Currency in Bhutan

There are so many travelers and foreign tourists traveling to the beautiful natural land of Bhutan. Wherever you travel on this globe, you need money to buy goods or pay for services. For this, you must have some basic knowledge about the currency of this great country.

What if you have a foreign currency and did not convert to the local money, then you cannot even buy yourself a small snack on the roadside. The entire trip and happiness is gone as you are not sure about it. In order to make your holiday trip a memorable one, this detailed information on the local currency in Bhutan will help.

What is the official Bhutan Currency and Currency Code

The local currency of Bhutan official and acceptable is Ngultrum, coded BTN. The Cent / Paisa form is known as Chhertum. So, 100 Chhertum makes value of Nu.1. ‘Nu’ is the symbol for Ngultrum.

What are the official BTN Denominations ?

The following denominations are officially acceptable in Bhutan. BTN 1, BTN 5, BTN 10, BTN 20, BTN 50, BTN 100, BTN 500, BTN 1000.

How does a BTN Bhutan Currency Note Look like ?

On all the local currency notes of Bhutan there is some pattern or image related to Bhutan or Bhutanese culture. On the BTN 500 denomination value, there is an image of Ugyen Wangchuk with a Raven Crown on the on side of the note and on the other side it has the mystical Punakha Dzong. While the pattern is the same for all notes, the pictures / images on them vary.

  • Exchange BTN = INR
  • Presently 1 Ngultrum (BTN) = 1 Indian Rupee (INR)

The Indian currency that is the INR or Indian Rupee is acceptable in Bhutan. Higher denomination notes such as the INR 500, INR 2000 is not taken there. However, it is always better to use the local currency or official currency of Bhutan for transactions of big value. Presently, the rate of exchange is 1 Ngultrum (BTN) = 1 Indian Rupee (INR). This is subject to change due to floating currency value and it is not fixed similar to local currency in India. It is affected by various factors such as applicable interest rates, demand and supply of foreign currencies and demand and supply of Bhutan currency.

  • 1 USD = 65 – 69 BTN (approximately) Please check with forex for updated information.
  • 1 BTN = 75 – 80 Euros (approximately) Please check with forex for updated information.

This is only to give you a basic idea. This is to be taken as rough approximate value not current value. Please check with local foreign exchange for updated information on official currency exchange rate.

What Foreign Currencies can Exchange with Bhutan Currency ?

The following currencies can be exchanged with the local and official currency of Bhutan BTN or Ngultrum Nu.

  • Euros
  • US Dollar |
  • Canadian Dollar
  • Australian Dollar
  • Singapore Dollar
  • Hong Kong Dollar
  • UK Pound Sterling
  • Swiss Franc
  • Danish Kroner
  • Japanese Yen

Where can I Exchange foreign Currency for Local Currency ?

Once you arrive at the Paro International Airport you can exchange your foreign currency with the Foreign Exchange Counter. For USD 100 are exchanged faster though other values also are acceptable. The lower INR notes are acceptable and the higher - value such as INR 500 / INR 2000 are not taken.

In addition to foreign currencies exchange for the Bhutan Currency Ngultrum at the Paro International Airport Foreign Exchange Desk there is also the Bank of Bhutan at big cities like Thimpu and Paro. As these two cities are bigger economic towns, it may not be an issue but at other local towns, there may be problems as they may not have main bank branches at their town. Also, a few hotels offer this forex service for Bhutan currency at the reception desk. However, remember that this is very limited in number and they may also service only for certain currencies such as INR or Indian Rupee & USD or US Dollar.

Hence, please first do the exchange of foreign currencies for the official or local currency of Bhutan first at the places mentioned earlier prior to heading to travel / tour other places in this beautiful nation of Bhutan.

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