FREN
Illegal

Wise and a borrowed European address: why accounts get closed

Valid as of 22 October 20264 min read

Guide 15 · valid as of 22 October 2026 · getsahla.com

Wise doesn’t let Algerian residents hold a balance. Opening an account with a relative’s address in France or Spain is a false declaration to Wise and, for you, holding assets abroad, which is banned. Wise can close the account without notice and keep the money while it investigates.

Take Lamia, a copywriter in Algiers. She opens a Wise account using her cousin’s address in Lyon. For eight months, her clients pay her in euros on Wise. Then Wise asks for a recent proof of address and proof of residence. She can’t provide them: the account is closed, with €2,300 stuck in it.

What Wise says

  • Allowed countries. Wise lists the countries where you can hold money in your account “if you live in” one of them. Algeria isn’t on the list (22 October 2026).
  • Accuracy. Everything you tell Wise must be “complete, accurate and truthful at all times” (Wise customer agreement, s. 8.2).
  • Closure. Wise can suspend or close an account “at any time” and without notice if you break the agreement (s. 25.2), and can hold your money until an investigation ends (s. 19.3). Its decision to close an account is “usually final”.
  • To Algeria. Wise doesn’t send dinars to Algeria yet: its Algeria page says the service isn’t open yet and offers a waiting list.

The methods

Illegal

Opening Wise with a relative’s address abroad

This is the most shared “fix” on social media. For Wise, it’s a false declaration and grounds for closure. Under Algerian law, a resident who keeps earnings in a foreign account holds assets abroad, which article 8 of Regulation 07-01 bans, and isn’t bringing earnings home: an exchange-control offence, punished by two to seven years in prison and a fine of at least twice the amount (Ordinance 96-22, art. 1 and 1 bis; guide 17).

The practical risks:

  • Closure at the first address or residence check, with little chance on appeal.
  • Money held during the investigation, then returned to an outside bank account you give Wise.
  • Risk to the relative whose address you used: they’re tied to an account opened on false grounds.
Illegal

Using a relative’s Wise account

Having clients pay into the Wise account of a family member abroad: your earnings stay abroad, in their name. It’s the same exchange-control offence, and legally the money is theirs (guide 18).

What to do instead

  • Ask clients to pay by SWIFT transfer straight to your foreign currency account in Algeria (guides 1 and 2).
  • If a client insists on a payment service, use Payoneer and withdraw the same day to your foreign currency account (guide 11).
  • If you already have a Wise account under another address, don’t let it grow: send the balance to your foreign currency account in Algeria and close it. Money brought home late arrives in dinars (guide 8). For a large amount, talk to a lawyer first.
  • If you really live abroad, you’re a non-resident and Wise may work for you in your country of residence (guide 28).

Key points

  • Wise doesn’t allow balances for people who live in Algeria.
  • A borrowed address means closure sooner or later, and an exchange-control offence.
  • SWIFT transfer to your foreign currency account, or Payoneer withdrawn the same day.

Sources