Trusted by 3M+ people around the world
GOOGLE PLAY •22K REVIEWS
APP STORE • 12K REVIEWS
Sending lira from Nigeria
There's a reason this corridor has been badly served. lira are a thin market for banks in Nigeria, so they price it lazily or refuse it. Africans go to Türkiye for scholarships, medical care and textile sourcing, and the lira's volatility makes a locked rate essential.
Grey treats NGN to TRY as a first-class route. You see the rate, you see the fee, and Ziraat Bankası or any Turkish bank receives a domestic credit.
How sending to Türkiye works
Sign up
Verification takes a NIN slip, BVN or international passport and usually clears while you're still filling in the recipient's details for Istanbul. Grey works with licensed partners in Nigeria and is registered with the CBN.
Fund
Top up from GTBank, Access Bank, Zenith, UBA or First Bank. Or, if a client abroad pays you in dollars, send to Türkiye from that balance and skip a conversion.
Send
Türkiye runs on IBANs. Paste the recipient's TR IBAN, confirm the NGN to TRY rate Grey shows in Lagos, and send.
Where the cost hides on this route
The TRY your recipient receives at Ziraat Bankası, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA, Akbank, Yapı Kredi is fixed at confirmation and shown separately from the fee. What you see in Lagos is what arrives.
Your rate is fixed when you tap send
Once you confirm in Lagos, the TRY amount is done. Grey carries the currency risk between confirmation and settlement in Istanbul, not you and not your recipient.
For a fee or a rent, that certainty is the point.
A route priced like an afterthought
Formal transfers from Nigeria to Türkiye were priced for years as if nobody would compare. Türkiye carries students, patients and traders at once. What they share is the need to know the lira amount before it leaves. Grey shows the comparison before you pay.
What lands at Ziraat Bankası
A normal TRY credit into the recipient's account at Ziraat Bankası, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA, Akbank, Yapı Kredi or any Turkish bank. It shows up like a domestic deposit. Your recipient in Istanbul never has to download anything, and you track it from Lagos.
TRY in, nothing out
No receiving fee, no deduction at Ziraat Bankası.
Same-day in most cases
Funded transfers from Lagos usually settle in Türkiye the same day.
If they're on Grey too
GreyTag skips the bank entirely and lands in seconds.
Funding options
Before the TRY reaches Istanbul, the money has to get onto Grey in Lagos. Nigerians top up in naira by bank transfer from GTBank, Access, Zenith, UBA or any other Nigerian bank, and the balance usually shows within minutes. Anyone paid in dollars by a foreign client can send from that USD balance and skip the naira leg. Convert to TRY when the payment to Istanbul is due.
Bank transfer
GTBank, Access Bank, Zenith, UBA or First Bank to your Grey NGN account, usually within minutes.
Foreign earnings
USD from an overseas employer or platform can fund the Türkiye transfer directly.
Wallet balance
Convert and send the same minute.
Weekly payments to Istanbul are easier with a standing balance than with a fresh top-up from Lagos every time.
The typical Nigeria to Türkiye sender
Students
Living costs for scholarship students at universities in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Konya.
Medical patients
Deposits and balances for dental, hair and fertility clinics in Istanbul.
Textile traders
Payments to wholesalers in Laleli, Merter and Osmanbey.
Family support
Monthly transfers to relatives in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and the Anatolian provinces.
Lagos and Abuja are the sending hubs. Nigerians pay tuition, suppliers and family abroad, and a growing number earn in dollars from foreign clients. On the Türkiye side, the picture is this. Africans go to Türkiye for scholarships, medical care and textile sourcing, and the lira's volatility makes a locked rate essential.
The case for Grey on this route
The value of a transparent NGN to TRY rate isn't visible on any single payment. It shows up in the annual total for a sender in Lagos, and in never having to explain to someone in Istanbul why the money arrived short.
Rate and fee shown up front in Lagos. Settlement in TRY to the recipient's own bank in Türkiye, usually the same day.
FAQs
How long does a transfer from Nigeria to Türkiye take?
Funded transfers from Lagos usually settle in Türkiye the same day. Top up your naira balance in advance so nothing waits on a bank.
What do I need to verify a Grey account in Nigeria?
A NIN slip, BVN or international passport. Verification usually clears while you are still filling in your recipient's details for Istanbul.
Which Nigerian banks can I fund my naira balance from?
GTBank, Access Bank, Zenith, UBA, First Bank or any other Nigerian bank. The transfer usually shows on your Grey balance within minutes.
What is the NGN to TRY exchange rate today?
The live NGN to TRY rate is shown in the Grey app before you confirm. The rate at confirmation is the rate applied.
Which banks in Türkiye can Grey pay?
Ziraat Bankası, İş Bankası, Garanti BBVA, Akbank, Yapı Kredi and every other Turkish bank. The lira arrives as an ordinary domestic credit.
What details do I need for my recipient in Istanbul?
Türkiye runs on IBANs, so you need the recipient's TR IBAN. Save it once and the next transfer takes three taps.
Does the person receiving in Istanbul need a Grey account?
No. The lira lands in their own bank account as a normal credit, and they never have to download anything.
Is anything deducted when the lira arrives in Türkiye?
No. There is no receiving fee and no deduction at Ziraat Bankası, so the full TRY figure you confirmed in Lagos is credited.
Can I pay Türkiye from dollars a foreign client sent me?
Yes. A USD balance on Grey, provided by Lead Bank, converts to lira in one step and skips the naira leg entirely.
Is Grey safe for sending money from Nigeria to Türkiye?
Grey is not a bank. It is a licensed financial services provider working with licensed partners in Nigeria and registered with the CBN.
What happens if my recipient in Istanbul also uses Grey?
GreyTag skips the bank entirely. Transfers between Grey users are free and land in seconds, ready to send straight on to Türkiye.
Get digital banking
at your fingertips
