For foreign clients, the account that matters is the business foreign currency account. With an auto-entrepreneur card you open it with three documents and no trade register, and your declared earnings land in it 100% in foreign currency (Instruction 06-2021, art. 2 and 4; Circular 2024/01). That money is meant "first and exclusively" for your business (Regulation 07-01, art. 57). Nothing we’ve read provides for getting your invoices paid into a personal foreign currency account, and moving money from the business account to the personal one is a grey zone (guides 6, 8 and 10, as of 22 October 2026).
Take Sofiane, a video editor in Tizi Ouzou. He already has a personal foreign currency account, opened years ago for money his uncle sent. A Belgian client offers him €800 a month, and his first instinct is to hand over that account’s IBAN. Here’s why it’s the wrong one.
What the rules say about your export earnings
All of these rules are about the trader’s foreign currency account or the non-trader business foreign currency account. The personal account isn’t mentioned. So Sofiane opens a trader’s account in dinars and foreign currency at a bank that handles SWIFT transfers (guides 6 and 24), and declares the project before the first invoice (guide 7).
Trader or non-trader: ask which one you have
Instruction 06-2021Instruction 06-2021 du 29 juin 2021 relative au compte devise commerçant et au compte devise professionnel non commerçant sets out two business accounts with different rules. It doesn’t say which one an auto-entrepreneur gets, and banks don’t all apply the same grid (guide 10).
| What you want to do | Non-trader business account (art. 12) | Trader’s account (art. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Pay for software, hosting or a course by card | Yes, if it’s for the business | Yes, if it’s for the business |
| Withdraw foreign currency in cash | As an exception, for a business trip | As an exception, a reasonable amount (art. 5) |
| Convert to dinars | Not mentioned; ask your bank | Yes, on request |
| Transfer to another account in your name | Not provided for | Only to another trader’s account |
The account can never go overdrawn (art. 3), and if you close it, the balance is converted to dinars (art. 11 and 12).
The methods
Get paid into the business foreign currency account, after declaring the project
- Register with ANAE and get your auto-entrepreneur card (guide 5).
- Open a trader’s account in dinars and foreign currency, one account per currency your clients pay in (guide 6). If the branch asks for a trade register, cite Circular 2024/01Circulaire 2024/01 du 30 janvier 2024 de la Banque d'Algérie (non publiée ; d'après Algérie Eco).
- Declare each project to the bank before the first invoice (guide 7).
- Give your client that account’s IBAN and the bank’s SWIFT code.
- Pay business expenses in foreign currency with the account’s card, and convert to dinars at the bank only what you need (guides 10 and 30).
Moving money from the business account to your personal one, or using the business card for personal spending
Very common in freelancer groups, but nothing we’ve read provides for it: the account is “exclusively” for business needs. It isn’t an official route, and the risk is yours. The bank can refuse the transfer, block the card or ask for paperwork. Ask your branch in writing what it accepts first. For personal trips, there’s the travel allowance: €750 per calendar year from age 19 (guide 19).
Getting a relative to collect your payments, or selling your currency on the square
Having clients pay into a relative’s account abroad keeps your earnings out of Algeria, which is an exchange offence (guide 18). Withdrawing your foreign currency to sell it on the square, at about 275 DA per euro against 151 DA at the bank in mid-October 2026, is currency exchange outside the official system: two to seven years in prison, a fine of at least twice the amount, and confiscation (Ordinance 96-22, art. 1 bisOrdonnance 03-01 modifiant l'ordonnance 96-22 (JO n° 12 de 2003), p. 14 and 2; guide 30).
Key points
- Foreign invoices go to the business foreign currency account, not the personal one.
- Declare every project: that’s what keeps 100% of your earnings in foreign currency.
- Ask in writing which type of account the bank opened for you, and what it accepts between business and personal.
Sources
- Bank of Algeria Instruction 06-2021 of 29 June 2021: art. 2, 3, 4 and 5, p. 1; art. 7, p. 2; art. 11 and 12, p. 3, original text accessed 22 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Regulation 21-01 of 28 March 2021: art. 2 and 5, new Articles 57 and 67 of Regulation 07-01, p. 2, original text accessed 22 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Circular 2024/01 of 30 January 2024 (unpublished), as reported by Algérie Eco, 1 April 2024, accessed 18 October 2026.
- Official and square rates on 16 October 2026: Observ’Algérie, 16 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.
- Ordinance 96-22 as amended: Ordinance 03-01, art. 3 (Article 1 bis) and art. 4 (Article 2), Official Journal no. 12 of 2003, p. 14, accessed 22 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my freelance payments into my personal foreign currency account?
The rules on service export earnings (Regulation 07-01, art. 57 and 67; Instruction 06-2021) talk about the trader's or the non-trader business foreign currency account. Nothing we've read provides for getting your invoices paid into a personal foreign currency account. Ask your bank, in writing, how it handles these transfers.
What documents do I need for a business foreign currency account?
With an auto-entrepreneur card, three documents are enough: the card, ID and proof of address, with no trade register (Bank of Algeria Circular 2024/01, announced by ANAE).
Will the bank convert part of my foreign currency into dinars?
No, if the project was declared and the money came home on time: 100% lands in foreign currency (Instruction 06-2021, art. 4). The '80/20' rule going around online is wrong.
Can I move money from my business account to my personal account?
Lots of people do, but nothing we've read provides for it, so it's a grey zone. Ask your branch in writing what it accepts before you do it.