Ethiopian Birr is the domestic
currency used in Ethiopia. They have denominations of 100, 10, 20, 5, and 1
notes. Birr has also been divided into cents with a maximum of 100 cents. Cents
have been divided into 25, 10, 50 and 5. ETB is the currency’s letter code
Since its inception and over the
years, birr has been known to be a closed currency meaning that it is quite
difficult to buy the Ethiopian Birr before one leaves their own country.
Hence, one will be required to
purchase the currency upon arrival to Ethiopia.
Consequently, it is advisable to be
in possession of a pre-paid travel card which will be the best solution in a
country like Ethiopia which has a closed currency.
In this way, the pre-paid travel card
is not limited and will quickly authorize currency conversion from whichever
currency is in your card to the Ethiopian birr.
Similarly, it is quite advantageous
to use the pre-paid travel card as you won’t incur any ATM fees.
US dollar is the most preferred
foreign currency here just like in many African countries. Despite the fact
that the Euro is easy to find and exchange, the US dollar takes prevalence.
