Receiving money and using PayPal in Tunisia

[Hagyt]

Living in Tunisia our currency is not recognized when making any type of online purchase, for example i can't link my bank account because its Tunisian and is not accepted, i can't buy anything online even for digital only distributions.
With that mentioned  I was wondering what are the limitations for using Paypal without a recognizable credit card, i tried adding mine it just didn't work.

If let's say i'm getting paid in USD and i provide a Paypal account will i receive the money even though i don't have a card linked?

Will I be able to use the Paypal wallet in the future without having a card linked ?

thanks for your time and help

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@Hagyt 

The option to 'receive' paypal payments is sadly not available in your country.
You can only 'send' payments for purchases.

Click on the link below and select the country you want from the drop down list for options available in that country.

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-country-functionality-outside

[x86pyke]

Some may ask "How is it possible to send money from a paypal account when you can't receive any (due to some country limitations)?"

I've seen this question so often but not a single satisfactory answer.

Similar (important) questions:

1. Does the operation send refer to sending money from a paypal account to a bank account or credit card etc; and the receive operation is the other way around?
2. is paypal to paypal allowed no matter what countries the sender and receiver belongs to?
3. How can someone from a restricted country (the ones not allowed to receive money and obviously withdraw) charge his paypal balance?

I wish a paypal staff member responds with an unambiguous answer.

-Thank you in advance

[kernowlass]

@x86pyke 

Paypal is only allowed to offer the services that each countries government / banks allow it to offer.

1. Send means you can purchase goods to buy OR send money to other paypal users that have the ability to accept payments into their paypal balance in their country.

2. No the receiver of the payment has to be in a country that can 'receive' paypal payments.

3.  If you are in a restricted country then you can't add funds to your paypal balance, you have to use a linked and confirmed card as a funding source and paypal deducts directly from there when you buy something.

[x86pyke]

Many thanks, your answer is packed with useful information and I can tell you've put some thought into it.

Is it safe to say that a Tunisian paypal account is practically useless?

Unless the government lifts currency controls, there is no benefit in opening a Tunisian paypal account.

Having the ability to create one gives false hope to the holder. (You can't fund it by regular means and in case you managed to do so somehow [payoneer which doesn't work all the time], you can only use it to purchase goods and pay for services online)

Isn't better if users from restricted countries be unauthorized to create a paypal account altogether?

[kernowlass]

@x86pyke 

Well lots of users in restricted countries don't want to use paypal to receive payments, they are just buyers that want to use paypal to purchase items.

However i'm sure paypal would love to offer paypal to sellers in restricted countries however they can only offer the services that the governments / banks of that country allow them to.