Freelancing legally in Algeria comes down to four things: auto-entrepreneur status (register online with ANAE and get an answer within three working days), a professional foreign currency account, clients found on platforms or through jobs open to Algeria, and payments that land in that account on the day the client pays. For tax, plan on 0.5% of your turnover, with a minimum of 10,000 DA a year, plus CASNOS.
Take Amel, a graphic designer in Constantine. She already works for two local agencies and wants clients in France and Canada. Here’s what she needs to sort out, in order, and the shortcuts she’ll see on social media.
The whole route in one table
| Question | Short answer | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Which status? | Auto-entrepreneur, if your activity is on ANAE’s list | 5 |
| Which account? | A trader’s account in dinars and foreign currency, no trade register needed | 6 |
| Where do I find clients? | Freelance platforms, “worldwide” jobs, your network | 25 and 3 |
| How do I get paid? | Transfer to your currency account, or Payoneer and PayPal as a pass-through | 1 |
| Before I’m paid? | Declare the project to your bank | 7 |
| How long do I have? | The client pays within 120 days, and the money comes home the same day | 9 |
| How much tax? | 0.5% of turnover, 10,000 DA minimum, plus CASNOS | 13 |
Your status: auto-entrepreneur, if your job is on the list
Auto-entrepreneur status, created by Law 22-23Loi 22-23 du 18 décembre 2022 portant statut de l'auto-entrepreneur (JO n° 85 de 2022), is the legal way to invoice foreign clients in your own name (guide 5). There are three conditions: you live in Algeria, your activity is on the list in Executive Decree 23-197Décret exécutif 23-197 du 25 mai 2023 (activités éligibles et inscription au registre national de l'auto-entrepreneur, JO n° 37 de 2023) (it has nearly 300 “digital services and related activities”), and your turnover stays under 5,000,000 DA a year.
Amel finds “freelance graphic designer” on the list. She registers on anae.dz, gets her card, joins CASNOS within ten days of starting work, and has her tax number (NIF) validated at her tax office. If you’re an employee and want to freelance on the side, the sources we checked don’t settle it, so ask ANAE first.
With her card, she opens a trader’s account in dinars and in foreign currency. Three documents are enough, with no trade register, and her export earnings land in it 100% in foreign currency (guide 6).
Clients: where to look without wasting your time
Lots of applications go unanswered because the job was never open to people based in Algeria. “Remote US” or “EU only” means no. “Worldwide”, “EMEA” or a nearby time zone are worth a try (guide 25).
- Freelance platforms: Upwork for international clients, Mostaql and Khamsat for Arabic-speaking clients (guide 3).
- Remote job boards that filter by country: Himalayas, We Work Remotely, Remotive, Arc.dev, Jobgether.
- LinkedIn, with a polished English profile, and your own network.
A real client or employer never asks you for money, never has you install software during an interview, and never routes money through your account (guide 26).
Getting paid: a currency account, a declaration, same-day transfers
Before the first payment, Amel declares the project to her bank: what it is, the price and the date it goes online (Regulation 07-01, art. 57Règlement 21-01 du 28 mars 2021 modifiant le règlement 07-01 (articles 57 et 67), p. 2; guide 7). Without that declaration, the bank credits the money in dinars. Under Regulation 26-02Règlement 26-02 du 23 juillet 2026 modifiant l'article 61 du règlement 07-01 (JO n° 58 du 12 août 2026), her client has at most 120 days after the service to pay, and the money must reach Algeria on the day they pay (guide 9).
Direct transfer, or Payoneer and PayPal emptied straight away
The client pays by international transfer in euros or dollars to Amel’s currency account. That’s the standard route (guide 1). If they can’t send a transfer, Payoneer or PayPal can work as a pass-through, as long as the money moves on to that account the day it arrives (guides 11 and 14).
Grey and withdrawals converted to dinars
From Algeria, Grey opens a euro account and a pound sterling account. One Grey page offers to convert the money to dinars and withdraw it to your bank, while other pages on the same site say that withdrawal doesn’t exist for Algeria (guide 12). The conversion happens at Grey, not at a licensed Algerian bank. You lose your foreign currency, and no text we’ve read says whether this conversion complies with exchange rules. It isn’t an official route, and the risk is yours.
Keeping your earnings abroad or in crypto
A balance sitting on Payoneer, PayPal, Grey or a relative’s account counts as assets held abroad, which Article 8 of Regulation 07-01Règlement 07-01 du 3 février 2007 relatif aux règles applicables aux transactions courantes avec l'étranger et aux comptes devises (version d'origine), p. 2 bans. Not bringing your earnings home is an exchange offence (Ordinance 96-22, art. 1Ordonnance 03-01 modifiant l'ordonnance 96-22 (JO n° 12 de 2003), p. 14; guide 17). Wise with a European address adds a false declaration on top (guide 15). Getting paid in USDT or topping up a card with crypto carries two months to a year in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 1,000,000 DA, or one of the two (Law 25-10Loi 25-10 du 24 juillet 2025 modifiant la loi 05-01 (JO n° 48 de 2025); guide 16).
Tax: 0.5%, plus CASNOS
| Annual turnover | 0.5% | Amel pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1,200,000 DA | 6,000 DA | 10,000 DA (minimum) |
| 2,000,000 DA | 10,000 DA | 10,000 DA |
| 4,000,000 DA | 20,000 DA | 20,000 DA |
The IFU is worked out on turnover, not profit. Amel files her estimate (G12) before 30 June and her final return (G12 bis) before 20 January. She also pays CASNOS: 15% of her declared base, or a flat 24,000 DA a year (guide 13).
Your checklist
- Activity checked on ANAE’s list, auto-entrepreneur card, NIF validated, CASNOS.
- A trader’s foreign currency account at a branch that accepts your payment tools.
- Jobs open to Algeria, and no recruiter who asks you for money.
- A declaration to your bank before each new project, then the money home on payment day.
- G12 before 30 June, G12 bis before 20 January.
Sources
- Law 22-23 of 18 December 2022 on auto-entrepreneur status, art. 2 and 4: Official Journal no. 85 of 2022, p. 5, accessed 21 October 2026.
- Executive Decree 23-197 of 25 May 2023: art. 17, three working days, Official Journal no. 37 of 2023, p. 11, accessed 21 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Regulation 07-01 of 3 February 2007: art. 8, assets abroad, p. 2, original text accessed 18 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Regulation 21-01 of 28 March 2021: art. 2, new Article 57 of Regulation 07-01, p. 2, original text accessed 18 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Regulation 26-02 of 23 July 2026, art. 2 rewriting Article 61 of Regulation 07-01: Official Journal no. 58 of 12 August 2026, p. 28, accessed 21 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Instruction 06-2021 of 29 June 2021: art. 4, 100% of earnings, p. 1, original text accessed 18 October 2026.
- Ordinance 96-22 as amended: Ordinance 03-01, art. 2 (new Article 1), Official Journal no. 12 of 2003, p. 14, accessed 22 October 2026.
- Law 25-10 of 24 July 2025: art. 6 bis, ban, Official Journal no. 48 of 2025, p. 7; art. 31 bis, penalty, p. 12, accessed 21 October 2026.
- 2024 Finance Law: art. 18, 0.5% rate, Official Journal no. 86 of 2023, p. 11, accessed 21 October 2026.
- 2025 Finance Law: art. 29, 10,000 DA minimum, Official Journal no. 84 of 26 December 2024, p. 11, accessed 21 October 2026.
- 2023 Finance Law: art. 51, 5,000,000 DA ceiling, Official Journal no. 89 of 2022, p. 21, accessed 21 October 2026.
- Grey, withdrawing freelance earnings in Algeria, updated 16 October 2026, and opening a foreign currency account in Algeria, accessed 22 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can you freelance legally in Algeria?
Yes. Auto-entrepreneur status (Law 22-23) lets you invoice foreign clients in your own name, as long as your activity is on the list in Executive Decree 23-197, which includes nearly 300 digital services. You register online with ANAE and get an answer within three working days.
How much tax does an auto-entrepreneur freelancer pay in Algeria?
0.5% of turnover as the IFU flat tax, with a minimum of 10,000 DA a year, plus CASNOS contributions: 15% of your declared base or a flat 24,000 DA a year. The status stops at 5,000,000 DA of turnover a year.
What's the best way to get paid by a foreign client?
An international transfer in euros or dollars straight to your professional foreign currency account at an Algerian bank. Payoneer and PayPal work too, as long as you move the money to that account on the day it arrives.
Can I keep my earnings on Payoneer or a crypto card?
No. For a resident, a balance kept abroad is banned (Regulation 07-01, art. 8), and crypto assets have been illegal since Law 25-10: two months to a year in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 1,000,000 DA, or one of the two.