Selling flat in Belarus. How do you get money back to the US?

[Enigma11561 336]

My wife is finishing the privatization of her flat in Belarus and already has a buyer. Her mom lives in her own flat so this one is no longer needed. I would appreciate any advice on how to bring/transfer this money back to the US, other than stuffing it in your socks. thanks.

[Mariana2012 89]

Well you can bring it in the form of travel checks ( not sure if the $10,000/ person rule applies to those), but you can also transfer it from the bank there to a bank acct in the US. But the transaction has to be made in person from Belarus.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Mariana2012

[Lisa and Ian 7]

My wife is finishing the privatization of her flat in Belarus and already has a buyer. Her mom lives in her own flat so this one is no longer needed. I would appreciate any advice on how to bring/transfer this money back to the US, other than stuffing it in your socks. thanks.

My husband lives in the US but gets paid in the UK. He has used XE for ages and it's very reliable.

[Hollyday 122]

you can also transfer it from the bank there to a bank acct in the US. But the transaction has to be made in person from Belarus.

I'm in Russia but this is still worth double-checking in my opinion: i transferred a substantial sum (over 10k USD) to my husband via electronic banking and i only had to confirm to them that the beneficiary was not a resident of Russia for them to process it (confirmation was also done through electronic banking channels). Maybe this could also work there? I'd just investigate which bank charges least for this. Mine charged $150 (that was their maximum fee for this type of transfer). From my experience as a bank employee, transactions in the office are usually more expensive.

[baron555 934]

Well you can bring it in the form of travel checks ( not sure if the $10,000/ person rule applies to those), but you can also transfer it from the bank there to a bank acct in the US. But the transaction has to be made in person from Belarus.

Yep, they will just need your US bank's routing number, account number and Swift number (get from bank). We have monies transferred from her flat rentals to here all the time.

Only downside is the fluctuating Ruble - Dollar value.

[SMR 368]

This question comes up occasionally and there are some threads about it if you search. However, these types of questions are actually fairly country specific and, as you are probably aware, not simple. I don't know about Belarus, but Russia greatly impedes the operation of foreign banks on its soil. For smaller amounts, simply withdrawing cash at an ATM using a bank card can be a good method. If you chose the right banks you can get away without a fee. For the amounts you are talking about, you probably want to just bite the bullet and do a bank transfer. The fee will end up being a small amount compared to the total. You just need information about the US account you want to transfer the money to.

[Enigma11561 336]

We are talking about maybe $40,000USD. She can deposit this in her local bank and take $10,000 cash back with her. I understand this is the max. But who wants to make 4 trips? I cannot find a Belarus bank with an office in the US much less in NY where we can simply withdraw the money. We do not mind paying some type of transfer fee ( like maybe at a western union office, if that is a viable option) but don't want to run into any conflicts either.

[baron555 934]

Don't need a bank with a US branch. Any major bank can make the international wire transfer. They will need the three numbers from your bank to complete the transactions. This is done all the time and Belarus banks know what to do.

[Noel194 53]

We are talking about maybe $40,000USD. She can deposit this in her local bank and take $10,000 cash back with her. I understand this is the max. But who wants to make 4 trips? I cannot find a Belarus bank with an office in the US much less in NY where we can simply withdraw the money. We do not mind paying some type of transfer fee ( like maybe at a western union office, if that is a viable option) but don't want to run into any conflicts either.

SHe can bring $40,000 cash back the $10,000 limit is for declaration. ALl she has to do is declare it at customs and she is fine. There is no "limit" on the amount of cash you can bring into the USA on a $10,000 limit on UNDECLARED cash.

[Darnell 8,478]

We are talking about maybe $40,000USD. She can deposit this in her local bank and take $10,000 cash back with her. I understand this is the max. But who wants to make 4 trips? I cannot find a Belarus bank with an office in the US much less in NY where we can simply withdraw the money. We do not mind paying some type of transfer fee ( like maybe at a western union office, if that is a viable option) but don't want to run into any conflicts either.

huh?

10,000 is NOT the max.

if one carries over 9,999.99 then it has to be declared at the Customs desk. That's all. She could bring in 40,000 usd in cash no problem, just fill out the form.

She's not taxed on it, either.

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Would it make sense to get paid in Euros, then deposit it in some EU bank , instead? Then use the money there to set up a stock trading account? (all before she transits into the USA)