Sending money order from the US to SG

[Damien.O]

Hi,

I'm currently living in the US and will like to send a money order (in SGD) to an NGO in Singapore. No, I can't use Paypal/Western Union because the recipient cannot use Paypal/Western Union. Does anyone know how I can go about doing this? Thanks!

Damien.O

[Oman]

Send them a cheque

[Damien.O]

I only have a US bank account. Do they accept US bank-issued cheques?

[Moneyman]

Your US bank might be able to issue a 'foreign draft' -- a check in foreign currency. Ask. If all else fails, you could do an international wire to their bank account.

[Damien.O]

Can't do the wire transfer thing to their bank account. They are legally forbidden to accept donations via wire transfer. Need to send a money order or something like that. Can Singapore banks cash US checks or money orders?

[Ummm...]

Perhaps you need to ask the NGO that question specifically with regard to their bank.

[Damien.O]

I've asked and they cannot give out their bank account number. So, that's not an option.

[fareastjunebug]

Sounds like somebody doesn't want the NGO to get foreign donations. Get an account at a US bank that can issue a check in a foreign currency. Might take a while to clear, but they will get the cash.

[Umm...]

No, don't ask the NGO what their bank account number is. Ask them if they can take a US dollar money order or check drawn on a US bank. If they say yes, then there you go!

[Oman]

Cheques in all currencies are accepted at banks in Singapore

[But....]

The recipient will have to fork out some money for depositing the cheque to their local account. I seem to recall an amount of $14, but that was a few years back so maybe I am wrong about the exact amount.

[haaa..]

Dear Damien, it helps if we know which NGO is that...do tell..

[Cheques]

You should approach an international bank who have presence in Singapore, i.e. Standard Chartered, Citibank, HSBC, and request for a cheque drawn in Singapore.

If you send a USD cheque drawn in USD, the bank would need to send the cheque back to US for it to be cleared and the money to be remited back to Singapore. The charges will be enormous.

A cheque by an international bank drawn in Singapore will allow the NGO to send it for clearing via normal cheque clearing, and they should be able to get the funds the next business day (as per normal cheque clearing).

Do note that I am not sure if there is any additional charges to request for a cheque drawn in Singapore.

[Damien.O]

@haaa, sorry, I can't say which NGO it is. Let's say it is not looked upon too favorably by the government. Let's just say that there are severe restrictions on the what kind of money they can receive.

@Cheques, I bank with Chase but I think Chase doesn't have a retail branch in Singapore.

[Cheque]

@haaa, sorry, I can't say which NGO it is. Let's say it is not looked upon too favorably by the government. Let's just say that there are severe restrictions on the what kind of money they can receive.

@Cheques, I bank with Chase but I think Chase doesn't have a retail branch in Singapore.

In most banks, you can still buy a banker's cheque over the counter, even if you are not a customer.