Travel service
Currency Exchange Guidance & Escorted First Exchange
Straight answers on cash: how much to bring, euros or dollars, what the real open-market rate is this week — plus an escorted first exchange at a licensed shop if you want it.
Iran's money questions fill the forum for good reason: there is an official rate and an open-market rate that can differ substantially, prices flip between rials and tomans, your bank cards are dead, and the fallback is carrying your entire budget as cash — so changing it badly, or with the wrong street changer, genuinely hurts. Before you travel we tell you plainly how much to bring and in which currency (euros and dollars both work; larger, newer notes get better rates) and what the real market rate is that week. On arrival, your driver or guide can take you straight to a licensed exchange office — a sarrafi — so your first exchange happens at the posted market rate, counted openly in front of you. No airport-counter rates, no back-alley risk.
What’s included
- Pre-trip cash plan: how much, EUR vs USD, note sizes and condition
- Current open-market rate shared before and during your trip
- Escorted first exchange at a licensed sarrafi — market rate, counted openly
- Rial vs toman explained once and for all (1 toman = 10 rials)
- Pairs naturally with the tourist debit card if you'd rather not carry cash around
Questions travelers ask
How much cash should I bring to Iran?
Enough for the entire trip, plus a real buffer. With foreign cards blocked and no ATM access, the cash you carry — plus whatever you load onto a tourist card — is your whole budget, and transferring money to yourself from abroad is unreliable at best. Work out your expected daily spend, then add a comfortable margin: leftover euros or dollars are easy to take home, but running out in-country is a genuine problem. Booking your big fixed costs — hotels, guide, intercity transport — before you travel means far less cash to carry and count.
Should I bring euros or dollars to Iran?
Either one. Euros and dollars are the two currencies that exchange offices and tourist-card providers routinely handle, so bring whichever is easier to get at home — there's no meaningful advantage to one over the other. Favor larger, newer banknotes: worn or older-series notes can get a worse rate or be refused outright. Travelers sometimes ask about bringing dirhams or other regional currencies instead; stick with EUR or USD, which are accepted everywhere money is changed. What matters more than which currency you choose is bringing enough of it, since there is no way to top up from a foreign account once you're there.
What is the difference between rial and toman, and how do I avoid getting confused?
This trips up almost every first-time visitor, so here is the whole rule: Iran's official currency is the rial, but people quote everyday prices in toman, and one toman equals ten rials. That dropped zero is the entire trap — a price of '50,000' could mean 50,000 rials or 50,000 toman (500,000 rials), a tenfold difference. The habit that protects you: confirm on every price whether it's rial or toman before you pay, especially with taxis and in bazaars. Asking 'rial or toman?' is completely normal — Iranians navigate the same ambiguity daily and will clarify without a second thought. One footnote: Iran has long-running plans to redenominate its currency, so if the banknotes look different from what you read elsewhere, our money guide keeps the current picture.
Where and how do I exchange money in Iran?
Change money at official exchange offices — they are easy to find in Tehran and every city on the tourist trail, and your hotel or guide can point you to a trusted one. Don't budget from an old number: exchange rates move, and rates published abroad don't always match what offices on the ground actually pay, so check the going rate locally on the day and confirm it before handing over your cash. If you'd rather handle less paper money altogether, loading most of your budget onto a tourist debit card does the same job cashlessly.