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Money & duty free for United Arab Emirates

Currency information: 

UAE Dirham (AED, also written as Dhs) = 100 fils. Notes are in denominations of AED1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of AED1, and 50, 25, 10 and 5 fils (10 and 5 fils coins are rarely used).

The Dirham is tied to the US Dollar.

Credit cards: 

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. ATMs are found across the UAE, mostly in the major cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

ATM: 

ATMs accept foreign debit and credit cards including Switch, Maestro and Cirrus, and can be found throughout the UAE, in shopping malls, hotels and petrol stations.

Travellers cheques: 

These are widely accepted, though not often used. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.

Banking hours: 

These vary depending on the branch and bank, however a rule of thumb is Sat-Wed between 0800-1300 and Thursdays 0800-noon. Some open later in the evening from 1600-1830. All are closed on Fridays and public holidays.

Currency restriction: 

There are no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currency. Amounts over AED40,000 must be declared at customs.

Currency exchange: 

Most hotels will handle the exchange of foreign currency as well as many major banks. Many of the large shopping malls have bureaux de change.

United Arab Emirates duty free

The following items may be imported into the United Arab Emirates without incurring customs duty:

• 400 cigarettes and cigars up to AED3,000 in value (for personal use) and 2kg of tobacco.
• 4L of spirits or 24 cans of beer (non-Muslims over 18 years only).
• A reasonable amount of perfume for personal use.

Note: It is prohibited to bring alcohol into Sharjah and this is usually not allowed if entering the UAE by land.

Banned imports: 

Firearms and dangerous weapons, religious propaganda, unstrung pearls except for personal use, raw seafood (only when visiting Dubai and/or Sharjah), fruit and vegetables from cholera-infected areas. If you are planning to carry medication into the country, check with your embassy as some common, over-the-counter medicines that are freely available elsewhere in the world are prohibited in the UAE. Penalties are severe - you could go to prison if you’re caught. Pornography and anything culturally or religiously insensitive is also banned.

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