Money & Currency

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The local currency is called the Omani Rial, which is often seen written as RO or OR. It is divided into 1000 baiza (bz). Notes come in the following sizes:

100bz; 200bz; RO 1/2; RO 1; RO 5; RO 10; RO 20; RO 50

Coins: 5bz; 10bz; 25bz; 50bz

Cash is the preferred method of payment, but most of the large shops will take major credit cards. Personal cheques are rarely accepted. Currency can be exchanged in the hotels, banks and exchange houses. Take your passport for ID purposes when exchanging money or cashing Traveller's Cheques.

Most of the banks have Automated Teller Machines (ATM) which will accept cards such as VISA, American Express, MasterCard, Cirrus and Global Access.

Banks are open from 8.00am to 12.00pm, Saturday to Wednesday, and 8.00am to 11.30am on Thursday. Transfers of money are easy to arrange as the Omani Rial is freely convertible and there are no controls governing its exchange.