Foreign exchange guide to Togo and the West African franc
What's in this Togo currency guide?
The official currency of Togo (country code: TG) is the West African franc, with symbol and currency code XOF.
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The West Africa CFA franc (XAF) is the currency of six independent states in Western Africa - Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
In several central African states the Central African CFA franc (currency code XAF) is in circulation, such as Cameroon - Central African CFA franc. The Central African CFA franc is of equal value to the West African franc. Both XAF and XOF currencies are referred to as the CFA franc.
Save money and time by Ordering your West African franc online from Travelex, you get better rates and can pick up the XOF cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.
Another popular option is to use a Pre-paid Travel Card. Your Debit/Credit Card provider will charge you 2% from market mid-rate, but your bank may also charge an extra 3% as an “Overseas Transaction Charge” plus “Overseas ATM” fees for withdrawing cash.
For card purchases if offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in West African franc otherwise you may get much worst exchange rates.
For those fond of travelling off the beaten track, Togo is a rewarding destination. Togo is probably one of the nicest places in Western Africa. Roads are pretty good, distances small, beaches sandy and white, people friendly, hills and mountains waiting to be explored. Its great diversity of landscapes ranges from lakes and palm-fringed beaches along the Atlantic coastline to the rolling forested hills in the centre; heading further north, the mantle of lush forest is replaced by the light-green and yellowy tinges of savannah.
Another highlight is Togo's melting-pot culture. The fortified compounds of Koutammakou are a reminder that the country's ethnically diverse population didn't always get along, but nowadays voodoo, Muslim, Christian and traditional festivals crowd the calendar and are often colourful celebrations for. The cherry on top is Lomé, the low-key yet elegant capital, with its large avenues, tasty restaurants and throbbing nightlife – not to mention the splendid beaches on its doorstep.
The currency of Togo is the West African franc, which is also the currency of seven other independent African states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. You can freely use this currency in each of these nations, although those leaving the region should exchange their local currency to US dollars, euro, or pounds sterling. ATMs are limited to Lome. It is best to withdraw money from a bank. Credit cards are accepted in large hotels in Togo, with Visa currently the most universally accepted. Cash should always be carried, however. The best foreign currency to carry is euros, which are easily exchanged at any bank or hotel.
If you're driving, you will need an International Driving Permit (IDP). Police checkpoints are common throughout the country but rarely nasty or obstructive. There are no domestic flights within Togo.
The official language of Togo is French. This is the language used in legal and commercial activities. However, there are also the vernacular languages of Ewe and Mina, which are used in the south, and of Kabye and Dagomba, which are used in the north.
Bargaining is common in Togo. Supermarkets, restaurants, hotels and buses have fixed prices, but expect to haggle for items at markets as well as fares for taxis, bush taxis and taxi-motos (motorcycle taxis), also called zemi-johns.
Perhaps the most alluring part of the country is the hardest to get to—the hilly and sparsely populated north. The best known destination is Tamberma Valley—the Koutammakou UNESCO World Heritage site, to the north of Kara. The local Batammariba people (known by colonists as the Tamberma) constructed and live in unique Takienta (a.k.a. Tata) "tower-houses" of mud and straw, which arguably have become the Togolese national symbol. It's a surreal dreamland of a place, and easily a highlight of a trip to Togo, although it is a journey to get there.
The below interactive chart displays the USD/XOF change and UP📈 DOWN📉 trends over the past 1 Year.
The domestic currency in Togo is the West African franc.
The three letter currency code for the West African franc is XOF.
It is the domestic currency in   Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger and Togo.
No, the West African franc is freely available and convertible. See guide: What is a closed currency?
Here are some popular conversion amounts for USD to XOF (US dollar to West African franc)*.
*Converted at the current USDXOF interbank exchange rate. Calculate actual payout amounts for Send Money and Travel Money exchange rates.
To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Togo you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).
The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.
You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.
When sending money to Togo it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :
Use the above calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more West African franc deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!