You can send money to Kazakhstan through online transfer services like Wise, Remitly, or Western Union, through a traditional bank wire, or by using card-to-card transfers to the country’s most popular bank, Kaspi. The best method depends on whether your recipient needs cash or a bank deposit, how fast you need the money to arrive, and how much you’re willing to pay in fees.
Online Transfer Services
Several international money transfer platforms support sends to Kazakhstan, and they’re typically cheaper and faster than a traditional bank wire. The main options include Wise, Remitly, MoneyGram, Western Union, Revolut, Ria, Paysend, and Profee. Each one varies in how you can pay (bank transfer, debit card, credit card) and how your recipient gets the money (bank deposit, card deposit, cash pickup, or mobile wallet).
Wise is often the cheapest option for sending directly to a Kazakhstani bank account. It uses the mid-market exchange rate and charges a transparent percentage fee, so you can see exactly what the transfer costs before you confirm. Western Union tends to be the cheapest for cash pickup transfers, which is useful if your recipient doesn’t have a bank account or prefers to collect cash in person at a local agent location. Profee is one of the fastest providers, with same-day delivery on many transfers. PayPal also works for sends to Kazakhstan, but it’s generally more expensive than the alternatives.
Most of these platforms let you set up a transfer in minutes from your phone. You create an account, verify your identity (usually with a photo ID), enter your recipient’s details, and choose how to pay. Delivery times range from minutes for card-funded transfers to one or two business days for bank-funded ones.
Sending to a Kaspi Account
Kaspi.kz is by far the most widely used banking app in Kazakhstan, so there’s a good chance your recipient has a Kaspi Gold card. Unfortunately, you cannot top up a Kaspi Gold account directly from a foreign bank card inside the Kaspi app. But there are workarounds.
Your recipient can look up their full bank transfer details inside the Kaspi app by going to My Bank, then Kaspi Gold, then Info, then Card and Account Details. Those details include an IBAN and the bank’s SWIFT code, which you can use with any transfer service or bank wire that sends to Kazakhstan. Kaspi does not charge the recipient any fee for incoming transfers.
There’s also a Visa-based option. If your recipient enables the “Replenishment from Visa by phone number” feature in their Kaspi app (under My Bank, Kaspi Gold, Info), you may be able to send a card-to-card transfer using just their phone number, provided your bank or card issuer supports Visa Direct international transfers. The fees, limits, and processing times for this method are set by your sending bank, not by Kaspi.
Traditional Bank Wires
You can send a SWIFT wire transfer from your bank to any Kazakhstani bank account. This is the most reliable method for large amounts, but it’s also the most expensive. A typical outgoing wire costs $20 to $50 at the sending bank, and correspondent (intermediary) banks along the way may deduct additional fees. The receiving bank in Kazakhstan may also charge a small incoming wire fee. On top of all that, your bank will apply its own exchange rate markup when converting to Kazakhstani tenge, which can add another 1% to 3% to the real cost.
SWIFT transfers take one to five business days, depending on the banks involved, time zones, and whether the payment clears compliance checks. If you send the wire after your bank’s daily cutoff time, it won’t go out until the next business day. For amounts under a few thousand dollars, the fixed fees make bank wires a poor value compared to online transfer services.
What You’ll Need for the Transfer
Regardless of the method you choose, you’ll need certain details about your recipient. For bank account transfers, the two essential pieces of information are the recipient’s IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and their IIN or BIN. The IIN is an Individual Identification Number, a 12-digit code assigned to every person in Kazakhstan, similar to a tax ID. A BIN is the equivalent for businesses. Without both the IBAN and IIN/BIN entered correctly, the receiving bank may hold the funds until the information is clarified. If the details can’t be verified within 180 calendar days, the bank will return the money to you, unprocessed.
For cash pickup transfers through services like Western Union or MoneyGram, you typically just need the recipient’s full legal name as it appears on their Kazakhstani ID. The service generates a reference number that your recipient brings to a pickup location along with their ID.
Costs Compared
The total cost of sending money to Kazakhstan has three components: the upfront fee, the exchange rate markup, and any fees on the receiving end.
- Online transfer services generally charge the least overall. Many charge fees under $5 for mid-size transfers and use exchange rates close to the real mid-market rate. Card-funded transfers often cost slightly more than bank-funded ones.
- Bank wires cost $20 to $50 in sending fees alone, plus exchange rate markups and possible intermediary bank deductions. Total costs can easily reach $40 to $75 for a single transfer.
- Cash pickup services fall somewhere in between. The advertised fee may look low, but the exchange rate markup is often wider, meaning you get fewer tenge per dollar. Compare the total amount your recipient will receive, not just the fee.
The best way to compare is to check the “recipient gets” amount across two or three services for the exact amount you want to send. A service with a $0 fee but a poor exchange rate can cost more than one charging $4 with a better rate.
Currency Rules to Know About
Kazakhstan has currency control rules that affect how banks process incoming international transfers. Any foreign exchange transaction of $10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency) triggers a reporting requirement to the National Bank of Kazakhstan. For non-cash foreign currency purchases or sales, the reporting threshold is $1,000 or more. These reports are filed by the bank, not by your recipient, but larger transfers may face additional scrutiny or slight processing delays as a result.
If you’re sending payment details incorrectly, or if required fields like the IIN are missing, the receiving bank can suspend the credit to the account while it tries to sort things out. Ask your recipient to double-check every detail before you initiate the transfer, especially the IBAN and IIN. A single wrong digit can mean weeks of delay.
Picking the Right Method
For most people sending money to a friend or family member in Kazakhstan, an online transfer service to a bank account offers the best combination of low cost and fast delivery. Wise is a strong default for bank deposits, and Western Union works well when your recipient needs cash. If you’re sending a large business payment, a SWIFT wire gives you a clear paper trail and works with any Kazakhstani bank.
If your recipient uses Kaspi, have them pull up their IBAN and IIN from the app and send those details to you. That information works with virtually any transfer method, and Kaspi charges nothing on the receiving end.