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Currency in Ukraine UAH - Things to know

Foreign exchange guide to Ukraine and the Ukrainian hryvnia

Ukraine

What currency is used in Ukraine?

The official currency of Ukraine (country code: UA) is the Ukrainian hryvnia, with symbol and currency code UAH.

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Things to know about the Ukrainian hryvnia

Here are some things you might want to know about the Ukrainian hryvnia:

  1. The Ukrainian hryvnia is the official currency of Ukraine. It is represented by the symbol "â‚´" and is abbreviated as UAH.
  2. The hryvnia was introduced in 1996, replacing the Ukrainian karbovanets. It is divided into 100 kopiykas.
  3. The physical currency consists of coins and banknotes. The coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50 kopiykas, and 1 hryvnia. The banknotes come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 hryvnias.
  4. The banknotes feature images of famous Ukrainian historical figures, such as Taras Shevchenko and Volodymyr the Great. The design of the currency is constantly being updated, so the physical appearance of the coins and banknotes may vary slightly over time.
  5. The value of the hryvnia has fluctuated over time, due to factors such as inflation and economic instability in the country. In recent years, the value of the hryvnia has been relatively stable, although it has depreciated against the US dollar due to the country's high rate of inflation.

Travel money for Ukraine

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

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 UAH you will incur currency conversion or foreign transaction fees if you use a travel money card in .

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.

 
 

Travel Ideas and Money Tips for Ukraine

Ukraine is big. In fact it's Europe’s biggest country (not counting Russia, which isn’t entirely in Europe) and packs a lot of diversity into its borders. You can be clambering around the Carpathians in search of Hutsul festivities, sipping Eastern Europe’s best coffee in sophisticated Lviv and partying on the beach in Odesa all in a few days. Ukrainians are also a diverse crowd: from the wired sophisticates of Kyiv’s business quarters to the Gogolesque farmers in Poltava, the Hungarian-speaking bus drivers of Uzhhorod to the Crimean Tatar cafe owners just about everywhere, few countries boast such a mixed population.

Despite their often glum reticence and initial distrust of strangers, travellers to the country quickly find out that Ukrainians are, when given the chance, one of Europe’s most open and hospitable people. Break down that reserve and you’ll soon be slurping borshch in someone’s Soviet-era kitchen, listening to a fellow train passenger’s life story or being taken on an impromptu tour of a town’s sights by the guy you asked for directions.

Ukraine is known for its splendid castles.

What currency to use in Ukraine?

First thing which you should do after arriving in Ukraine is to exchange money to local the currency. Official currency in Ukraine is hryvnia (UAH), and you can pay for things only in the local currency. Do a money exchange in the airport, and outside cities you should make sure you have sufficient cash in local currency. US dollars and Euros are the easiest currency to exchange in Ukraine.

Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted networks in Ukraine. Amex cards aren’t accepted in many places - and there are only a handful of ATMs which accept Amex in the whole country.³ Check out the locator tool below to find the nearest ATM to you that’ll work on the Amex network.

If your bank doesn’t know you’ll be travelling then you might encounter problems, as bank fraud departments monitor transactions and tend to be wary about sudden card usage overseas. In the case of Ukraine, because there have been issues involving fraud and card scams in the past, you could find your bank’s fraud department are especially concerned by a sudden spike of spending in Ukraine. The bank could block or limit your account if there’s any suggestion that your card has been stolen or fraudulently used abroad - leaving you without cash or any means of payment.

Ukraine.

Getting around in Ukraine.

The air network is very centralised, so more often than not you need to change flights in Kyiv when travelling between the southeast and the west. The number of domestic flights and carriers has fallen considerably in recent years.

Although you have to keep an eye out for crazy drivers and keep to the road's shoulder, cycling is a great way to see the real Ukraine. The Carpathians are particularly pleasant cycling country.

Contact Chervona Ruta if you're interested in Dnipro River and Black Sea cruises. The standard cruise is one week along the Kyiv–Odesa route calling at seven cities along the way. Some cruises go into the Danube Delta.

Buses serve every city and small town, but they're best for short trips (three hours or less), as vehicles can often be small, old and overcrowded. However, luxury bus services run by big companies provide a good alternative to trains. Some bus stations have become quite orderly, others remain chaotic. For the uninitiated, Ukrainian bus travel can be a bemusing and uncomfortable ordeal. For example, 'Bus' can mean anything from a lumbering 60-seater to a 1980s Hungarian coach to a luxury Mercedes minibus.

On-board toilets are uncommon even on luxury services. Your ticket has a seat number printed on it, but on small buses passengers generally just sit where they like.

Bus stations are called avtovokzal or avtostantsiya. Some of Ukraine's larger cities have several stations – a main one for long-distance routes and smaller stations that serve local destinations. Stations are real traveller hubs with lots of services available, such as food, toilets, news-stands, waiting rooms and even dorm beds. You'll save yourself a lot of hassle at crowded terminals if you check timetables online before coming to the station.

Travelling by taxi anywhere in the ex-USSR can be a decidedly unpleasant experience for foreigners, so if there's a bus or tram going to your destination, take it. Uber is available in major cities, but service quality is patchy. An indigenous equivalent is called Uklon.

For long journeys, train is the preferred method of travel in Ukraine. The most useful and comfortable are the daytime Intercity+ trains. Many overnight trains have old, Soviet-era carriages. Services are mostly punctual.

Travel tips for Ukraine.

A diverse landscape obviously throws up a whole bunch of outdoorsy activities – from mountain biking and hill walking in the Carpathians to bird spotting in the Danube Delta, from cycling along the Dnipro in Kyiv to water sports in the Black Sea. But if the idea of burning calories on hill and wave has you fleeing for the sofa, rest assured that most Ukrainians have never tried any of the above, but love nothing more than wandering their country’s vast forests, foraging for berries and mushrooms or picnicking by a meandering river.

At time of writing, the Ukrainian government considers Crimea illegally occupied by Russia. As a result, it has put restrictions on visiting the peninsula. First of all, foreigners and Ukrainians alike must have legitimate reason to visit. Ukrainians can cross by land if they have family or property there. Foreigners can only visit Crimea through Ukraine if they are journalists and have applied for special permission.

 
   

USD/UAH Market Data

The below interactive chart displays the USD/UAH change and UP📈 DOWN📉 trends over the past 1 Year.

 
1 USD =
39.12We compare provider deals to this wholesale mid-market rate. Read more
UAH
  1 UAH = 0.025565 USD   (Inverse rate)
 
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Frequently Asked Questions

What currency should I use in Ukraine?

The domestic currency in Ukraine is the Ukrainian hryvnia.

What is the Ukrainian hryvnia currency code and symbol?

The three letter currency code for the Ukrainian hryvnia is UAH — symbol is .

Which countries use the Ukrainian hryvnia?

It is the domestic currency in    Ukraine.

Is the Ukrainian hryvnia a closed currency?

Yes the Ukrainian hryvnia is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult to purchase the currency (UAH) 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 UAH?

Here are some popular conversion amounts for USD to UAH (US dollar to Ukrainian hryvnia)*.

USD UAH
$ 1 39.12
$ 5 195.60
$ 10 391.20
$ 20 782.40
$ 50 1,956
$ 100 3,912
$ 250 9,780
$ 500 19,560
$ 1,000 39,120
$ 2,000 78,240
$ 5,000 195,600
$ 10,000 391,200
$ 20,000 782,400
$ 50,000 1,956,000
$ 100,000 3,912,000
USD UAH
$ 0.0256 ₴ 1
$ 0.1278 ₴ 5
$ 0.2557 ₴ 10
$ 0.5113 ₴ 20
$ 1.2783 ₴ 50
$ 2.5565 ₴ 100
$ 6.3913 ₴ 250
$ 12.78 ₴ 500
$ 25.57 ₴ 1,000
$ 51.13 ₴ 2,000
$ 127.83 ₴ 5,000
$ 255.65 ₴ 10,000
$ 511.30 ₴ 20,000
$ 1,278 ₴ 50,000
$ 2,557 ₴ 100,000

More amounts

*Converted at the current USDUAH interbank exchange rate. Calculate actual payout amounts for Send Money and Travel Money exchange rates.

Send Money to Ukraine - Best Rates

To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Ukraine 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 Ukraine

When sending money to Ukraine 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 Ukrainian hryvnia 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 UAH amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Ukraine.

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 Ukrainian hryvnia deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!

 

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