Form A, PTA and BTA Explained: Buying FX for Travel and School Fees

11 October 2026 - Naira Briefing

If you’re travelling, schooling or paying a medical bill abroad, you’ve probably met the terms Form A, PTA and BTA. They are the official channels for buying foreign currency through your Nigerian bank for personal, non-import purposes.

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PTA and BTA

PTA (Personal Travel Allowance) and BTA (Business Travel Allowance) let you buy a set amount of FX for a trip, bought through your bank against a valid international ticket and visa, within quarterly limits set by the CBN. PTA is for personal travel; BTA is for business travel by a company’s staff.

Form A

Form A is for “invisible” transactions — services rather than physical goods. The classic uses are school fees and medical bills, paid directly to the institution abroad, not to you. It’s processed online through your bank on the trade portal.

What you'll typically need

A domiciliary or naira account with the processing bank — see our dom-account guide.
Valid ID, BVN, and for PTA/BTA a ticket and visa.
For Form A: the institution’s invoice and bank details abroad.

Form A queues can be slow and allocations limited. If you need to pay fees reliably and on time, ask us to handle it — we often settle faster and at a competitive rate.

School fees or travel money abroad?

We pay tuition, rent and medical bills overseas — properly documented, at a rate that beats most banks, without the Form A wait.

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