Updated August 9, 2023 – If someone is sending you money via Western Union and you do not have a valid picture ID, you will not be able to pick up cash in person. This is for obvious reasons: if Western Union can’t verify who you are through some sort of official identification card or document, they don’t know if you are “really you” or someone trying to steal your money. So, the requirement to have an ID is for your protection (as well as the sender’s).
Your photo ID must be government-issued, meaning a driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID.
What if I don’t have a photo ID?
If you don’t have identification with your photo on it, have the sender use Western Union to send it in one of these two ways:
- Straight to your bank account, or
- To a Western Union prepaid credit card.
No matter what, though, at some point you will have to have had your identity verified if you want to receive funds via Western Union.