Repatriating Export Proceeds in Algeria: Deadlines and Rules
Repatriation of export proceeds in Algeria: the 120-day rule of Regulation 26-02 (2026), the 180-day option, currency retention and how to stay compliant.
Key takeaways
- Since Banque d'Algérie Regulation 26-02 of 23 July 2026, export proceeds must be repatriated within 120 days of the shipment date for goods, or of completion for services.
- Payment terms between 120 and 180 days are allowed only if the operation is backed beforehand by export credit insurance from the authorised national body; 180 days is the absolute maximum.
- The payment term must be written in the contract, and the money must be repatriated on the day the buyer pays.
- Under Instruction 06-2021, exporters keep all their repatriated proceeds in foreign currency: 80% for imports needed by the business and 20% for export promotion.
- Late or non-domiciled proceeds are converted into dinars, and non-repatriation can be prosecuted as an exchange-control offence.
Selling abroad is only half of an Algerian export. The other half is getting the money back into Algeria, in foreign currency, on time. Exchange control requires every export to be paid into the exporter's domiciliation bank within a deadline set by the Banque d'Algérie, and that deadline has just changed: in July 2026 it was cut from up to 360 days to 120 days as a rule, with 180 days as an absolute ceiling.
This lesson explains the current rule and where it comes from, how to count the deadline, what you may do with the currency once it arrives, and what happens if it does not. It also shows how to build payment terms and payment methods that keep you compliant while remaining competitive.
What does "repatriation of export proceeds" mean?
Repatriation of proceeds means that the foreign buyer's payment arrives in your account at the Algerian bank that domiciled the export. It is not enough for the buyer to pay into an account abroad, or for an agent to collect the money for you. According to the summaries of Regulation 26-02, the proceeds must be repatriated on the very day the non-resident customer pays.
The bank then compares the amount received with the domiciled amount and the customs export declaration. When they match, it clears the domiciliation file. This is why the bank domiciliation and the repatriation are two sides of the same file.
What is the repatriation deadline in 2026?
Regulation 26-02 rewrote Article 61 of Regulation 07-01. Its main points, as published:
| Rule | Content |
|---|---|
| Standard deadline | 120 days from the shipment date (goods) or the completion date (services) |
| Longer terms | Allowed from 121 to 180 days only if the export is backed beforehand by export credit insurance from the authorised national body |
| Maximum | 180 days is the maximum payment term an exporter may grant |
| Contract | The payment term must be expressly written in the commercial contract |
| Timing | Proceeds must be repatriated on the day of payment by the non-resident customer |
The authorised national body for export credit insurance is CAGEX (Compagnie Algérienne d'Assurance et de Garantie des Exportations), which the official exporter guide names in that role. See export credit insurance for how such policies work.
For consignment sales, Regulation 07-01 makes payment due as the consignee sells the goods, and the original text counted the 120-day period from the date of those sales. Ask your bank how the 2026 text applies to consignment.
How has the deadline changed over time?
Many guides still in circulation quote older figures. Here is the sequence of the main texts:
| Period | Text | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| From 2007 | Regulation 07-01 of 3 February 2007 | 120 days; longer terms required Banque d'Algérie authorisation |
| From 2016 | Regulation 16-04 of 17 November 2016 | Up to 360 days; terms between 180 and 360 days required prior export credit insurance |
| From August 2026 | Regulation 26-02 of 23 July 2026 | 120 days; up to 180 days with prior export credit insurance; 180 days maximum |
How do you count the deadline?
The starting point is the shipment date for goods, in practice the date of the transport document (bill of lading "shipped on board" date, air waybill date, CMR date), and the completion date for services. Agree with your bank how it counts the days and treat the deadline as the latest date for funds to be credited in Algeria, not the date the buyer orders the transfer. International transfers can take several days, and intermediary banks sometimes hold payments for compliance checks.
What can you do with the foreign currency?
Instruction 06-2021 of 29 June 2021 governs merchant and non-merchant professional foreign-currency accounts. It replaced the older split of Instruction 05-11 of 2011, under which half of the proceeds were converted into dinars.
| Share of repatriated proceeds | Use |
|---|---|
| 100% | Credited in foreign currency to your merchant (or non-merchant professional) foreign-currency account |
| 80% of it | Intended for imports of goods and services needed for your activity, or transfer to the exporter account |
| 20% of it | Can fund your exporter account, used freely for export promotion expenses (fairs, prospecting trips, samples, advertising); each payment must be justified to the domiciliation bank within one month with supporting commercial documents |
The same instruction allows advances on export proceeds (pre-payments from the buyer) to be credited to the account, and refunded if the export is cancelled. Cash withdrawals are allowed only exceptionally and in reasonable amounts.
What happens if the money does not come back?
- Conversion into dinars. Late proceeds are credited in dinars.
- Reporting. The bank follows each domiciliation file and reports files that are not cleared within the deadline.
- Exchange-control offence. Non-repatriation is an offence under Ordinance 96-22 of 9 July 1996 on breaches of the exchange-control legislation, as amended. Penalties can be heavy, so never let a file drift.
- Knock-on effects. Several incentives depend on proof of repatriation: the reimbursement of transport costs by the export promotion fund (FSPE) and, according to the official exporter guide, the income-tax exemptions on export turnover.
If a buyer defaults, act early. Notify your bank in writing, keep evidence of your collection efforts, and if you hold a CAGEX policy, declare the claim within the policy's deadline. The guide notes that an insured loss allows the bank file to be cleared through the insurer's indemnity process.
Choosing payment methods that fit the deadline
| Payment method | Repatriation risk | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Cash in advance | Very low | Domicile first, then receive the advance on the file |
| Confirmed letter of credit at sight | Low | Paid when compliant documents are presented |
| Letter of credit with deferred payment | Low credit risk, but watch the term | A deferred term above 120 days is still a term above 120 days; ask your bank whether insurance is required |
| Documents against payment (D/P) | Medium | The buyer may delay taking up documents; set a short collection period |
| Documents against acceptance (D/A) or open account | High | Use only with known buyers, short terms and, beyond 120 days, compulsory insurance |
For the mechanics of each method, see letters of credit and documentary collection.
A worked example: steel rebar to Abidjan
An Oran steel mill sells 2,500 tonnes of reinforcing bars to a distributor in Abidjan at USD 590 per tonne CFR, total USD 1,475,000. The bill of lading is dated 15 February 2027. The buyer asks for 150 days.
| Option | Payment due | Repatriation limit | Compliant? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 days from B/L, no insurance | 15 June 2027 | 15 June 2027 | Yes, but no margin for transfer delays |
| 90 days from B/L, no insurance | 16 May 2027 | 15 June 2027 | Yes, with a month of margin |
| 150 days from B/L, CAGEX policy taken before shipment | 15 July 2027 | 14 August 2027 at the latest (180 days) | Yes, if the policy is in place before the export |
| 150 days from B/L, no insurance | 15 July 2027 | 15 June 2027 | No |
The mill offers 90 days on a confirmed letter of credit, or 150 days with a CAGEX policy priced into the deal. It writes the chosen term in the contract, domiciles it, and records the repatriation limit in its shipment file.
Bank charges matter too. If the buyer's bank deducts USD 60 from the transfer, USD 1,474,940 arrives against a domiciled USD 1,475,000. Ask the buyer to pay all charges ("OUR" instruction), or give your bank the SWIFT message showing the deduction so it can clear the file.
Common mistakes
- Using old contract templates with 180-day or 360-day terms after August 2026.
- Granting extra time to a buyer informally, by email, without amending the domiciled file or taking insurance.
- Letting an agent or a related company abroad collect the payment.
- Accepting a price reduction after a quality claim without documenting it to the bank, which then sees an unpaid balance.
- Spending the 20% promotion share without keeping invoices to justify it within the month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the deadline to repatriate export proceeds in Algeria?
Under Banque d'Algérie Regulation 26-02 of 23 July 2026, which amends Regulation 07-01, exporters must repatriate the proceeds within 120 days from the shipment date for goods or the completion date for services. Terms of up to 180 days are possible only with prior export credit insurance. Check with your bank how it applies to contracts signed before the new text.
Can Algerian exporters keep their export earnings in foreign currency?
Yes. Instruction 06-2021 of 29 June 2021 allows holders of merchant or non-merchant professional foreign-currency accounts to credit the entirety of their repatriated export proceeds to that account. 80% is intended for imports of goods and services needed for the business, and 20% can fund the exporter account used for export promotion expenses.
What happens if export proceeds are repatriated late?
Under Regulation 07-01 as amended, proceeds of non-domiciled exports and proceeds repatriated after the regulatory deadline are collected in Algerian dinars, so you lose the foreign-currency retention. The bank also reports overdue files, and non-repatriation can be pursued under Ordinance 96-22 on exchange-control offences.
Is export credit insurance compulsory in Algeria?
Only when the payment term granted to the buyer exceeds 120 days. In that case, Regulation 26-02 requires the export to be backed beforehand by export credit insurance from the authorised national body, which the official exporter guide identifies as CAGEX. For shorter terms it is optional but often wise.