Getting an international client is good until they ask for your PayPal email and you realize you cannot receive the payment.
This is still a problem for people in several South Asian countries. PayPal is not officially available in Pakistan and Bangladesh, while accounts in Nepal and Bhutan have send-only limitations. So even though the exact restriction is different, the result is almost the same when someone wants to pay you through PayPal: you cannot simply receive the money into a normal local PayPal account.
But that does not mean you have to lose the payment. There are other ways to receive money from someone who wants to pay through PayPal. This guide explains the practical options for people in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Table of Contents
Can You Receive PayPal Payments in South Asia?
PayPal works differently across South Asia, so we need to separate the countries before looking at the solutions.
| Country | PayPal situation | Can you normally receive PayPal payments? |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | PayPal is not officially available | No |
| Bangladesh | PayPal is not officially available | No |
| Nepal | PayPal is available with send-only capability | No |
| Bhutan | PayPal is available with send-only capability | No |
Pakistan does not currently have normal PayPal account support. The State Bank of Pakistan also noted in its 2026 reporting that PayPal’s absence continues to create payment problems for Pakistani freelancers.
The situation is similar in Bangladesh. PayPal has still not officially launched its normal service there. In June 2026, Bangladesh’s ICT minister told Parliament that the government was still working with PayPal and other providers to introduce these services for freelancers.
Nepal and Bhutan are slightly different. You can create a PayPal account in these countries and use it to make payments. The problem is that you cannot use the account to receive money.
So if you live in any of these four countries and someone insists on paying through PayPal, you need another route.
How to Receive PayPal Payments in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan
There is more than one way to handle the problem.
The best option depends on who is paying you, why they are sending the money, and whether you need PayPal regularly or just need to receive one payment.
1. Receive the PayPal Payment Through SVZ Finance
If someone already wants to send you money through PayPal, using a payment service like SVZ Finance can be the fastest option.
Instead of trying to create your own PayPal account in a country where receiving is unavailable, SVZ Finance can receive legitimate payments on your behalf. This can include payments from clients, workplaces, affiliate platforms, family, and friends. After the payment is received, the money is sent to you through the agreed settlement method.
This is especially useful when the sender cannot change the payment method. For example, a client may already use PayPal and simply want a PayPal account they can send the money to.
You do not need to create a fake PayPal account or claim to live in another country. SVZ Finance handles the PayPal side of the transaction while you receive your money through the available settlement option.
If your main problem is simply “someone wants to pay me through PayPal, but I cannot receive PayPal in my country,” this is the first option I would consider.
You can learn more about how to send and receive PayPal payments without your own PayPal account through SVZ Finance.
>>> Visit SVZ Finance.
2. Ask the Sender to Use Xoom for Personal Payments

Another option is Xoom.
Xoom is owned by PayPal and allows people in supported sending countries to transfer money directly to recipients abroad. The recipient does not need to receive the money into a PayPal balance.
The available receiving method depends on your country.
For Pakistan, Xoom currently supports options including bank deposits, transfers to eligible debit cards, mobile wallets, and cash pickup.
For Bangladesh, the sender can use Xoom for bank deposits, mobile wallets such as bKash, and cash pickup. Xoom currently accepts PayPal as one of the payment methods a sender can use when transferring money to Bangladesh.
Nepal also supports bank deposits, mobile wallets, and cash pickup through Xoom.
The option is more limited in Bhutan. Xoom currently provides cash pickup through supported locations rather than the wider range of receiving methods available in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
So if your family member or another person you know wants to send you money and has access to Xoom, they may be able to use their PayPal balance or another supported payment method and send the money directly to you.
But there is one important limitation.
Xoom is a personal remittance service. Its current terms say the Send Money service should be used for personal transfers and not for commercial transactions. Xoom also specifically says it cannot be used for commercial purposes.
So do not use Xoom to receive freelance fees, business payments, or payments for goods and services.
For those payments, use another option.
3. Open a Foreign PayPal Business Account Legally
If you need PayPal regularly for your business, another route is to create a legitimate business structure in a country where PayPal receiving is fully supported.
This does not mean opening a PayPal account with a fake address or pretending to live somewhere you do not live.
For example, you can register a legitimate business in the United States and use the business to open a U.S. PayPal Business account. You will need to provide the actual business and tax information required to set up the account.
So someone living in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Bhutan could look at setting up a genuine foreign business and then opening a PayPal Business account that belongs to that business, provided the setup meets PayPal’s requirements.
The process takes more work than simply receiving a payment through a service like SVZ Finance. But it can make sense if PayPal is going to be an important payment method for your business over the long term.
We already have a detailed guide on how to create a foreign PayPal account legally from an unsupported country.
Check it out above.
4. Ask the Sender to Use Another Payment Method
Sometimes PayPal itself is the part that can be removed.
If your client, employer, freelance platform, or other payer is willing to send the money through bank transfer instead, you can use another international payment platform. Some of these platforms can even give you USD, GBP, and EUR receiving accounts that you can use to receive money from abroad.
WorldFirst is one option, especially for freelancers in Pakistan and Bangladesh. With a World Account, you can get local receiving account details in currencies such as USD, GBP, and EUR. For example, the USD account comes with U.S. bank details that you can give to a client or connect to supported freelance platforms.
nSave is another option for Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. You can get USD account details for receiving ACH and wire transfers, GBP account details for receiving payments from the UK, and EUR account details with your own IBAN for receiving payments through SEPA.
Then there is Payoneer. Payoneer gives eligible users receiving accounts with local bank details for currencies including USD, GBP, and EUR. This means a U.S. client can pay into your USD receiving account, for example, instead of sending the payment through PayPal.
This can be particularly useful for freelancers and remote workers. Instead of giving the client a PayPal email, you can give them the appropriate U.S., UK, or European receiving details and receive the payment through bank transfer.
Of course, this only works if the sender is willing to change the payment method.
If they specifically need to send through PayPal, then this does not solve that particular problem.
Which Option Should You Use?
You do not need to use every method above.
If someone already has a PayPal payment for you and wants to send it through PayPal, I would start with SVZ Finance. It solves the main problem without requiring you to create your own PayPal account.
If the money is a personal transfer from family or friends, check Xoom. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal have several local receiving methods available, while Bhutan currently has a more limited cash-pickup option.
If PayPal is going to be an important part of your business for years, then you can consider setting up a genuine foreign business and opening the appropriate PayPal Business account.
And if the sender does not care whether they use PayPal, use another international payment platform instead (think WorldFirst, nSave or Payoneer. There is no need to make the payment more difficult than it needs to be.
Can You Create a PayPal Account in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or Bhutan?
The answer depends on the country.
Can You Create a PayPal Account in Pakistan?
You cannot currently open a normal Pakistan-based PayPal account.
PayPal has not officially launched its account service in Pakistan. This remains the case in 2026, and the State Bank of Pakistan continues to identify PayPal’s absence as one of the payment limitations affecting the country’s freelancers.
This should not be confused with Xoom. Xoom can send money into Pakistan, but having access to a Xoom transfer does not give you a Pakistani PayPal receiving account.
Can You Create a PayPal Account in Bangladesh?
PayPal’s normal account service is still not officially available in Bangladesh.
The country has discussed bringing PayPal into the market for years, but as recently as June 2026, the government was still working with PayPal and other international providers on introducing these payment services.
Xoom works as an inbound remittance service in Bangladesh, but that is different from having your own PayPal account.
Can You Create a PayPal Account in Nepal?
Yes, but the main problem is receiving money.
You can use a Nepalese PayPal account to make payments, but you cannot use it to receive money.
Can You Create a PayPal Account in Bhutan?
Bhutan has a similar restriction.
PayPal currently lists Bhutan as a send-only country. This means you can have PayPal access for sending payments, but you cannot use the local account to receive PayPal payments normally.
Again, this is why we need to separate PayPal being available from PayPal allowing you to receive money.
They are not always the same thing.
Can Freelancers Receive PayPal Payments in These Countries?
Yes. If you are a freelancer in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Bhutan, you can still receive payments from international clients even though you cannot receive the money directly through your local PayPal account.
The easiest route depends on whether your client must use PayPal. If PayPal is not compulsory, you can ask the client to pay you through another payment method.
If you are receiving money for freelance work, do not use Xoom as the workaround. Xoom does not allow commercial transfers.
Instead, you can use platforms such as WorldFirst, nSave, and Payoneer where they are available in your country. These platforms can provide foreign receiving accounts, including USD, GBP, and EUR account details, which you can give to clients who are willing to pay through bank transfer.
But if the client specifically needs to pay through PayPal, using a payment service like SVZ Finance gives you another route. SVZ Finance can receive legitimate PayPal payments on your behalf and settle the payment through the agreed method.
Conclusion
Not being able to receive PayPal payments directly can be frustrating, especially when you work with international clients who prefer PayPal.
But if you live in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Bhutan, you still have ways to get paid. You just need to choose the option that works for your situation.
So the next time someone asks for your PayPal email, you don’t necessarily have to turn down the payment because you don’t have a PayPal account that can receive money.



