How to use PayPal in Uganda in 2023

PayPal is one of the largest and most popular online payment systems in the world. PayPal is widely used all around the world for international payments to buy products and services. This service has made international transactions very easy for everyone. Most countries around the world allow payments through PayPal. However, is PayPal available in Uganda? In this article, we will talk about the status of PayPal in Uganda.

Status and Availability of PayPal in Uganda

Why do you need PayPal in Uganda?

In recent times, the internet has made it possible for people residing in Uganda itself to do tasks for foreign clients. You can complete their work from your own home and receive payments from them. However, they use online payment systems for payments and PayPal is the most popular online payment system. Also, popular online shopping platforms like Amazon and eBay accept Paypal as their payment option. So, if we want to buy any products, then we need online payment options that are accepted around the world.

Is PayPal available in Uganda?

Yes. PayPal is actually available in Uganda. However, PayPal accounts registered in Uganda are only allowed to send payments, but not receive money. All you need to do is link your Visa card to your PayPal account and make the payments using PayPal.

Read: Best Alternatives to Venmo

What can you do with PayPal in Uganda?

Before we do anything else, let’s first know what a PayPal account in Uganda can do for you. There are literally many things you can do with it and here are some of them:

1. Purchase or sell products and services online
2. Get paid online through Freelancing websites like Upwork, or from someone else or a business.
3. Exchange cash with someone
4. Send or receive payments for online auctions at eBay and other websites
5. Make or receive donations.

How to open a PayPal account in Uganda?

Creating a PayPal account for yourself is so easy. Let’s dive into a few steps to follow.

Step 1: Visit PayPal.com on your computer or mobile phone.

The first step is to create an account on PayPal.com. For a smooth experience, I would advise you to do this account creation on a computer. Click the Sign Up for free button.

Step 2: Enter your mobile number.

After selecting your country Uganda, the next window will require you to add your mobile number. Make sure you can access the number because after, a 6-digit code will be sent to it for verification.

Step 3: Choose the Type of Account

In this step, select the personal account type and click on the blue button labeled continue. Most people operate a personal account. If you want to set up an account that will receive money online, you can start with a personal account and then upgrade to a business account later.

Step 4: Entering your personal information

Now that you are done choosing the type of account you want to use, fill out the form with your personal details. DO NOT use false data; this can have serious implications, such as failure to verify your account and the overall closure of your account.

Step 5: Verifying your details

In this step, you will see another form where you input more details about yourself. In the second row, you will see the National ID selected. If you don’t have one, click on the drop-down and select Driver’s Licence or Passport.

You are safe to skip the boxes marked Optional. Don’t check the box that says, “Stay logged in for faster checkout.” Rather check the last box to Agree to PayPal’s terms and conditions.

Ensure you confirm all the details before clicking on the Agree and Create Account Button. If everything seems fine click the button.

Step 5: Account creation done

You are done; you have successfully opened a PayPal account, and you will see a message telling you you are now done.

From here, there are two options on what you can do next.

1. Link your card with PayPal to verify the account.
2. Skip and go to your Dashboard

Let’s Skip for now and link our card later.

The most crucial thing you can do at this point is confirmed your email address. PayPal asked for your email address when you created your account, and they emailed you a link to confirm it.

Step 6: Link your debit card or credit card to your Uganda Paypal account

Now that you have an account, PayPal will limit the amount of money you transact until you link and verify a valid credit card.

PayPal accepts all the Uganda banks’ ATM cards, whether Visa or MasterCard. You can contact your bank to be sure if they allow that.

Since we skipped this step, here is how to do it once you are on your PayPal Dashboard.

1. Navigate to the summary tab if not on it
2. You will see the Bank accounts and cards section on the left sidebar. Click on Add a Bank account or card. This will take you to your wallet.
3. Skip the Adding a bank button and click on the Link a Card button. If you have a card, enter the details of your card. Your full name is displayed on the card. The Card Number is the Big number (NOT your account number if using ATM), and CSC is the last three numbers on the back of your card.
4. After you click save, PayPal will debit your card; they deduct about UGX 7,723 which is refunded later after completing the steps.
5. If it is successful, they will need a code to confirm the card. They could send this code to your phone if they connected your account to your phone. If not, visit the bank and ask for the PayPal code sent to your number.

That is it; you are now the owner of a brand new PayPal account in Uganda.

How to receive PayPal payments in Uganda?

After carrying out in-depth research on how to receive money through PayPal in Uganda, I later found out that any freelancer or anybody living in Uganda can successfully create a verified and fully functional PayPal Account by signing up for a non-Uganda account. Here you’ll get access to a Paypal wallet and have wide access to all features.

With this trick, you’ll need a little help. On the list of Paypal-supported countries, Kenya has a slot, So you can simply shift your VPN to read Kenya or any other country of your choice where you choose to signup.

Once registered, you can then turn off your VPN and use PayPal with your normal internet connection since the account would have been registered from your preferred country. You will then have access to a wallet dashboard and be able to receive payments.