Best Place to Exchange Money in Lahore

Where to change money in Lahore

In Lahore the usual place to turn sterling into rupees is an exchange company holding a State Bank of Pakistan licence. Rates move daily and differ from one counter to the next, so check a few before handing over cash, count the notes in front of the cashier and keep the receipt. Banks also handle foreign currency, but ask at the branch whether they serve visitors. Illegal dealers may promise more: Dawn reported in 2022 that the central bank and the Federal Investigation Agency had agreed to pursue them, and the exchange companies' association said they paid Rs10 to Rs15 above the market for each dollar. We name no business, as none passed our two-source test; check that a licence is displayed.

Changing money at the airport

Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE) serves Lahore. No official page we could find says which exchange counters or cash machines it has, so treat any you see as a stopgap for a small sum.

Customs declarations apply on every international flight in both directions. A Civil Aviation Authority notice from August 2022 tells airlines not to issue boarding passes to departing travellers until the form is in, and outbound passengers can file it in advance online or at the airport itself. Good to know gives the currency amounts.

ATMs and cards in Lahore

Most UK visitors get rupees from a Pakistani bank's cash machine. United Bank and HBL each publish a charge for withdrawals with cards issued abroad, though neither 2026 schedule makes the amount readable; the machine should display it before you go ahead, and your own bank's overseas fees come on top. No bank we checked states a withdrawal cap for foreign cards, so keep a cash reserve.

Pakistan had 125,593 card terminals by October 2024, according to the Express Tribune, and Punjab encouraged card use by lowering its sales tax on card payments to 5%, from 16%. Big hotels, malls and many restaurants accept cards; bazaars and street food stalls generally do not. Card fraud is common, the FCDO says, so do not let your card out of sight. When a terminal asks you to pick pounds or rupees, pick rupees.

Paying for transport in Lahore

The FCDO tells visitors not to use public transport, street taxis or taxi apps, citing crime, and recommends phoning a licensed taxi company that dispatches the driver. Settle the price first and pay in rupees.

If you do use an app, Careem stopped offering rides in Pakistan on 18 July 2025, but Yango and inDrive work in Lahore; Dawn said in May 2026 that Yango's fares in the city were up to 20% higher after petrol price rises. Punjab made the Orange Line train, the Metrobus, Speedo buses and the electric buses free on 3 April 2026, but the Express Tribune reported on 13 June 2026 that the free travel was being withdrawn and normal fares restored. Dawn gave the Orange Line fare as Rs45 and the Metrobus as Rs30 in November 2025, with rises under discussion, so check at the station before you travel.

Good to know

• Currency limits: under State Bank rules from November 2022, an adult may take foreign currency worth USD 5,000 out of Pakistan on each trip, up to USD 30,000 a year, and children half that. Customs must be told of over USD 5,000 when you depart and over USD 10,000 when you land.
• There is no up-to-date official limit on rupee notes that we could find, so use up or reconvert your rupees before departure.
• Tipping: in a Dawn Images feature, Pakistani restaurant owners described a tenth of the bill as the least a diner should leave.
• FCDO advice, updated 22 September 2026, does not list Lahore among the places to visit only if essential (in Punjab it names Dera Ghazi Khan). It does advise avoiding large crowds and public events, and notes that protests may flare up at short notice.