Supporting family in Nigeria from Italy: costs, community and what to plan

How many Nigerians live in Italy, and where?

ISTAT figures count 132,129 Nigerian citizens resident in Italy on 1 January 2025: 75,646 men and 56,483 women, about 2.5% of all foreign residents.

A second official count, from the Italian Ministry of Labour's 2025 report on the Nigerian community, gives 107,738 Nigerian citizens legally residing in Italy with a valid residence permit on 31 December 2024. The two figures measure different things: registered residents in one, permit holders in the other.

The Ministry report places the Nigerian community 11th among non-EU communities in Italy, with an average age of about 30. In 2024, 4,112 Nigerian citizens became Italian citizens.

How much money goes from Italy to Nigeria?

Bank of Italy data, as compiled by CeSPI for the Ministry of Labour, put remittances from Italy to Nigeria at €257.8 million in 2024, down 13.8% on 2023.

That was 3.1% of all remittances sent from Italy, making Nigeria the 11th destination in 2024. CeSPI's April 2026 update, also based on Bank of Italy data, shows remittances to Nigeria fell a further 22.6% in 2025, when Nigeria was 12th among destinations. Total remittances from Italy were €8.6 billion in 2025.

The same Ministry report found that 71% of Nigerian adults in Italy held a current account in 2023, up from 48% in 2022, against 90% across non-EU citizens.

What does it cost to send money from Italy to Nigeria?

In the World Bank's survey of August 2025, sending about €140 from Italy to Nigeria cost 4.55% on average, and about €345 cost 2.80%.

The average exchange-rate margin was 1.44% at both amounts, so the difference comes from the fee, which takes a larger share of a smaller transfer. The cheapest service in the survey cost 0.74% at both amounts.

On the receiving side, the Central Bank of Nigeria directed that from 1 May 2026 diaspora remittances through international money transfer operators are paid out in naira only, converted at official market rates. Italy's 1.5% tax on money transfers to non-EU countries, in force from January 2019, was repealed by the 2021 Budget Law (Law 178/2020, article 1, paragraph 1120).

What information will a payment firm ask for?

EU Regulation 2023/1113, which applies from 30 December 2024 and repealed Regulation 2015/847, sets what information must travel with a transfer of funds.

This is general information about the rules; the provider explains what it needs from you.

• For most transfers, the sender's payment firm must send the payer's name and account number, and the payer's address with an official document number and customer number, or the date and place of birth (Article 4).
• For a transfer of €1,000 or less to a provider outside the EU, such as in Nigeria, the transfer must carry at least the names and account numbers of the payer and the payee (Article 6).
• For those smaller transfers the firm need not verify the payer's details unless it received the money in cash or anonymous e-money, or suspects money laundering or terrorist financing.
• The Bank of Italy publishes its supervisory registers of banks and other intermediaries with a public search, through its Albi ed elenchi di vigilanza service.

What about time zones and visits?

Lagos is on West Africa Time, one hour ahead of UTC all year with no clock change, so it shares Italy's clock time in winter and is one hour behind in summer.

Italy moved back to winter time (UTC+1) on 25 October 2026 and moves to summer time (UTC+2) on 28 March 2027. A 9am call in Rome in July is 8am in Lagos.

When a parent visits from Nigeria, the Lazio Region says a non-EU citizen in Italy on a tourist visa for up to 90 days can use health services on payment of the fees set by the region. Our page on Schengen visa medical insurance for a visiting parent covers the visa requirement.

What should you plan if you support family in Nigeria from Italy?

A short plan covers how money will reach your family, who in Nigeria can act quickly, and how you will hear about health changes across the time difference.

Kinship works with families abroad who look after someone in Nigeria, with a named Kinkeeper who coordinates, doctor calls and check-ins anywhere in Nigeria, and Kinship Visits by qualified nurses in Lagos.

• Compare the naira amount that will arrive, not only the fee
• Check the firm is authorised, for example in the Bank of Italy's registers
• Have your name, address and ID details ready when you send
• Confirm the recipient's name and account details in Nigeria
• Name one person in Nigeria who can act in an emergency
• Agree a regular call time that works in both time zones
• Keep receipts for transfers and for any bills paid
• Check health cover before a parent visits Italy

Questions people ask

Related

• Supporting family in Nigeria from Ireland and Europe
• Schengen visa medical insurance for a visiting parent
• Sending money to Nigeria for healthcare
• Help for an elderly parent when you live abroad