US Dollar
Euro
British Pound
UAE Dirham
Australian Dollar
Singapore DollarThe currency of Bahrain مملكة البحرين
Bahraini
DinarBHD
The currency of Bahrain is the Bahraini dinar (BHD), divided into 1,000 fils and issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain. It is the second highest-valued currency unit in the world: one dinar costs ₹261.32 at our selling rate right now.
- Code
- BHD
- Symbol
- BDد.ب
- Subunit
- 1,000 fils
- In use since
- 1965
What is the currency of Bahrain?
The currency of Bahrain is the Bahraini dinar, code BHD, written BD or د.ب. One dinar is divided into 1,000 fils, which is why Bahraini prices carry three decimal places. The Central Bank of Bahrain issues it. Bahrain has used it since October 1965, when it replaced the Gulf rupee, a special issue of the Reserve Bank of India, at ten rupees to the dinar. By the value of one unit it is the second strongest currency in the world, after the Kuwaiti dinar: on 5 Oct 2026, one dinar was worth about ₹261.32 at our selling rate.
Bahraini Dinar at a glance
- Currency
- Bahraini dinarدينار بحريني
- Code
- BHDNumeric code 048
- Symbol
- BD, or د.بPrices are written to three decimals, like BD 1.500
- Subunit
- 1 dinar = 1,000 fils
- Issuer
- Central Bank of BahrainSince 2006; the Bahrain Monetary Agency before that
- Introduced
- October 1965Replaced the Gulf rupee at 10 rupees per dinar
- Exchange rate
- BD 0.376 per US dollarHeld since 1980, fixed by decree in 2001
- Used in
- Bahrain onlyAbu Dhabi used it from 1966 to 1973
- Banknotes
- ½, 1, 5, 10 and 20 dinarsFourth issue, in circulation since 17 March 2008
- Coins
- 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 filsThe 100 fils is bimetallic
Bahrain currency notes and coins
Bahrain money comes as five banknotes and five coins. The notes are the fourth issue, in circulation since 17 March 2008 and upgraded in 2016 and 2017, all the same size, with Arabic on the front and English on the back.
- Central Bank of BahrainHalf dinar½
Half dinar BD 0.500
≈ ₹130.66 today- Colour
- Orange
- Front
- The old Bahrain Court building
- Back
- The Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir
- Central Bank of BahrainOne dinar1BD
One dinar BD 1
≈ ₹261.32 today- Colour
- Red
- Front
- Al Hidaya Al Khalifia School, Bahrain's first government school
- Back
- The Sail Monument in Manama and five galloping Arabian horses
- Central Bank of BahrainFive dinars5BD
Five dinars BD 5
≈ ₹1,306.62 today- Colour
- Blue
- Front
- Shaikh Isa House and Riffa Fort
- Back
- Bahrain's first oil well and the Alba aluminium smelter
- Central Bank of BahrainTen dinars10BD
Ten dinars BD 10
≈ ₹2,613.25 today- Colour
- Green
- Front
- King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
- Back
- The Shaikh Isa bin Salman Causeway bridge
- Central Bank of BahrainTwenty dinars20BD
Twenty dinars BD 20
≈ ₹5,226.50 today- Colour
- Brown
- Front
- King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
- Back
- The Al Fateh Grand Mosque
Coins, in fils
The 5 and 10 fils are brass-coloured, the 25 and 50 are silver, and the 100 fils is bimetallic, silver in the middle and gold around the edge.
- 55 fils
≈ ₹1.31 - 1010 fils
≈ ₹2.61 - 2525 fils
≈ ₹6.53 - 5050 fils
≈ ₹13.07 - 100100 fils
≈ ₹26.13
Sources: Central Bank of Bahrain, fourth issue; BanknoteNews; colours as printed. Rupee values at our selling rate, 10:25 AM IST, 5 Oct 2026.
The changeover rate in October 1965
Why a 100-fils note was added in 1967
Why 100 fils is still "one rupee"
Until 1965 Bahrain paid in Indian money, from 1959 in Gulf rupees printed by the Reserve Bank of India. The dinar replaced them at ten rupees to the dinar, which made 100 fils worth exactly one old rupee, and the name stuck.
The Indian rupee
Under British protection, the Indian rupee was legal tender in Bahrain.
The Gulf rupee
India issues special "Z" rupee notes for use only in the Gulf, to stop gold smuggling from draining its reserves.
Ten rupees to the dinar
The Bahrain Currency Board issues the dinar, and Gulf rupees are swapped at ten to one.
A note worth one rupee
A 100-fils note is added, because 100 fils equalled one old rupee, the smallest note before the switch.
Sources: Central Bank of Bahrain, currency issue page; P. J. Symes, "The Bank Notes of Bahrain"; Ministry of External Affairs, India-Bahrain brief (2024); Embassy of India in Bahrain, Indian community page; Scroll.in on the Gulf rupee.
Why the dinar is worth so much
Only the Kuwaiti dinar is worth more per unit. Three things keep the Bahraini dinar near the top.
It started big
When the dinar replaced the Gulf rupee in October 1965, one dinar was ten rupees, or fifteen shillings, three quarters of a British pound, and it has stayed a large unit ever since.
Held at 0.376 to the dollar
The Central Bank of Bahrain keeps the dinar at BD 0.376 per US dollar, a rate unchanged since 1980 and fixed by decree in December 2001.
Second only to Kuwait
By the value of one unit, the Bahraini dinar is the second highest-valued currency in the world, after the Kuwaiti dinar.
One unit in rupees · our selling rate, 5 Oct 2026
One dinar buys about 26 times as many rupees as it did in 1965.
The dinar since 1965
Bahrain has had a currency of its own for just over sixty years. What changed along the way, in eight entries.
- EntryBahrain
The dinar arrives
In October the Bahrain Currency Board issues dinar notes and coins, at ten Gulf rupees to the dinar.
Launch - EntryBahrain
Abu Dhabi joins in
After India devalues the rupee, Abu Dhabi adopts the Bahraini dinar, and uses it until the UAE dirham arrives in 1973.
India link - EntryBahrain
Bahrain Monetary Agency
Decree-Law No. 23 of 1973 creates the Monetary Agency, which takes over from the Currency Board in December.
- EntryBahrain
0.376 to the dollar
The dinar is held at BD 0.376 per US dollar, while still formally linked to the SDR.
- EntryBahrain
A counterfeit recall
On 30 July the 20-dinar notes are recalled after a counterfeit order is printed abroad.
- EntryBahrain
The peg in law
A decree of 25 December 2001 fixes the dinar against the US dollar.
- EntryBahrain
Central Bank of Bahrain
On 6 September the Central Bank of Bahrain replaces the Monetary Agency.
- EntryBahrain
Today's notes
The fourth issue enters circulation on 17 March, upgraded with new security features in 2016 and 2017.
New notes
Sources: Central Bank of Bahrain, currency and monetary policy pages; CBB Rulebook (Decree-Law 23 of 1973, Law 64 of 2006); P. J. Symes, "The Bank Notes of Bahrain"; Al Bayan, December 2001; BanknoteNews; Wikipedia, "Bahraini dinar".
Dinars and rupees side by side
Worked out at our selling rate at 10:25 AM IST on 5 Oct 2026. For the live rate on any amount, use the BHD to INR or INR to BHD converter.
| You pay | You get |
|---|---|
| ₹10,000 | BD 38.267 |
| ₹25,000 | BD 95.666 |
| ₹50,000 | BD 191.333 |
| ₹1,00,000 | BD 382.666 |
| ₹2,00,000 | BD 765.331 |
| ₹5,00,000 | BD 1,913.328 |
| You buy | It costs |
|---|---|
| BD 1 | ₹261.32 |
| BD 5 | ₹1,306.62 |
| BD 10 | ₹2,613.25 |
| BD 20 | ₹5,226.50 |
| BD 50 | ₹13,066.24 |
| BD 100 | ₹26,132.48 |
Spending dinars in Bahrain
Three things about money in Bahrain that help on the first day.
Three decimals: the digits after the point are fils.
That tag reads
1 dinar+500 fils
≈ ₹391.99at our selling rate
Prices run to three decimals
A dinar is 1,000 fils, so prices are written to three decimal places after BD: petrol at BD 0.233 a litre is 233 fils, about ₹60.89.
BD 1.500 = 1 dinar + 500 filsSaudi riyals are widely taken
Many businesses in Bahrain accept Saudi riyals as well as dinars, although the dinar is the official currency, so carry dinars too.
Official currency: the dinarCards everywhere, BenefitPay locally
Visa, Mastercard and American Express are widely accepted in malls, restaurants and hotels. Locals pay by BenefitPay, the national e-wallet, and cash is still handy in souqs and small shops.
BENEFIT · BenefitPay · Fawri+Taking Bahraini dinars from India
The Reserve Bank of India's rules apply to every currency, and the dinar is no exception.
Up to the equivalent of USD 3,000 per trip can leave India as Bahraini dinar notes. The rest goes on a forex card or as a bank transfer.
Every resident can send up to USD 250,000 abroad each financial year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, travel included.
Tax collected at source applies once your foreign-exchange purchases in a financial year cross ₹10 lakh: nil when an education loan pays, 2% for self-funded education and medical treatment, and 20% for travel and everything else. It is credited against your income tax when you file.
Bahraini dinars are available on request. Send your amount and the desk confirms availability and your exact rate before anything is booked.
Check availability→Bahraini dinar questions
The questions people type about the dinar, answered in full, in three groups.
The basics
9 questionsWhat is the currency of Bahrain?
The currency of Bahrain is the Bahraini dinar, code BHD, divided into 1,000 fils. It is issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain and has been in use since October 1965, in the capital, Manama, and across the country.
What is the full form of BHD?
BHD stands for Bahraini Dinar. BH is Bahrain's two-letter country code and D is for dinar, following the ISO 4217 standard, so the BHD full form is Bahraini Dinar and "BHD currency" always means Bahrain's money. Its numeric code is 048.
What is the Bahraini dinar symbol?
The Bahraini dinar symbol is BD in English and د.ب in Arabic, and it is the Bahrain currency symbol you will see before prices, as in BD 1.500. The code BHD is also used.
Bahrain ki currency kya hai?
Bahrain ki currency Bahraini dinar (BHD) hai. Ek dinar mein 1,000 fils hote hain, aur 5 Oct 2026 ko ek dinar lagbhag ₹261.32 ka tha, hamare selling rate par. Bahrain ki currency ka symbol BD hai.
Is it Bahrain dinar or Bahraini dinar?
The official name is the Bahraini dinar, but Bahrain dinar means the same money. It is sometimes called the Bahrain riyal or Bahrain dirham, which are really the names of Saudi, Qatari and UAE money, or the Bahrain rupee, a name left over from before 1965.
How many fils make one Bahraini dinar?
One Bahraini dinar is 1,000 fils. Coins come in 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 fils, and the smallest note is the half dinar.
What is the Bahrain currency name?
The Bahrain currency name is the dinar, in full the Bahraini dinar, and its small change is the fils. Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and others also call their money the dinar, but each is a separate currency.
Bahraini dinar is the currency of which country?
The Bahraini dinar is the currency of Bahrain, and only Bahrain today. Abu Dhabi used it from 1966 until the UAE dirham arrived in 1973.
Can I pay with Saudi riyals in Bahrain?
Often, yes: many businesses in Bahrain accept Saudi riyals as well as dinars. The dinar is the official currency, though, so carry dinars too.
Value and history
6 questionsIs the Bahraini dinar the second highest currency in the world?
Yes, by the value of one unit it is second only to the Kuwaiti dinar. On 5 Oct 2026 one Bahraini dinar was worth about ₹261.32 at our selling rate. Our guide to the highest currency in the world has the full ranking.
Is the Bahraini dinar pegged to the US dollar?
Yes. The Central Bank of Bahrain holds it at BD 0.376 per US dollar, so one dinar is about US$2.66. The rate has been unchanged since 1980 and was fixed by decree in December 2001.
Which Bahraini banknotes are in use?
The fourth issue, in circulation since 17 March 2008: half a dinar, 1, 5, 10 and 20 dinars. Upgraded 10 and 20 dinar notes followed in 2016 and upgraded smaller notes in 2017, and the Central Bank of Bahrain lists both versions as current.
Are old Bahraini dinar notes still valid?
The 1978 series stopped being legal tender on 31 March 1996 and could be exchanged only until 31 March 1997. The 1993 series has been withdrawn from circulation; if you hold those notes, ask the Central Bank of Bahrain about exchanging them.
Was the Indian rupee used in Bahrain?
Yes. Under British protection the Indian rupee was legal tender in Bahrain, and from 1959 the Gulf rupee, a special issue of the Reserve Bank of India. The dinar replaced it in October 1965 at ten rupees to the dinar.
Why do Bahrainis call 100 fils a rupee?
Because at the changeover in 1965 one dinar was ten rupees, so 100 fils was worth exactly one old rupee, and the old name stuck. A 100-fils note was even added in 1967 for that reason.
Buying from India
2 questionsHow many Bahraini dinars can I carry from India?
Up to the equivalent of USD 3,000 per trip in currency notes. Anything above that goes on a forex card or as a bank transfer, all within the USD 250,000 a year Liberalised Remittance Scheme limit.
How do I get Bahraini dinars for a trip to Bahrain?
Order them before you fly. Matrix Forex, an RBI-authorised Category-II dealer, arranges Bahraini dinar notes on request: send your amount through the booking bar at the top of this page and the desk confirms availability and your exact rate before anything is booked. For the live rate on any amount, see the BHD to INR converter.