The Emirati dirham (symbol: ; currency code: AED; ;) , abbreviation: د.إ in Arabic, Dh; is the official currency of the United Arab Emirates. Each dirham is subdivided into 100 (singular is "fils"). It is pegged to the United States dollar at a constant exchange rate of approximately 3.67 AED to 1 USD. In March 2025, the UAE Central Bank announced the creation of a Dirham currency symbol, , derived from the Latin letter crossed with two horizontal lines.
History
The name dirham is a loan from the Greek δραχμή (drakhmé). Due to centuries of trade and usage of the currency, dirham survived through the Ottoman Empire.
Before 1966, all the emirates that now form the UAE used the Gulf rupee, which was pegged at parity to the Indian rupee. On 6 June 1966, India decided to devalue the Gulf rupee against the Indian rupee. Not accepting the devaluation, several of the states still using the Gulf rupee adopted their own or other currencies. All the Trucial States except Abu Dhabi adopted the Qatar and Dubai riyal, which was equal to the Gulf rupee prior to the devaluation. These emirates briefly adopted the Saudi riyal during the transition from the Gulf rupee to the Qatar and Dubai riyal. Abu Dhabi used the Bahraini dinar, at a rate of 10 Gulf rupees = 1 dinar. In 1973, the UAE adopted the dirham as its currency. Abu Dhabi adopted the UAE dirham in place of the Bahraini dinar, at 1 dinar = 10 dirhams, while in the other emirates, the Qatar and Dubai riyal were exchanged at par.
Currency symbol
In March 2025, the Central Bank of the UAE announced a currency symbol of the dirham. Its design based on two horizontal lines with curved ends (inspired by the UAE flag) superimposed on the Latin letter . The symbol was encoded in Unicode version 18 as U+20C3 , in September 2026.
Coins In 1973, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 fils, as well as 1 dirham. The 1, 5, and 10 fils are struck in bronze, while the higher denominations were made in cupro-nickel. The fils coins were the same size and composition as the corresponding Qatar and Dubai dirham coins. In 1995, the five fils, 10 fils, 50 fils, and 1 dirham coins were reduced in size, with the new 50 fils being curve-equilateral-heptagonal shaped.
The value and numbers on the coins are written in Eastern Arabic numerals, and the text is in Arabic. Although the 1, 5, and 10 fils coins are rarely used in everyday life, the Central Bank of the UAE continues to produce them. However, these coins are primarily minted for collectors and commemorative purposes rather than for mass circulation. So all amounts are rounded up or down to the nearest multiples of 25 fils. The one-fils coin is a rarity and does not circulate significantly. When making a change, there is a risk of confusing the old 50-fils coin with the modern 1-dirham coin because the coins are almost the same size.
Since 1976, the Currency Board of the United Arab Emirates has minted several commemorative coins celebrating different events and rulers of the United Arab Emirates. For details, see Commemorative coins of the United Arab Emirates dirham.
Current issue (1973) Image Value Diameter(mm) Mass(g) Composition Edge Obverse Reverse IssueNotes Obverse Reverse 1 fils 15.00 1.50 Bronze Smooth Three date palms;Lettering:;year of issue Value and lettering:,United Arab Emirates 1973–2005 Copper-plated steel 2018In proof and uncirculated sets only 5 fils 22.00 3.75 Bronze Lethrinus nebulous;Lettering:;year of issue 1973–1989 17.00 2.20 1996–2014 Copper-plated steel 2018In proof and uncirculated sets only 10 fils 27.00 7.50 Bronze Dhow; year of issue 1973–1989 19.00 3.00 1996–2011 Copper-plated steel 2017In proof and uncirculated sets only 25 fils 20.00 3.50 Cupronickel Reeded Arabian gazelle;year of issue 1973–2011 3.48 Nickel-plated steel 2014–present 50 fils 25.00 6.50 Cupronickel Three oil derricks;year of issue 1973–1989 21.00 4.40 Smooth 1995–2007 4.15 Nickel-plated steel 2013–present Dh 1 28.50 11.30 Cupronickel Reeded Dallah; year of issue 1973–1989 24.00 6.40 1995–2007 6.10 Nickel-plated steel 2012–present
Issues with fraud By August 2006, it became publicly known that the Philippine one-peso coin is the same size as one dirham. As 1 peso is only worth eight fils, this has led to vending machine fraud in the UAE. Pakistan's 5-rupee coin, the Omani 50-baisa coin, and the Moroccan 1 dirham are also the exact size as the Emirati one dirham coin. The 20 Gapik Coin is almost the same size as the 1 Dirham Coin. Although 1 mm thinner, a one dirham coin has also been found in ten-cent coin rolls in Australia.
Banknotes On 20 May 1973, the UAE Currency Board introduced notes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 dirhams; a Dhs 1,000 note was issued on 3 January 1976. A second series of note was introduced in 1982 which omitted the Dh 1 and Dhs 1,000 notes. Dhs 500 notes were introduced in 1983, followed by Dhs 200 in 1989. Dhs 1,000 notes were reintroduced in 2000. Banknotes are currently available in denominations of Dhs 5 (brown), Dhs 10 (green), Dhs 20 (light blue), Dhs 50 (purple), Dhs 100 (pink), Dhs 200 (green/brown), Dhs 500 (navy blue) and Dhs 1,000 (greenish blue).
The obverse texts are written in Arabic with numbers in Eastern Arabic numerals; the reverse texts are in English with numbers in Arabic numerals. The 200 dirham denomination is scarce as it was only produced in 1989; any circulating today comes from bank stocks. The 200 dirham denomination has since been reissued and is now in circulation since late May 2008 – it has been reissued in a different colour; Yellow/Brown to replace the older Green/Brown.url=
On 22 March 2008, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates released a Dhs 50 note. The security thread was a 3-mm wide, colour-shifting windowed security thread with demetalized UAE 50, and it bore the new coat of arms. On 7 December 2021, a redesigned polymer Dhs 50 note was released to commemorate the golden jubilee of the country on 2 December 2021, making it the UAE's first polymer banknote. Additional new polymer banknotes of Dhs 5 and Dhs 10 were introduced on 21 April 2022,UAE Central Bank with the Dhs 1000 released in the first half of 2023, and the Dhs 500 note reportedly introduced on 30 November 2023. A falcon watermark is present on all dirham notes as a deterrent to counterfeiting and fraud.
Second issue Image Value Dimensions(mm) Main colour Description Issue Obverse Reverse Dhs 5 143 × 60 Brown Central Souq, Sharjah Northern Emirates landscapeSalem Al Mutawa Mosque, Sharjah 1982 Dhs 10 147 × 62 Green Khanjar Pilot farm Dhs 20 149 × 63 Cyan Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Dubai Trading dhow 1997 Dhs 50 151 × 64 Purple Oryx Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain 1982 Dhs 100 155 × 66 Red Al Fahidi Fort, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai Dhs 200 157 × 67 Orange Sharia court buildingZayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi Central bank building, Abu Dhabi 1989 Dhs 500 159 × 68 Blue Saker falcon Jumeirah Mosque, Dubai 1983 Dhs 1000 163 × 70 Turquoise Qasr al-Hosn, Abu Dhabi Corniche, Abu Dhabi 1998
Third issue Image Value Dimensions(mm) Main colour Description Issue Obverse Reverse Dhs 5 143 × 66 Brown Ajman Fort(Ajman) Dhayah Fort(Ras Al Khaimah) 26 April 2022 Dhs 10 147 × 66 Green Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque(Abu Dhabi) Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre(Sharjah) 21 April 2022 Dhs 50 151 × 66 Purple Union's founding fathers Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan;Etihad Museum (Dubai) 23 December 2021 Dhs 100 155 × 66 Pink Umm Al Quwain Fort Port of Fujairah; Etihad Rail 24 March 2025 Dhs 500 159 × 66 Blue Terra Pavilion (Dubai) Museum of the Future; Burj Khalifa (Dubai) 30 November 2023 Dhs 1000 163 × 66 Olive brown Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan;Hope probe Barakah nuclear power plant(Abu Dhabi) 10 April 2023
Exchange rates On 28 January 1978, the dirham was officially pegged to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs).Dynamic Growth of the UAE Monetary and Banking Sector, Central Bank of the UAE In practice, it has been pegged to the U.S. dollar for most of the time.Tables of modern monetary history: Asia Since November 1997, the dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at a rate of US$1 = Dhs 3.6725,Statistical Bulletin, Quarterly July – Sep. 2005, Central Bank of the UAE Vol. 25, No. 3 which translates to approximately Dh 1 = US$0.272294.
See also Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Economy of the United Arab Emirates Moroccan dirham Emirati dirham sign Jaywan List of banks in the United Arab Emirates
References
External links United Arab Emirates Commemorative Coins UAE Dirham Currency Converter