transfers from abroad

A transfer in itself does not create a tax. What matters is what kind of income it is:

What you receive	Tax
A gift from parents, children, a spouse, siblings, grandparents or grandchildren who are Ukrainian tax residents	Not taxed and not declared
Repayment of a loan	Not taxed, but it is worth having proof of the loan
Material aid related to the war from foreign states, funds or charities	Not taxed and not declared
Wages, fees and other foreign income of a Ukrainian tax resident	18% personal income tax and 5% military levy, must be declared; tax paid abroad can be credited under an international treaty
A gift from a person who is not a Ukrainian tax resident	Under the Tax Code it is taxed at a higher rate and declared: check your situation with the State Tax Service

Foreign income is converted into hryvnias at the NBU rate on the date of receipt. To credit tax paid abroad, you need a certificate from the foreign tax authority stating the tax amount and the source of income, and the credit cannot exceed the tax due in Ukraine.

The tax service does not automatically see every transfer, but the bank must check unusual transactions. Regular large incoming payments from unrelated people with no explanation may lead to questions from the bank and even blocking. How such monitoring works is explained in the article on transfer limits.

How not to lose money and time

Check your name in Latin letters. A mismatch in a single letter is a common reason a SWIFT transfer is returned with fees charged twice.
Compare the final amount, not the fee. The cheapest tariff with a poor rate often turns out to be the most expensive.
Keep proof of the origin of large amounts: payslips, contracts, correspondence about a loan.
Do not accept transfers from strangers "for a percentage". An offer to receive someone else's money on your card and send it on is classic money mule recruitment.
Beware of "delayed transfers", when a stranger abroad asks you to pay a "fee" or "tax" to release a transfer sent to you. This is fraud: a real transfer never requires the recipient to pay in advance.

In short

You can receive money from abroad with no NBU limits: SWIFT to an account, a transfer to a card or a cash transfer.
The cheapest is a transfer in the same currency to a currency account, without double conversion. Compare the amount that arrives, not the fee.
Sending abroad from hryvnia accounts and from a currency account is possible within UAH 200,000 a month for each type; card to card, within the bank's limits.
Foreign currency cash can be withdrawn up to UAH 200,000 a day in hryvnia equivalent.
Gifts from close relatives who are residents are not taxed, while a Ukrainian tax resident declares wages from abroad and pays 18% plus 5%, taking into account tax paid abroad.

Figures in this article

Personal income tax18%
from January 1, 2016
Military levy on salaries and interest5%
from December 1, 2024
NBU limit on payments abroad from hryvnia accounts and transfers abroad from a currency accountUAH 200,000/mo
from August 11, 2026
Daily limit on foreign currency cash withdrawals from a currency accountUAH 200,000
from August 11, 2026

Checked against official sources on October 29, 2026. If a figure changes, we update the article and the «Updated» date changes automatically.

Sources

This article is for information only. Fees, exchange rates and available transfer methods depend on the bank and the service. Wartime NBU limits change, so check current terms with your bank before a large transfer. Tax situations involving foreign income can be complex; if in doubt, contact the State Tax Service consultation centre.

Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Let us know and we will check it against the primary source and fix it.