Guide 10 · valid as of 22 October 2026 · getsahla.com
The money in your professional foreign currency account is there for your business: software, equipment, training, work trips. You spend it by transfer or by card, and cash withdrawals are for exceptional cases only. The rules don’t cover personal spending.
Take Amel, a graphic designer in Blida. A Belgian agency pays her €1,500 a month into her foreign currency account. With the Visa card linked to the account, she pays for Adobe, a font licence and an online course. For her holiday in Istanbul, she uses her travel allowance, not this account.
The basic rule
Regulation 21-01Règlement 21-01 du 28 mars 2021 modifiant le règlement 07-01 (articles 57 et 67) set the rule for services sold online: your earnings go into your foreign currency account “to be used first and exclusively for the needs of [your] business” (Regulation 07-01, art. 57Règlement 21-01 du 28 mars 2021 modifiant le règlement 07-01 (articles 57 et 67), p. 2).
The account can never go overdrawn (Instruction 06-2021, art. 3Instruction 06-2021 du 29 juin 2021 relative au compte devise commerçant et au compte devise professionnel non commerçant). If you close it, the balance is converted to dinars (art. 11 and 12).
Two accounts, two lists
Instruction 06-2021Instruction 06-2021 du 29 juin 2021 relative au compte devise commerçant et au compte devise professionnel non commerçant sets up two kinds of professional foreign currency account, with different rules. The texts don’t say which one an auto-entrepreneur gets: Circular 2024/01Circulaire 2024/01 du 30 janvier 2024 de la Banque d'Algérie (non publiée ; d'après Algérie Eco) talks about a “commercial account”, but banks don’t all apply the same rules. Ask your branch, in writing, which kind of account it opened for you.
| What you want to do | Non-trader professional account (art. 12) | Trader account (art. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Pay a supplier abroad by transfer | Yes, if it’s a business expense | Yes, for imports of goods and services for the business |
| Pay online by card (software, hosting, training) | Yes, if it’s for the business | Yes, as an import of services for the business |
| Withdraw foreign currency in cash | Exceptionally, as top-up cash for a business trip, on written request | Exceptionally, for a reasonable amount (art. 5) |
| Convert to dinars | Not mentioned in the text; ask your bank | Yes, at your request |
| Transfer to another foreign currency account in your name | Not provided for | Only to another trader account in your name |
Anything not on the trader account’s list needs the Bank of Algeria’s opinion (art. 7).
The methods
Pay business expenses by transfer or card
Set out in Instruction 06-2021Instruction 06-2021 du 29 juin 2021 relative au compte devise commerçant et au compte devise professionnel non commerçant (art. 7 and 12) and article 57 of Regulation 07-01Règlement 21-01 du 28 mars 2021 modifiant le règlement 07-01 (articles 57 et 67), p. 2.
- Cost: your bank’s fees (international transfer, card fees).
- Timing: instant by card; a few days by transfer.
Steps
- Ask your bank for an international card (Visa or Mastercard) linked to the foreign currency account. Several banks offer one with the auto-entrepreneur account, BDL among them (guide 6).
- Use it for subscriptions, software, hosting, tools and training linked to your work.
- If a supplier doesn’t take cards, ask your branch for an international transfer and bring the invoice.
- Keep every invoice, filed by month: the bank can ask how a payment relates to your business.
Withdraw foreign currency cash, as an exception
Set out in Instruction 06-2021Instruction 06-2021 du 29 juin 2021 relative au compte devise commerçant et au compte devise professionnel non commerçant (art. 5 and 12): for a business trip, such as a trade fair or a client meeting abroad. Ask in writing, explain the trip, and keep the withdrawal slip the bank gives you. Keep the amount reasonable.
Using the account’s card for personal spending
Very common, but no text allows it: the account is “exclusively” for business needs. It isn’t an official route. Your bank can block the card or ask for proof. For personal trips, use the travel allowance (guide 19).
Moving the balance to your personal foreign currency account
Common in freelancer groups, but no text we’ve read provides for it (guide 6). Ask your branch in writing what it accepts before you do it.
Withdrawing cash to sell on the square
Selling foreign currency to a private buyer for dinars 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 explains why the rate gap makes it tempting, and what you risk.
Key points
- Your business foreign currency pays for business expenses, by transfer or card.
- Cash: exceptional only, for a business trip.
- Ask your bank which kind of account you have: the rules differ.
Sources
- Bank of Algeria Instruction 06-2021 of 29 June 2021: art. 3 and 5, p. 1; art. 7, trader account, p. 2; art. 11 and 12, non-trader professional account, p. 3, original text read on 22 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 read on 22 October 2026.
- Bank of Algeria Circular 2024/01 of 30 January 2024 (unpublished), as reported by Algérie Eco, 1 April 2024, read on 18 October 2026.
- Ordinance 96-22 as amended: Ordinance 03-01, art. 3 (article 1 bis, penalties) and art. 4 (article 2), Official Journal no. 12 of 2003, p. 14; Ordinance 10-03, rewritten art. 1 bis, Official Journal no. 50 of 2010, p. 8, read on 22 October 2026.