The best currency to take to Iran

Iran, aka Persia, is one of the most visited countries in the middle east. Its ancient history alongside the spectacular nature, not to mention the eye-catching sites known as Iran’s tourist places, have convinced globetrotters to choose Iran as their destination since people have come to the conclusion that there are so many reasons to travel to Iran so, why not try it. And we can say from experience that tourists have the time of their life when they visit Persia.

As one of the Iranian travel agencies we feel obligated to guide tourists regarding issues they may face. One of the questions tourists always ask is regarding Iranian currency and the currency they should bring with them when they travel to Iran. In this article, we will be telling you everything you need to know about Iranian currency and its types, what currency is the best and easiest to exchange to Iranian currency in the country and so forth, which is why we recommend you to keep reading. This article can be considered as one of the most important ones since it gives you many important tips regarding money in Iran and Iranian currency.

What is the Iranian currency?

Although Iran is one of the cheapest countries to travel to, spending money in Iran can be a little bit of challenge for first time travelers who have no information about Iranian currency. The official currency in Iran is Rial, abbreviated to IRR, and pronounced Ree-aal, but the Iranian currency citizens use in their daily activities is called Toman. The number you see written on cash or coins or receipts is in Rial and to change it to Toman you only need to ignore the last number on the right and then read the number as it is now in Toman. Why is that? Because each Toman equals 10 Rials. This issue mostly confuses tourists since they are not used to this kind of system but rest assured, you will not face so many troubles as you can learn how to deal with Iranian currency easily and also, people are always there to help you. This is of course in case you choose to travel on your own. If you travel to Iran on a tour, you are good to go!

Let’s clear this thing about Iranian currency up with an example, shall we? Imagine you want to pay for your ride. The taxi driver will tell you that you must pay e.g., 15000 Tomans; this means 150,000 Rials. See? You only need to add a zero to turn the number into Rial. Also, a note you need to know is that Iranians tend to omit the word ‘thousand’ when talking about prices so, the taxi driver in this case might tell you that you must pay 15 Tomans which means 15000 Tomans. There! Now you can deal with Iranian currency easily!

Do note that prices, especially on manufactured products, are almost always written in Rial but when you go to pay for the product you want to buy the salesperson will ask you to pay it in Toman, the informal Iranian currency. You can make sure that you’re paying the right amount by using the way we taught you above.

Once more, do not forget that the number written on cash, coins, receipts and stuff like that are in Rial, the formal Iranian currency.

Can I use my debit card in Iran? Should I exchange my money to Iranian currency?

The first thing you need to know is that sadly, you cannot your use international debit cards in Iran which is why you need to bring cash with you to pay your expenses or maybe in some cases exchange it to Iranian currency. You do not always have to exchange your money to Iranian currency, but we’re on that later.

What is the best currency to take to Iran to use instead of Iranian currency?

Now let’s talk about the most important question regarding money in Iran. The best currency to take to Iran is US dollar (USD) and Euro since they are easily exchangeable to Iranian currency. As already mentioned, you don’t always have to exchange your money to Iranian currency because in some upper-class stores or restaurants or airports or hotels you can easily use your USDs or Euros instead of Iranian currency. Moreover, in case you intend to travel to Iran from Australia you might want to know that Australian dollar (AUD) is also acceptable and exchangeable to Iranian currency in major cities. The same situation is true about Canadian dollar (CAD), United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) and British Pound (GBP).

What are Iran Tourist Card and Mah Card? Can I withdraw and then exchange my money to Iranian currency upon arrival?

As formerly mentioned, you cannot use any sort of international cards in Iran which is why there are Iran Tourist Cards and Mah Cards which function for tourists just as a debit card. Iran Tourist Card is a prepaid debit card only for tourists to add funds in preferred currency which can be Iranian currency, USD or Euro, usable in all stores and restaurants. Also, you can withdraw cash in all ATMs using your Tourist Card and then exchange it to Iranian currency.

How to get an Iran Tourist Card? Easy! You can ask you agency to apply for you beforehand or ask for it at the airport upon arrival so you won’t face troubles while shopping and dealing with Iranian currency. You will only need your passport and visa for issuance of the mentioned card. The Bank Melli Iran, Bank Pasargad and Saman Bank are the banks from which you can ask for a card.

Moreover, you can apply for a Mah Card which works same as Iran Tourist Card in order to pave the way for you in issues regarding money in Iran and Iranian currency. To learn more about Mah Card, visit the following link: https://www.mahcard.com/ .

Everything you need to know regarding exchanging your money to Iranian currency:

We recommend you to exchange your money to Iranian currency at the airport but not all of it, just enough to pay for the taxi and here is why. The exchange rates differ in the country, obviously it is better to choose the one that will decrease your expenses. There is open market exchange rate (free market), the official rate and NIMA rate. Which is the best for tourists? The open market rate is the best to exchange your money to Iranian currency since it literally means your money has more value in Iran in comparison to Iranian currency.

Where can you exchange your money to Iranian currency? There are bank branches and kiosks at the airport for you to do so and also, there are exchange shops in major cities which offer the service.

We do hope that this article works for you well, helping you in the best way to learn about money issues in Iran and Iranian currency. But we are still more than happy to answer any questions you might have. You can easily contact us via emailing Info@zhivar.Net. Have a nice trip!