Answers to common questions about Dolarchand's rates, data and features.
As of today, the US Dollar (USD) is about 188,900 Toman on Dolarchand, an increase of 1,150 Toman from yesterday's 187,750 Toman. The figure updates live throughout the day, so it always reflects the latest market rate.
Yesterday, the US Dollar (USD) was around 187,750 Toman. Comparing it with today's price shows how much the rate has moved over the last 24 hours.
The official currency printed on banknotes and used in banking is the Iranian Rial (IRR). In daily life, however, Iranians almost exclusively use the Toman. One Toman equals 10 Rials (for example, 100,000 Rials = 10,000 Tomans).
To convert Tomans to Rials, add one zero to the end of the amount. To convert Rials to Tomans, remove one zero. For example, 50,000 Tomans becomes 500,000 Rials.
Decades of high inflation made the numbers on Rial banknotes too large for everyday use. To simplify pricing and communication, the public dropped a zero and adopted the Toman as an informal, more manageable unit of account.
The Rial is written as ﷼ (ریال) and the Toman as تومان. On our website and app, charts and calculators are clearly labelled so there is no confusion about which unit a price is in.
The Central Bank of Iran has approved plans to redenominate the currency, cut four zeros, and formally switch the national currency name back to the Toman. Some newer banknotes already show faint, faded zeros to prepare for this transition, but both systems remain in use today.
Official cash comes in two categories: standard banknotes and high-value “Iran Cheques” (which circulate freely and act exactly like cash).
The single highest denomination is the 10,000,000 Rial (1,000,000 Toman) Iran Cheque, the largest official note currently circulating in the Iranian financial system.
Yes. Because printing small banknotes became inefficient, the Central Bank created “Iran Cheques.” They look and behave exactly like regular banknotes, are accepted everywhere, and are the main way people carry large amounts of physical cash.
Google, XE and major international platforms display only Iran's official Central Bank rate. Because of economic sanctions, that government-set rate is artificial and not available to the public or to travellers. We track the free-market (open-market) rate, the rate real people and exchange shops actually use inside Iran.
The real (open-market) rate is set by real-world supply and demand among local exchange houses (Sarafis). Because it reacts instantly to political and economic news, it moves throughout the day and reflects the currency's true purchasing power.
We aggregate data from a network of trusted open-market feeds and local exchange dealers to provide the most accurate rates possible. Because the Iranian market is highly volatile, our data should be used for informational and educational purposes only.
Rates update every few minutes during active trading hours in Iran (typically Saturday to Thursday, from late morning to late afternoon local time).
The free-market rate is very sensitive to geopolitical news, sanctions updates, inflation indicators and liquidity changes. Speculative trading in local physical markets can also cause rapid intraday spikes or drops.
Minor differences arise because individual shops face different local supply and demand, different operating costs, and different cash-availability limits at any given hour.
These refer to specific geographic or institutional sub-markets in Tehran where large volumes of currency and gold are traded. The “Sabzeh Meydan” rate, for example, reflects pricing trends coming directly from Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar.
Yes. Viewing, tracking and researching historical exchange rates is completely legal and falls under financial journalism and data aggregation.
The Iranian weekend is Thursday afternoon and all day Friday. During this time trading volumes drop significantly, and open-market rates usually stay flat or move very little until the market reopens on Saturday morning.
Like any financial market, exchange operators charge a small spread to stay profitable. The Buy price is what an exchange house will give you for your foreign currency; the Sell price is what they charge when you want to buy foreign currency from them.
No. Because of international banking sanctions, global networks like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are not connected to Iranian banks. Your foreign cards will not work in shops, hotels or restaurants.
No. Iranian ATMs are connected only to the domestic “Shetab” network and are completely cut off from the global financial system, so foreign cards cannot be read by local machines.
Currently only for Russian citizens. Russia's “Mir” payment network and Iran's “Shetab” network are integrated, allowing Russian travellers to use their cards at local terminals. This does not extend to Western networks.
Foreigners can buy a local Iranian tourist debit card (such as Mah Card, or options offered by major local banks). You hand over your foreign cash (USD or EUR) on arrival and they load the equivalent in Rials onto a prepaid local card you can use at any store or ATM.
US Dollars (USD) and Euros (EUR) are the gold standard. They are widely accepted at every exchange shop (Sarafi) and offer the most competitive rates. Make sure your banknotes are crisp, clean and the newest design available, as local shops often reject older or worn bills.
Travellers can enter Iran with up to USD 10,000 (or the equivalent in other foreign currencies) without declaring it. Bringing cash above this threshold requires a declaration form at customs on arrival.
High-end hotels, traditional carpet shops and private tour guides will often happily accept physical USD or EUR cash. For everyday expenses, however (hailing a local taxi, buying street food, paying for museum tickets), you will need local Rials or Tomans.
Not at standard retail stores or restaurants. However, because crypto is popular in Iran for preserving wealth, some tech-savvy hotels, tour operators or exchange houses may accept Tether (USDT) to settle large bills or trade for local cash.
No. None of these digital wallets or fintech apps function inside Iran due to sanctions. Your digital balances will be entirely inaccessible for local payments while you are in the country.
Use licensed, physical exchange shops known as Sarafis, they are clearly marked and located in major cities, tourist hubs and commercial centres. Avoid unlicensed individual street money changers.
Exchange a small amount (e.g. USD 20-50) at the airport to cover your initial taxi ride into the city. For the bulk of your funds you will find much better, more competitive free-market rates at a Sarafi in downtown Tehran or other major cities.
Generally no. Most Sarafis are strict and accept only “large-head” or newly redesigned, crisp US hundred-dollar bills. Bills that are torn, stamped, written on or heavily creased will almost certainly be rejected.
Because international banking restrictions block standard networks like SWIFT, PayPal and Western Union from interacting with Iranian banks, most people use alternatives. The most common are independent money-transfer operators (Sarafis, via the traditional Havaleh system) and peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transfers (such as Tether/USDT).
The Cash rate (Eskenas) is the price for physical paper banknotes bought or sold over the counter. The Remittance rate (Havaleh) applies to digital funds transferred across borders between exchange accounts. Because the logistics differ, the two rates differ slightly.
NIMA is a government-controlled digital system where Iranian exporters sell their foreign currency to local importers at a subsidised rate.
SANA is an average rate tracked by the Central Bank based on approved institutional exchange shops.
Both are typically much lower than the true free-market rate.
The ICE is an official platform launched by the Central Bank of Iran to reduce market volatility. It handles official allocations of foreign currency for approved needs (such as student visas or medical travel) and trades gold at government-regulated rates.
In Iran, gold coins are treated as a primary investment vehicle and an alternative currency asset. Because local gold prices track both global gold markets and the real-world USD/IRR rate, they are a vital indicator of the local financial market's health.
High inflation reduces the Rial's local purchasing power. As goods become more expensive, demand for foreign currency (USD or EUR) spikes because citizens buy it to protect their savings, driving the Rial's value down on the free market.
Yes, but it requires extensive corporate documentation, compliance screening and navigating local legal frameworks. Most international businesses operate via specialised legal structures or local partners due to sanction complexities.
Shetab is Iran's unified domestic electronic banking system. It connects every bank, ATM and point-of-sale terminal across the country, allowing instant card-based transactions for anyone holding a local bank account.
No. We are a strictly informational platform. We do not process financial transactions, swap currencies or operate as a digital wallet. We only provide live data, market tracking and currency-conversion tools.
Not at the moment. We don't currently provide a public API. Please check our Developers page for updates, it will be the first place we announce API access when it becomes available.
Through our mobile app you can create custom rate alerts. Choose your currency pair, set your target price, and we will send a push notification the moment the market touches that rate.
Yes. Our built-in converter features a toggle that lets you switch the input and output between Rial and Toman to avoid any math confusion.
We offer historical charts ranging from 24-hour intraday movements up to multi-year trends, depending on the currency pair.
No. Because we track the unofficial, open-market rate, our data is for informational and educational use only. Official corporate accounting, tax filings or legal claims generally require rates published directly by the Central Bank of Iran.
Yes. You can download our official app for free from the Google Play Store, or install the iOS version via our web installation link, to track live rates on the go.
We value community feedback. If you notice a data delay or a localised inaccuracy, please use the “Report an Issue” button on the chart page or contact us through the app's support tab.
No. We are an independent, private data-aggregation platform. We are not connected to, funded by or affiliated with the Central Bank of Iran or any governmental institution.
In cafes and restaurants, businesses drop the last three zeros from the Toman price to keep menus readable. “570 T” means 570,000 Tomans. On an official bank card reader (which shows Rials) that translates to 5,700,000 Rials.
For large amounts (flights, electronics, rent, hotels), locals drop six zeros and speak in “millions” of Tomans. “5.5” means 5.5 million Tomans (5,500,000 Tomans), which on banknotes is 55,000,000 Rials.
Like menus, transport services drop the final three zeros on numbers over a thousand. “1,200 T” means 1,200,000 Tomans (one million two hundred thousand). On a bank receipt or ATM it appears as 12,000,000 Rials. (A short city ride shown as “120 T” means 120,000 Tomans / 1,200,000 Rials.)
It depends on the price scale of the item you are buying:
Don't panic. Card readers, supermarket receipts and ATM screens inside Iran are legally required to operate in official Rials. Because 1 Toman equals 10 Rials, the number on the screen will always look 10 times bigger than the price you were quoted verbally. Add a zero to your Toman total to verify what you are typing into the card machine.
