Official or parallel rate: which one applies when you buy a home in Algeria?

Since the 2025 finance law, property transactions must be paid by means other than cash, through banking and financial channels. Money you send from abroad to pay a notary, a developer or a seller is converted by the bank at its official rate. For ENPI programmes (LPP, LPL), non-residents pay in foreign currency at the official Banque d’Algérie rate by design.

The price is fixed in dinars. Divide it by a higher rate and you need fewer euros; divide it by a lower rate and you need more. When the parallel rate is far above the official one, a home that looks like 90,000 EUR at the parallel rate needs 90,000 EUR multiplied by the ratio between the two rates when you pay through a bank. The live figures are below and in the calculator.

• Without a bank trace you have no legal proof that you paid, which weakens you if the sale is disputed.
• Writing a lower price in the deed than the one really paid is under-declaration: the tax office can reassess the value using its reference grid, and you lose proof of your real cost when you resell.
• Proof of the origin of funds is part of the notary’s and the bank’s checks. Money that cannot be traced can block the signature.
• Cash or informal transfers to a seller abroad leave you exposed to fraud with no recourse.

• Negotiate and compare in dinars, never in “euros at the Square”.
• Convert your budget at the official rate plus your bank’s margin, then add about 7 to 8% for fees.
• Ask your bank for a written estimate of the amount that will arrive in Algeria.
• If the numbers stop working, compare with renting, a smaller unit, or a city where the price per m² is lower.