Identification

International postal money orders are sold by the United States Postal Service and 30 other countries. They can be sent in any quantity as long as the proper paperwork is filled out. The money order can transfer up to $700 from one nation to another; exceptions to the limit include El Salvador and Guyana, where the limit is $500.

Function

International money orders offer a safe, reliable way to send money in any denomination to a different country. They also can be used to purchase goods from any country involved in the agreement.

Participating Nations

The countries that have an agreement with the U.S. to accept international money orders cover parts of Europe, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Japan and some Indian Ocean nations. Canada and Mexico are also part of this agreement. A full list of participating nations can be found at the USPS website (see Resources section).

Requirements

You must use form MP1 to send a money order to any of the countries that accept international money orders. Both the money order and the customer's receipt must be filled out by the purchaser. International money orders are filled out in the same manner as domestic money orders. For countries such as Canada and Japan, the currency must be listed in U.S. dollars.

Foreign Money Orders

When purchasing international money orders in another country, you would use its equivalent of the USPS form MP1. Some countries will not send money orders to the United States but will receive them. These nations include Bolivia, Cape Verde, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mali, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Some countries also have minor differences about how funds are distributed or in what currency.