How to Verify PayPal Account in Nigeria
After creating your PayPal account, the next step is to verify it with your debit card. Without verification, there would be limitations on your account.
In this article, you will learn how to verify PayPal account in Nigeria with ease. You will also learn what works and what doesn’t.
Table of Contents
Why you need to verify your PayPal Account
When you create a PayPal account, PayPal only asks you for basic information like your names, email address and phone number.
As a payment platform, PayPal is under legal obligation to know more about its users.
Mind you, there are two types of verifications on PayPal. The first verification involves linking your debit card to PayPal. When you do this, PayPal will deduct a small from the account and a code will appear on your statement of account.
You will need to provide this code to PayPal to prove that the account belongs to you.
The second verification will be requested when you meet a certain threshold. Probably when you do a transaction of $10,000 within a year. In this verification, you will need to provide your identity card and statement of account or utility bill to prove your address.
When I opened my PayPal account, I used it for about 7 years without the need to do the second verification. The second verification became necessary when I began to do bigger transactions with the account.
Completing the first verification by adding your card also makes it easier for you to make payments with your PayPal account even when you don’t have funds in the account. If you do not have funds in the account, PayPal will charge the card you used to verify your account instead.
Nigerian Cards that No longer work for PayPal Verification
Access Bank Visa Naira Card
This card used to work until it stopped. The last time I tried to use the Access Bank Visa card to verify my PayPal account was in 2021 after the previous card had expired, surprisingly, it did not work. Access Bank blocked it’s Naira card from working on PayPal.
Zenith Bank Naira MasterCard
The Zenith Bank Naira MasterCard was my go to card for PayPal verification. Everyone I recommended this card to for PayPal verification used it and it worked.
However, during the CBN dollar limit policy, the card stopped working for PayPal verifications.
UBA Naira MasterCard
I discovered this card from colleagues who had a United Bank for Africa account. This card used to work on PayPal until the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced the dollar limit.
Stanbic IBTC Naira MasterCard
This was one of the best cards for verifying PayPal accounts. When you added this card to your PayPal account, the verification was almost instant.
For other cards, I had to wait for 3 days before the PayPal verification code appeared on my statement of account but when I used the Stanbic IBTC Naira MasterCard to verify, it appeared immediately.
Note that your experience might be different.
The Stanbic IBTC Naira card also stopped working after the dollar limit policy.
Sterling Bank Debit Card
I didn’t try this as I do not have a Sterling Bank account but a friend used the Sterling Bank MasterCard to verify his PayPal account and it worked.
Like other cards, the Sterling Bank Debit card also stopped working.
Best Cards to Verify PayPal account in Nigeria
Currently, the best cards that you can use to verify your PayPal account are dollar debit cards or crypto cards that you can fund with USDT.
With no ranking order, here are the best cards you can use to verify your PayPal account.
GTBank Dollar MasterCard
The GTBank Dollar MasterCard can be used to verify your PayPal account with ease. All you need to do is to open a domiciliary account with Guaranty trust Bank and request for the dollar MasterCard. This card will cost you ₦1,050.
After getting the card, you need to fund it with at least $2. If you don’t earn online, you may have to buy dollars from a bureau de change but the minimum most BDC might sell to you is $10.
Access Bank Dollar Visa Card
This is the best card I recommend for PayPal verification, you will find out why it’s the best soon.
To get this card, you need to open an Access Bank domiciliary account.
Unlike GTBank where you can open a domiciliary account without any initial deposit, Access demands you have a $100 before you can open its domiciliary account. The money will be credited into your account when it is opened.
If you do not have a domiciliary account yet and you can afford the $100 initial deposit, I strongly recommend you open an Access Bank domiciliary account.
The Access Bank dollar Visa card will cost you $10 but it comes with its own perks. With the Access Bank dollar Visa card, you can withdraw funds from your PayPal account directly into your Access Bank account.
You do not need to go through a PayPal exchanger. For this reason, the Access Bank Visa card is the best card for PayPal verification.
PYYPL Card
Pyypl is a Dubai based virtual card provider that lets you create a virtual MasterCard debit card that can be funded with USDT.
If you do not want to go through the tussle of opening a domiciliary account, you can try this option.
Create a Pyypl account by downloading the app and signing up with your correct details. After you sign up, you will need to verify your identity.
I used my NIN card to verify my Pyypl account. Once your verification is completed, you can create a virtual card and fund it with USDT or BUSD from Binance.
In essence, you will also need a Binance account to use Pyypl effectively. If you do not have a Binance account, you can create one here.
Note that if you will be using your PayPal account to make payments online, you have to include Pyypl charges.
GeegPay Virtual Card
GeegPay is a Nigerian Fintech company that gives your access to your own United States bank account right here in Nigeria.
With GeegPay, you can also create a USD Visa or MasterCard debit card that can be used to verify PayPal.
Creating a USD card on GeegPay will cost you $2 and you can fund your GeegPay account with Naira. Before funding your account, you have to take note of the GeegPay dollar exchange rate for the day.
Visit GeegPay to create an account. Verify your account with your Bank verification number, NIN and utility bill.
Immediately your account has been verified, you can fund your account and create a virtual USD debit card for PayPal verification.
The great part of GeegPay is the USD bank account that comes with it, you can add this account to your PayPal account and withdraw funds from PayPal to your GeegPay account directly.
How to verify PayPal account in Nigeria
Getting a card for PayPal verification is the hardest part. Once you have the card, the remaining process becomes easy.
Follow the steps below to verify your PayPal account;
#1. Log in to your PayPal Account
Obviously, you have to login to your PayPal account to start the verification process.
Before you login, you need to remember the country’s PayPal account you opened. This will determine the URL you will type in your address bar.
For Dubai, visit PayPal.com/ae.
For Lesotho, visit PayPal.com/ls
While for Nigeria, visit PayPal.com without the country shortcode,you will be automatically redirected to PayPal Nigeria.
When you have confirmed that you are on the right page, click on Sign in and enter your details.
#2. Enter your Card Details
From your PayPal dashboard, click on verify account or add debit card located at the right hand side if you are browsing with a computer.
Enter your debit card number, expiry date and cvv. Click on submit.
Once you are done, PayPal will charge you about $1.95 dollar.
#3. Get the PayPal Verification Code from your Account Statement
When PayPal charges your account, a code will appear on your statement of account. You can get this code when you login to your bank’s mobile app.
This code usually takes 2-3 working days to appear but when I used my Access Bank Visa debit card to verify my PayPal account, it appeared immediately.
Copy the 4 numbers after “PP*” and paste it into your PayPal account.
If everything works well, your PayPal account should been verified.
Conclusion
Having a PayPal account makes it easier for you to receive money from foreign clients and companies who prefer to pay through PayPal.
However, I must say if your country’s PayPal account cannot receive funds (like Nigeria) and you opened a foreign PayPal account you should only use PayPal when there is no option left.
There are many options to choose from unlike some years ago.
I had a UAE PayPal account which got banned because I could not verify my identity and address. Luckily for me, there was no money in the account when it got banned. You might not be as lucky as I was.
That’s why I recommend that when you receive funds in your PayPal account, you should withdraw it to your bank account immediately.
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