Best Place to Exchange Money in Kuwait City

Where to change money in Kuwait City

Exchange companies in Kuwait are licensed by the Central Bank of Kuwait, which publishes a register, and the airport lists five exchange desks in Terminals 1 and 4. Al Muzaini is the one we also found on the register, though we saw only part of it; the rest rely on the airport's directory. No rates or hours are published, so compare two desks.

• Al Muzaini Exchange, Kuwait International Airport, Terminal 1 - Listed in Terminal 1 by the airport and named on the central bank's register. Neither gives hours or rates.
• BEC and Al Derwaza Exchange, Terminal 4 (landside) - BEC is on the departures side and Al Derwaza on the arrivals side. The register has two firms with Bahrain in their names, so we could not say which one BEC is.
• Bank branches, Kuwait International Airport, Terminal 1 - Five Kuwaiti banks, including National Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Finance House, have branches here. Whether they change cash for visitors without an account was not confirmed.

Changing money at the airport

Kuwait International Airport (KWI) also names Afaq Exchange and Al Mustaqbal Exchange in Terminal 1; its directory may list more. National Bank of Kuwait cash machines stand in the Terminal 4 public area on the arrivals and departures sides, and in duty free.

Taxis from the airport follow a fixed table of fares by area: KD 8 to Kuwait City or Salmiya, KD 7 to Hawally, and KD 4 to 6 to nearer districts such as Farwaniya. The airport does not say who runs the taxis or whether the fare is per car, so confirm it before you set off. Kuwait Public Transport Company buses on lines 13, 99 and 501 leave between about 04:30 and 23:45 for 250 fils, or 300 fils on some line 99 trips; line 13 runs through Shuwaikh towards the Sheraton area.

ATMs and cards in Kuwait City

We found no published fee for foreign cards at Kuwaiti cash machines, so the only charge you can count on is your UK bank's; read the screen before you confirm a withdrawal.

Cards are used for most spending: Kuwait Times reported in September 2026 that non-cash payments made up 85 per cent of transaction values in the second quarter of 2026, against about 34 per cent in 2010. Since April 2026 a commerce ministry decision has barred cash payments above KD 10 at health centres, salons, sports clubs and pest-control firms. If a terminal shows a price in pounds, choose dinars: Which? says paying in pounds lets the retailer set the rate.

Paying for transport in Kuwait City

Uber now operates in Kuwait City. Its city page says you can book rides and local taxis at any hour and pay for taxi trips in the app, and Kuwait Times reported in October 2026 that Kuwaitis may now drive for Uber in their own cars. Check it accepts your UK card.

City bus fares and metered taxi rates for 2026 could not be confirmed, as the tables we found date from 2016. A fixed-fare airport taxi is the simplest way to reach Kuwait City or Salmiya.

Good to know

• The dinar was tied to the US dollar from January 2003 to May 2007. Since 20 May 2007 the central bank has linked it to a weighted mix, kept secret, of its main trading partners' currencies.
• The FCDO says British visitors need a visa, available on arrival or online. Your passport must not expire within six months of arrival, and you may be asked to show a ticket home or onward and where you are staying.
• Cash or travellers' cheques worth KD 3,000 or more must be declared, according to the FCDO.
• Read the FCDO's Kuwait advice before you go: it says going near the country's borders without authorisation is illegal and dangerous.