Sending money from Italy
The good news first: as in France, you are paid in euros, and the CFA franc is pegged to the euro (1 euro = 655.957 FCFA). Your budget does not move with the markets. The real question is the cost of each transfer.
In Italy, transfers made through money transfer agencies to a country outside the European Union carry a small tax, on top of the agency's fees (exact amount and cases (to be checked)). An international bank transfer to an account in Senegal is not treated the same way (to be checked). For the large amounts of a build, compare both routes on the amount that arrives in CFA francs.
Another point specific to Italy: if you are an Italian tax resident, property or a bank account abroad is declared in your tax return (section RW), and property abroad may be subject to IVIE (to be checked). Talk to your CAF or accountant before the purchase, not after.
Power of attorney: the consulate rather than an Italian notary
A procura made before an Italian notary is written in Italian: in Senegal, the notary will usually ask for a French translation and a legalisation, which takes time and costs money (to be checked). The simplest route is often to sign the power of attorney in French at the Senegalese consulate general in Italy (Milan, and the consular section of the embassy in Rome depending on your region (to be checked)).
Limit the power of attorney to one property and to specific acts, with an end date. If several family members must sign (an inherited plot, for example), each one needs their own.
The time difference and the August trap
Italy is one hour ahead of Dakar in winter and two hours in summer. In the morning, before your shift, the site has already started: that is the right time for a video call on site.
Many Senegalese in Italy travel home during the August holidays. That is the heart of the rainy season: a plot can be flooded, some works stop, and what you see in two weeks says nothing about the other ten months. Plan a land check in the dry season, and regular monitoring all year rather than one visit during your holidays.
The documents to prepare
- Valid ID, with your first names and surname in the same order as on your Senegalese documents: Italian documents sometimes reverse the order.
- For the plot: land title, lease or council allocation, a recent statement of rights, the boundary survey plan.
- Any Italian document needed for the file (procura, proof of income), translated into French by a recognised translator (to be checked).
- The plans and the building permit, filed on TELEDAC.
- The contract with the builder, the itemised quote and every payment receipt.
The scams to know about
- The group purchase through an association or a community group: ask whose name the title is in, and how your plot is separated from the others on paper.
- Cash handed to a go-between in Italy « who will take it over »: you are paying a person, not a notary.
- The plot visited in August that floods the rest of the year, or the reverse: a dry plot in April that will be under water in September.
- The build that is « going well » on the phone, with no dated photos and no independent visit.
From plot to keys, seen from Italy
- From Italy: budget, choice of area, power of attorney at the consulate.
- In Senegal: the documents checked at the land office and a visit to the plot, ideally in the dry season and again in the rainy season.
- Purchase at the notary's, transfer into your name.
- Plans, a file signed by an architect, building permit on TELEDAC.
- Contract with the builder and a stage-by-stage payment schedule, which you control from Italy.
- Works: each stage checked on site before the next payment.
- Handover, connections, then the keys, and someone to watch the house while it waits for you.
Where SEETLU fits
SEETLU observes and proves. We do not build, we do not manage the works, we do not sell materials and we never touch your money: you pay the notary, the builder and the State directly.
- Land check: from 75,000 FCFA, with sealed photos and a written report.
- House plans: from 150,000 FCFA; the file is signed by our partner architect.
- Building permit: we prepare and follow up your file, from 450,000 FCFA, State fees on top.
- Before you build package (land, plan, permit): 650,000 FCFA, State fees on top.
- Site monitoring: from 39,000 FCFA a month, a report within 24 hours in your client area.
- Pre-purchase inspection, if you buy a house that is already built: 125,000 FCFA for the first day.
Building from abroad?
Tell us where your project stands: land, plans, permit or a build under way. Your quote arrives the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Does sending money from Italy cost more than from France?
The euro to CFA franc rate is the same everywhere. The difference comes from fees and, for money transfer agencies, the Italian tax on transfers outside the European Union. Compare the amount that arrives in CFA francs.
Is an Italian procura valid in Senegal?
It can be, but it usually needs a translation and a legalisation. A power of attorney signed in French at the Senegalese consulate avoids those steps. Always ask the Senegalese notary what they accept.
I only go home in August. How do I follow the build the rest of the year?
With regular monitoring: a SEETLU technician visits the site, takes dated, geotagged and sealed photos, and you get the report within 24 hours in your client area.
Read also: the 7 signs of a construction scam and all our guides.