General Information » Money » Local Currency

The monetary unit is the ‘dirham’ (Dhs.), which is divided into 100 ‘fils’. The currency is also referred to as AED (Arab Emirate Dirham). Notes come in denominations of Dhs.5, Dhs.10, Dhs.20, Dhs.50, Dhs.100, Dhs.200, Dhs.500 and Dhs.1,000; one side is in Arabic and the other in English. Coin denominations are Dhs.1, 50 fils and 25 fils, but be warned, for there are two versions of each coin and they can look very similar. Because 5 and 10 fil coins are rarely available, you will often not receive the exact correct change.

The dirham has been pegged to the US dollar since the end of 1980, at a mid rate of US $1 ~ Dhs.3.6725. Exchange rates of all major currencies are published daily in the local newspapers.