Qatar / Travel Information / Currency

Legal tender in Qatar is the Qatari Riyal. This came into being in 1973, the former currencies being the Indian Rupee and, briefly, the Qatar and Dubai Riyal (from 1996 to 1973). All currency is issued in the name of the Qatar Central Bank and the notes bear the signatures of the Minister of Finance, Economy and Trade, along with the Governor of the Central Bank. The Riyal is divided into 100 dirhams. Notes exist for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 Riyals, and coins for 25 and 50 dirhams. Apparently there are still some smaller denomination coins in existence, but these have not been minted since the 1970s! In line with other modern currencies, Riyal notes are protected by security devices such as serial numbers and water marks. The currency is pegged at a fixed rate to the US dollar at 1 $US = 3.65 Qatari Riyals and is freely convertible into other currencies.