Short answer: no. Pokémon GO has no option to gift a Raid Pass or Remote Raid Pass directly to a friend, free or paid. The in-game Gift button only works for virtual event tickets (like Community Day or GO Fest), not for passes bought with Pokécoins. The closest workaround is sending a friend Pokécoins or an in-game gift card so they can buy their own pass - there's no way to hand over a pass you already own.
Trainer school
Can you gift a Raid Pass to a friend in Pokémon GO?
This trips people up because Pokémon GO does let you gift some paid items straight to a friend's account, so it's reasonable to assume Raid Passes work the same way. They don't, and the distinction is worth knowing before you try to bail out a friend who's short on passes mid-raid-hour.
Why Raid Passes aren't giftable
Niantic's gifting flow is built specifically for virtual event tickets - the shop's Gift button appears next to tickets for things like Community Day, GO Fest, and Safari Zone events, and nothing else. Raid Passes, Remote Raid Passes, and Premium Battle Passes all live in a different part of the shop and never show a Gift option, whether you bought them with real money or Pokécoins. See the event ticket gifting guide for exactly how that separate flow works, including the Great Friends requirement and 20-a-day cap - none of which applies here, because there's no pass-gifting flow to be capped.
The passive Gift you send from spinning a PokéStop (the one that builds friendship) is a different system again, and it's even more limited: those gifts are a fixed pool of Poké Balls, potions, berries, evolution items, Stardust, and the occasional 7 km Egg. A Raid Pass has never been one of the possible contents.
What you can actually do
- Send Pokécoins or a gift card instead. You can't wire Pokécoins to a friend in-app, but a physical or digital Pokémon GO gift card (sold at retailers and on the Pokémon GO website) lets a friend redeem their own Pokécoins and buy their own pass.
- Invite them into a raid you're already hosting. If the issue is a friend wanting to join your raid specifically, they still need their own pass (or to be physically at the gym for a free daily pass) - see remote raids with friends for the invite flow and the 10-a-day Remote Raid Pass limit.
- Point them at free passes. Every trainer gets one free Raid Pass per day for being physically at a gym, plus occasional free Remote Raid Passes from Research Breakthroughs and special events - worth checking before assuming a purchase is the only option.
FAQ
Can I gift a Remote Raid Pass specifically, even though regular Raid Passes can't be gifted? No - both pass types use the same shop entry with no gift option, regardless of price or currency.
Does buying a bundle that includes a Raid Pass let me choose a friend to receive it? No. Bundles purchased from the shop go to your own account only; there's no recipient picker outside the event-ticket gifting flow.
Can a friend send me a Raid Pass through a regular Gift? No - the Gifts you get from spinning PokéStops never contain Raid Passes. They're limited to Poké Balls, potions, berries, evolution items, Stardust, and 7 km Eggs.
If Raid Passes aren't giftable, what IS the point of friends in raids? Inviting friends into your own raid lobby remotely, and the friendship-level attack boost you get when you've raided together before - see friendship bonuses in raids for the numbers.