Send money to Indonesia
See today's live rates — and exactly what your recipient receives, after every fee.
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Today's best rates to Indonesia
As of 24 August 2026, sending £1,000 to Indonesia, your recipient gets the most with Instarem: 24,133,690.00 IDR, the best of 4 providers compared.
| Provider | Rate | Fee | Recipient gets | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24133.69 0.07% better | £0 | 24,133,690.00 IDR | Within 2 days | Send | |
24088.91 0.12% worse | £0 | 24,088,911.27 IDR | Within 2 days | Send | |
24162.60 0.19% better | £4.69 | 24,049,277.41 IDR | Within 2 days | Send | |
23320.19 3.31% worse | £0 | 23,320,188.70 IDR | 1–2 days | Send |
When you send money home to Indonesia, the cheapest route is almost always a specialist money-transfer app or company rather than your bank. The cost that matters most is hidden in the exchange rate: a bank typically keeps 1% to 4% in the rate, on top of any fee — so always judge a provider by the amount that actually arrives, not by a "no fee" claim. Below is exactly how the money reaches Indonesia, what it really costs, and how to sidestep the most expensive mistakes.
Indonesia sends millions of workers abroad, and the money they wire home keeps whole families afloat — well over US$13 billion a year flowed back in 2025.
What's different here is how it lands: alongside ordinary bank accounts, e-wallets like GoPay, OVO and DANA are everywhere, so your recipient may well want the cash dropped straight into an app on their phone rather than a branch account.
How the money reaches Indonesia
How your recipient gets paid
Indonesia does not use an IBAN. You need the recipient's bank account number and their bank name; for the international leg the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC code is used. If a form insists on an IBAN, it isn't built for Indonesia.
How the money is delivered
Once your pounds are converted, the money is delivered locally inside Indonesia. You don't choose the network — the provider does — but here is what is used.
Ways your recipient can receive it
Most providers can pay into a bank account, e-wallet (GoPay, OVO, DANA) or cash pickup. The right choice is usually whichever is cheapest and fastest for your recipient. Cash pickup is the fallback where a bank account or wallet isn't available.
What you actually pay to send money to Indonesia
The rupiah is a managed float — Bank Indonesia leans against sharp moves but doesn't fix the rate, so it drifts more than a pegged currency yet rarely lurches. That means the provider's hidden spread, not the market, is usually the biggest thing standing between you and a good deal.
The exchange-rate mark-up
The big one. Banks and some apps quote a rate a little worse than the real mid-market rate and keep the difference — often 1% to 4%. Because it is a slice of the whole amount, it usually dwarfs any upfront fee.
Correspondent-bank fees
An ordinary bank wire can pass through one or two intermediary banks, each able to take a small cut before the money arrives. Specialists using local payment networks usually avoid this entirely.
"No fee" hiding a poor rate
A headline "zero fee" means little if the rate is weak. Judge an offer by the money that actually arrives, not by whether a fee is shown — the comparison above ranks providers exactly that way.
A wallet payout can be priced differently from a bank deposit
Paying into a GoPay, OVO or DANA wallet isn't always priced like a straight bank deposit over BI-FAST. Some providers add a step or a slightly worse rate to reach the wallets; others pass on the operator's own load fee.
It's usually still cheap, but worth a glance — compare the rupiah that lands in the wallet against what the same provider delivers to a bank account, and pick whichever leaves more.
The e-wallet top-up limit trap
The e-wallet top-up limit trap
Sending to a GoPay, OVO or DANA wallet is fast and handy, but a wallet that hasn't completed full identity verification (KYC) sits at a 'basic' tier with tight caps — typically a balance ceiling of around Rp 2 million.
Upgrading to the verified tier (GoPay Plus, OVO Premier) by uploading a KTP lifts that to around Rp 10 million. A larger transfer can stall or bounce if the wallet hasn't been upgraded.
Ask your recipient to confirm their wallet is verified before you send a big amount — or pay straight to their bank account over BI-FAST, which carries no such low ceiling.
How to avoid fraud when sending money to Indonesia
On any large transfer the biggest risk is rarely the exchange rate — it is criminals getting between you and the money. These simple rules are worth knowing before you send.
Fake transfer-receipt scam
Rule: never act on a screenshot of a 'successful transfer' alone. Confirm the money has actually landed in your own banking or wallet app before you release goods or send anything back — a forged receipt is the most common trick.
OTP / PIN scam
Rule: never share your one-time code (OTP), card PIN or m-banking password to RECEIVE money. No legitimate transfer needs those to pay you — codes and PINs only ever authorise money leaving your account.
"Wrong transfer, please refund" scam
Rule: if you need to return money, make a fresh transfer yourself to details you trust — never use a reversal link, refund button or payment request the other person sends you.
Advance-fee / "unlock fee" scam
Rule: no bank, operator or e-wallet charges a fee to 'release' or 'unlock' an incoming remittance. The payout is automatic. Anyone demanding an upfront fee to free your money is a fraudster.
If you are a victim of fraud, report fraud to Bank Indonesia's contact centre (BICARA) on 131, or report cyber-fraud to the National Police via patrolisiber.id.
Is money sent to Indonesia taxed?
What the rules say
inbound remittances are generally not taxed for the recipient in Indonesia; this is general information, not tax advice
Keep your paperwork
On a large transfer the UK firm must run a source-of-funds check — that is a compliance step, not a tax. Keep evidence of where the money came from (a sale statement, pension or investment paperwork, or bank statements) and a big transfer moves through far more smoothly.
When is the best time to send money to Indonesia?
For a one-off transfer the rate on the day is what counts — and it moves constantly. The aim is less about guessing the perfect moment and more about removing risk on payments you already know are coming. As a guide, once the money is sent usually minutes — most providers pay straight to the recipient's bank account over BI-FAST, day or night.
Demand peaks hard once a year around Ramadan and Idul Fitri (Lebaran), when millions travel home for the mudik homecoming — the biggest money-sending spike of the year.
It's amplified by the THR, the religious-holiday bonus employers must pay workers before the festival, so cash flows home in the same few weeks. That crush is when providers can quietly widen their margins, so line up a big send a week or two early rather than in the rush.
Bank Indonesia actively steadies the rupiah, but it's a managed float, not a fixed peg — it can still drift, so check the rate before you send.
Lock the rate for a known date. If a payment is weeks away, many specialists let you fix today's rate now (a forward contract), so a sudden market move can't blow a hole in your budget before the money is due.
Set a target with a rate alert. For flexible transfers, you can set the rate you want and be notified (or trade automatically) when the market reaches it — useful when you have time on your side and no fixed deadline.
The costliest mistakes when sending to Indonesia
A handful of avoidable slips account for most of the money people lose. Each is easy to sidestep once you know to look.
Defaulting to your bank without comparing. The bank's rate mark-up usually costs far more than any fee, and it is easy to miss because it is built into the rate rather than shown separately.
Judging by the fee, not the amount delivered. A "no fee" offer can still be the worst deal if the rate is poor. Always compare on what actually arrives.
Mistyping the account or bank code. If the account details are wrong the transfer can bounce back after a delay, or reach the wrong account. Always check them against details your recipient sent in writing.
Trusting bank details that arrived by email. Payment-diversion fraud is a real risk — always confirm the receiving account by phone on a trusted number first.
Using an unregulated or cold-calling firm. Check the company on the FCA Register before you move any money, and never act on an out-of-the-blue offer.
Mixing up an e-wallet phone number with a bank account number. GoPay, OVO and DANA wallets are keyed to a mobile phone number, not a bank account number. If you're sending to a wallet, you need the exact registered phone number; if you're sending to a bank, you need the account number and bank name. Putting one where the other belongs is a common slip that stalls or misroutes the money. Confirm with your recipient which one they want before you start.
Getting the recipient name or bank wrong so it fails the KTP check. Indonesian banks and wallets verify the recipient's name against their KTP national ID, and many big banks have similar names (Bank Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia, Bank Central Asia). Pick the wrong bank from the list, or enter a name that doesn't match their KTP exactly — a missing surname, a nickname, a different spelling — and the transfer can bounce back. Use their full legal name and double-check the bank before you send.
How do most people send money to Indonesia?
For most people sending money home, the simplest and cheapest route is a specialist money-transfer app or company paying straight into the recipient's bank account. Judge every provider by the amount that actually arrives — and confirm the receiving details before you send.
Frequently asked questions about sending money to Indonesia
No. Indonesia does not use an IBAN. You need the recipient's bank account number and their bank name.
Most modern providers deliver straight to that account over BI-FAST, Bank Indonesia's instant rail, in minutes. For the international leg, the bank's SWIFT/BIC code may be used behind the scenes. If a form insists on an IBAN, it simply isn't set up for Indonesia.
Almost always a specialist money-transfer company rather than your bank. Compare providers by the amount that actually arrives in rupiah, counting both the exchange rate and any fee, rather than by a 'no fee' badge that can hide a poor rate.
See the live comparison above for today's ranking by the amount your recipient receives.
Usually minutes. Most providers pay straight to the recipient's bank account over BI-FAST, which runs day and night, including weekends.
The slower part is normally the identity and source-of-funds checks on the sending side, before the money leaves.
Often yes — several providers can pay into the big Indonesian e-wallets. Watch the verification tier, though: a wallet that hasn't completed full KYC has tight balance and top-up caps, so a larger transfer can stall. Paying straight to a bank account over BI-FAST avoids that ceiling.
Inbound remittances are generally not taxed for the person receiving them in Indonesia. The money lands as rupiah, ready to spend or move on.
This is general information, not tax advice — check with a qualified Indonesian adviser if you are unsure.
BI-FAST is Bank Indonesia's real-time retail payment rail. It moves money between banks and many e-wallets around the clock, usually settling in seconds, which is why a well-chosen provider can have funds in your recipient's account in minutes rather than days.
QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) is Indonesia's national QR-code payment standard, built by Bank Indonesia. Your recipient mainly uses it to pay shops and people locally once the money is in their account or wallet — it is part of why funds are so easy to spend the moment they arrive.
Our sources & how we keep this current
Last updated: June 2026. The live rates above refresh automatically, and we review the rest of this guide every month — updating it whenever the rules on payments, tax or regulation change.
Sending to Indonesia from another country?
Our live comparison can't always quote transfers that start outside the UK yet. These verified provider shortlists cover popular routes into Indonesia: