Currency in Ethiopia: ETB Send & Spend FX Guide
Resources for Expats, Travelers and Entrepreneurs Navigating Life and Trade in Ethiopia with the Ethiopian birr.
What's in this Ethiopia currency guide?
What currency is used in Ethiopia?
The official currency of Ethiopia (country code: ET) is the Ethiopian birr, with symbol Br and currency code ETB.
What is a good Ethiopian birr exchange rate?
The BestExchangeRates.com currency comparison table below helps you see the total cost of your currency transaction by showing the exchange rates offered by different providers. It also makes it easy to spot potential savings from market-leading FX services compared to bank rates.
To see a full list of rates, enter your transaction type, currencies and amount then click ‘GET RATES’:
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Frequently Asked Questions
What currency should I use in Ethiopia?
The domestic currency in Ethiopia is the Ethiopian birr.
What is the Ethiopian birr currency code and symbol?
The three letter currency code for the Ethiopian birr is ETB — symbol is Br.
What does the Ethiopian birr look like?
Here is an example Ethiopian birr banknote:
Which countries use the Ethiopian birr?
It is the domestic currency in Ethiopia.
Is the Ethiopian birr a closed currency?
Yes the Ethiopian birr is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult to purchase the currency (ETB) before departure and will probably need to buy it upon arrival. If you do manage to buy some of the currency or have some left over from a previous trip, make sure you are aware if you are allowed to bring this closed currency into the country.
For more information and a full list of closed currencies please refer to our guide: What is a closed currency?
What are equivalent amounts of USD and ETB?
Here are some popular conversion amounts for USD to ETB (US dollar to Ethiopian birr)*.
*Converted at the current USDETB interbank exchange rate. Calculate actual payout amounts for Send Money and Travel Money exchange rates.
Travel money for Ethiopia
As mentioned above, the Ethiopian birr is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult (or be permitted) to purchase the currency (ETB) before departure and will need to buy it upon arrival in Ethiopia.
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 ETB you will incur currency conversion or foreign transaction fees if you use a travel money card in Ethiopia.
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.
USD/ETB Market Data
The below interactive chart displays the USD/ETB change and UP📈 DOWN📉 trends over the past 1 Year.
Send Money to Ethiopia - Best Rates
To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia
When sending money to Ethiopia 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 :
- Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
- You specify the local or Ethiopian birr amount you want to transfer
- Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
- Once your funds are received by the provider the converted ETB amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Ethiopia.
Use the above 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 Ethiopian birr deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!
