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The short answer
Give your Nigerian bank a transfer instruction with your US bank's incoming international wire details (SWIFT code, any intermediary bank, your account number and name exactly as held). Under the CBN FX Manual 2026, holders of self-funded domiciliary accounts can send up to US$10,000 a day by telegraphic transfer without Form A, per Mondaq. Ask for the SWIFT confirmation (MT103) once the money is sent.
If you left Nigeria with dollars sitting in a domiciliary account, or you have been receiving dollars there, wiring them to your own account in the US is usually the cleanest way to bring them over. It is a bank-to-bank SWIFT payment in the same currency, so no naira conversion is involved. The work is in getting the details exactly right and keeping the paper trail.
What the 2026 rules allow
The CBN's Foreign Exchange Manual, fourth edition, took effect on 1 June 2026. Summaries published since then agree on the main change for personal dom accounts:
- Mondaq (Pavestones, 24 June 2026): Form A is no longer required for outward remittances by holders of self-funded domiciliary accounts, and such holders can make direct telegraphic transfers of up to US$10,000 per day.
- TheNigeriaLawyer (2 June 2026): ordinary dom holders have unfettered access to their balances for eligible transactions, and Form A is not mandatory for remittances funded from those accounts.
'Self-funded' matters. Dollars that arrived in the account from abroad, or were deposited by you, are the typical case. If the balance came from dollars a bank sold you for a specific purpose, those dollars are meant for that purpose.
Details to collect from your US bank
US banks publish separate instructions for incoming international wires, and they are not always the same as the details on your cheques or statements. Get them from your bank's website or app, or ask the bank, and copy them exactly.
- Beneficiary name
- Your name exactly as it appears on the US account
- Account number
- Your US account number
- Bank name and address
- As given in the incoming international wire instructions
- SWIFT/BIC
- The US bank's SWIFT code for incoming international wires
- Intermediary bank
- If your bank names one for incoming USD wires, include its name and SWIFT code
- Reference
- A short purpose line, such as 'transfer to own account'
Swapped digits or a missing intermediary are the most common reasons a wire stalls or comes back. See intermediary banks for USD wires.
Steps at the Nigerian bank
- Check the account is active and your BVN and contact details are current; a restricted account cannot send.
- Find the bank's foreign transfer route: some banks accept instructions through the app or internet banking for dom accounts, others need a signed instruction sent to your branch or the bank's diaspora desk.
- Complete the transfer instruction with the US details above and sign it to match your mandate.
- Attach any document the bank asks for. Even without Form A, a bank may ask the purpose and, for larger sums, how the balance was built up.
- Approve the charges. Banks publish their own tariffs; FirstBank's FAQ, for example, says dom holders with balances of US$30,000 or more pay transfer charges of no more than 0.25%. Correspondent banks may also deduct a fee in transit.
- Ask for the debit advice and the SWIFT confirmation (MT103). It carries the reference your US bank needs to trace the payment.
For larger amounts above the daily cap, ask the bank whether it will process several daily instructions, and keep each confirmation. Do not split amounts to avoid questions: banks on both sides look for that pattern.
At the US end
- Your bank records each incoming funds transfer of US$3,000 or more, with the originator details that travel with the payment, under the FFIEC funds-transfer recordkeeping rules. Since the sender is you, the names should match.
- If your bank asks about the funds, the MT103, your Nigerian statement and a line on where the dollars came from usually answer it. See why US banks question wires from Nigeria.
- If your Nigerian accounts together exceeded US$10,000 at any time in the year, include them on your FBAR (IRS comparison page).
If a wire has left Nigeria but not arrived, use the MT103 to trace it: tracing a stuck wire.
How long it takes
A SWIFT wire passes from your Nigerian bank to a correspondent bank and then to your US bank, so timing depends on each bank's cut-off time and on working days at both ends. An instruction sent on a Friday afternoon in Lagos, or just before a US public holiday, will often not be credited until the next US business day or later. If the money has not arrived after several US business days, ask the Nigerian bank to confirm the payment left and to give you the MT103. US holiday effects are covered in US bank holidays and transfer delays.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme account holds USD alongside NGN, GBP and EUR, each with its own account details, so dollars can stay dollars until you decide what to do with them, and Send shows the fee before you approve. Outside Nigeria, Pryme's activities are carried out through regulated partners. See multicurrency.
Questions people ask
Can I transfer money from my domiciliary account to my US account?
Yes. Under the 2026 FX Manual, self-funded dom holders can send telegraphic transfers of up to US$10,000 a day without Form A, according to Mondaq.
What details do I need for a wire to a US bank?
Your exact account name and number, the US bank's SWIFT code and address from its incoming international wire instructions, and any intermediary bank it names.
How much does a dom account transfer cost?
Each bank sets its own tariff. FirstBank says dom holders with US$30,000 or more pay no more than 0.25%; correspondent fees may also apply.
What is an MT103 and why do I need it?
It is the SWIFT confirmation of the payment. Your US bank uses its reference to trace a wire that has not arrived.
Sources
- Mondaq (Pavestones): Key regulatory update in Nigeria, the CBN Foreign Exchange Manual 2026, 24 Jun 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
- TheNigeriaLawyer: CBN grants domiciliary account holders unrestricted access to dollar balances, 2 Jun 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
- FirstBank: FAQs · accessed Oct 2026
- FFIEC BSA/AML Manual: Funds Transfers Recordkeeping · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS: Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.