Bhutan - Bhutanese ngultrum - Currency Guide

General Currency Info - Bhutanese ngultrum

Is Indian currency accepted in Bhutan?

A Ngultrum has the same value as the Indian rupee, the rupee is also legal in Bhutan. INR 100 & 50 Rupee denomination may be used in Bhutan, but Ngultrum cannot be used in India. Indian Rupee denomination note of INR 500, INR 1000 and INR 2000 are not accepted in Bhutan.

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Travel, Currency and Money saving tips for Bhutan

A landlocked country in South Asia, the Kingdom of Bhutan is located at the eastern end of the Himalayas. The country shares borders with China and India. Nepal is separated from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim and Bangladesh is separated from Bhutan by the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam.

Bhutan’s unit of currency is called the Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN). Tourist can exchange traveler’s cheques or cash at the foreign exchange desk at Paro Airport and Bank of Bhutan branches in major townships such as Paro and Thimphu. As you travel into the interior, ATM and banking facilities are almost non-existent. We suggest that you do your banking whilst in Paro or Thimphu, and take local currency with you to the countryside.

Currencies that can be exchanged include the U.S. Dollar, Pound Sterling, Euro, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, Hong Kong Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Denish Kroner, Australlian Dollar and Singapore Dollar. Some hotels also provide foreign exchange services, however many of these are limited to U.S. Dollar exchanges.

Credit cards only accepted in a very limited number of handicraft stores in Thimphu and high-end hotels.

Limited ATM facilities are available in major townships. MasterCard and Visa international credit and debit cards can be used on these ATM’s to withdraw cash.

You may need to show your passport when you exchange money or travelers cheques.

Do I need a visa for Bhutan?

Upon entering Bhutan, all foreigners are issued a 7 or 14 days "Entry Permit" by default, valid for Thimphu and Paro only. The rest of Bhutan is considered a restricted area, and foreigners need a "Restricted-Area Permit" to enter. Immigration checkpoints are located at important road junctions throughout the country, where police check the permits of all foreigners they find. In addition, foreigners wishing to visit Buddhist temples must obtain a "Temple Permit" from the Ministry of Culture.

While these permits are typically arranged by the tour operators, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Maldivian visitors who did not book through a licensed tour operator must apply for them in person at the Immigration office in Thimphu. The permits can also be extended at the Immigration office in Thimphu for a charge. Citizens of Bangladesh, India, and Maldives are exempt from charges on issuance and extensions of permits.

Travel money for Bhutan

As mentioned above, the Bhutanese ngultrum is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult (or be permitted) to purchase the currency (BTN) before departure and will need to buy it upon arrival in Bhutan.

For these types of destinations, using a pre-paid travel card is a good solution. As no travel cards support loading closed currencies like the BTN you will incur currency conversion or foreign transaction fees if you use a travel money card in Bhutan.

However, using a pre-paid travel card is still a good idea as you can avoid ATM fees and also you can avoid using (and losing!) your main bank or debit/credit card.

Send Money to Bhutan - Best Rates

To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Bhutan you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).

The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.

You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.

Get a better deal for foreign transfers to Bhutan

When sending money to Bhutan it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :

1. Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
2. You specify the local or Bhutanese ngultrum amount you want to transfer
3. Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
4. Once your funds are received by the provider the converted BTN amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Bhutan.

Use the above Send to Bhutanese ngultrum calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Bhutanese ngultrum deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!

Can foreigners buy land in Bhutan?

A person has to be a Bhutanese citizen by birth, to buy land and own properties in Bhutan.