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Travel tips

Currency & money in Timor-Leste

US dollars for notes, local centavos for coins — plus every bank, ATM and money changer on one map.

US dollar notes and Timor-Leste centavos coins side by side
  • USD official
  • Centavos for small change
  • ATMs in Dili & district capitals
  • Crisp post-2006 notes only

A dollar economy with its own coins

  • $ USD Official currency since 2000
  • 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 ¢ Local centavo coins
  • ~$500 Typical ATM daily limit
  • 0 % VAT on goods & services

Timor-Leste has used the US dollar as its official currency since 25 January 2000, shortly after the restoration of independence. Notes from $5 up to $100 circulate just as they do in the United States — but at the smallest end, the country mints its own coinage in "centavos" (1/100 of a US dollar). One centavo equals one US cent in value, and US coins also circulate at parity, so you will often see a Timorese 25-centavo coin and a US quarter rattling around in the same pocket. There is no $1 note in everyday circulation: the missing dollar bill is replaced by the 100-centavo coin.

Cards accepted at

A small but growing pocket of card-friendly venues, almost all in Dili.

  • Mid-range and top-end Dili hotels
  • Some Dili restaurants & cafés
  • Established dive shops on Atauro & Dili
  • Timor Plaza shops & supermarkets

Cash only at

Assume USD cash everywhere else — withdraw before you leave Dili.

  • Microlets, taxis & mototaxis
  • Market stalls and roadside food
  • Most guesthouses outside Dili
  • Mountain restaurants & pousadas
Quick summary: Bring crisp post-2006 US notes from $5 to $100, expect change in centavos coins minted locally, and treat Dili as the only place you can reliably find ATMs.
BNCTL bank branch in central Dili
BNCTL — Banco Nacional de Comércio de Timor-Leste — the national bank with the widest footprint, including branches in all 13 municipalities.

USD banknotes accepted

Only later-series US notes are reliably accepted, and only if they are clean and untorn. Vendors and banks routinely refuse damaged USD because they cannot bank them. Carry a mix of small and large bills — change for a $100 is genuinely hard to find outside the capital.

Denomination Accepted Minimum series year Notes
$100 ✓ Yes 2006 Most travelers' default for large payments; bring crisp notes.
$50 ✓ Yes 2006 Widely accepted; check no tears, no marks.
$20 ✓ Yes 2006 Best workhorse note — change is easy.
$10 ✓ Yes 2006 Useful for taxis, guesthouses.
$5 ✓ Yes 2006 Smallest paper denomination — keep a stack.
$1 ✗ No — Not accepted as a banknote; use centavos coins instead.
$2 ✗ No — Rare in TL; vendors may refuse.
Condition matters more than you think: Pre-2006 "small head" series notes, anything torn, written-on, ink-stained, deeply creased or taped will usually be refused by shops, hotels, money changers and even banks. Ask your home bank for new bills before you fly — and store them flat in a folder, not folded into a wallet. Banks here reject damaged USD outright because they cannot deposit the notes upstream.

Centavos coins (and US coins at parity)

Below the $5 note, everything is coinage. The Banco Central de Timor-Leste mints seven centavos denominations, and the 100-centavo coin in particular does the daily work that a $1 note would do elsewhere. Standard US coins also circulate, accepted one-for-one against the centavos equivalent — a US quarter and a 25-centavo coin are interchangeable.

Coin Equivalent USD Common use
200 centavos $2.00 Snacks, microlets in Dili.
100 centavos $1.00 Most common coin; replaces the missing $1 note.
50 centavos $0.50 Small produce, water bottles.
25 centavos $0.25 Mototaxi, street snacks.
10 centavos $0.10 Change.
5 centavos $0.05 Change.
1 centavo $0.01 Rare in circulation.
Parity tip: US pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters all spend at face value here. There is no need to swap US coins out before you arrive — but you may leave with a pocket full of Timorese centavos, which are not convertible back outside the country, so spend them down before your flight home.
BNU ATM at Timor Plaza, Dili
A BNU ATM at Timor Plaza — the most international-friendly machine in the country. Withdraw your full trip budget here before heading to the districts.

Banks in Timor-Leste

Five banks have an everyday consumer presence. Branch banking is available in Dili and the larger municipal capitals; outside those, you are limited to ATMs (or no banking at all).

  • BNCTL

    Banco Nacional de Comércio de Timor-Leste — the national bank. The widest physical footprint in the country, with branches in all 13 municipalities. The default choice if you need to reach a teller outside Dili.

    Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00

  • BNU

    Banco Nacional Ultramarino — Portuguese-owned, the most international of the five. Main branch on Avenida dos Direitos Humanos, Dili; ATMs at Timor Plaza, the airport, and several Dili hotels. Best Visa/Mastercard coverage.

    Mon–Fri 08:30–15:30

  • Mandiri

    Bank Mandiri — Indonesian, useful if you are crossing in from West Timor or need to convert IDR. Branch on Avenida Presidente Nicolau Lobato. Accepts JCB at its ATMs.

    Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00

  • BRI

    Bank Rakyat Indonesia — branches in Dili (Colmera and Comoro) and Maliana near the West Timor border. Useful in the western municipalities.

    Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00

  • ANZ

    ANZ closed its retail branches in Timor-Leste but its ATMs remain live in Dili — including Hotel Timor and Timor Plaza. Reliable for Australian-issued cards.

    ATMs only — 24/7
Money changer counter at Timor Plaza, Dili
A Dili money-changer counter. Most travellers never need one — USD is the currency — but they are useful if you arrive with AUD, IDR, EUR or SGD.

Money changers in Dili

Most travellers never need a money changer — the US dollar is the currency — but if you are arriving with AUD, IDR, EUR or SGD, these are the established Dili counters. Compare rates between two of them before committing a large stack; spreads vary by the day.

  • Timor Plaza Money Changer

    Ground floor, Timor Plaza, Comoro Road, Dili. The most-used counter for travellers — accepts USD, AUD, IDR, EUR and SGD with competitive rates.

    Daily 09:00–21:00

  • Halaibu Money Changer

    Colmera district, central Dili. Reliable rates for AUD and IDR; closed on Sundays.

    Mon–Sat 08:30–18:00

  • Hadomi Money Changer

    Lecidere, eastern Dili. Convenient for travellers staying along the beachfront and Cristo Rei side of the city.

    Daily 09:00–19:00

  • Airport Currency Exchange

    Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, arrivals hall. Convenient on landing, but rates are noticeably worse than town — use for an emergency only.

    Daily 05:00–22:00

ATMs around Dili

ATMs are concentrated in the capital. Once you leave Dili the network thins quickly — Baucau and Maliana have working ATMs, but Atauro, Maubisse, Suai and most other towns are cash-only. Plan to withdraw your full trip budget before you head outside the city.

Major ATM locations & what cards they accept

  • BNU ATM — Timor Plaza

    Inside the Timor Plaza shopping centre, Comoro Road. The most international-friendly ATM in the country: accepts Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus and UnionPay.

    Limit $400 / transaction

  • BNCTL ATM — Avenida dos Direitos Humanos

    Outside the BNCTL head office in central Dili. Visa and Mastercard only. Reliable but the lowest withdrawal cap of the major ATMs.

    Limit $200 / transaction

  • ANZ ATM — Hotel Timor lobby

    Inside Hotel Timor on the Dili waterfront. The default ANZ-cardholder option in town; accepts Visa and Mastercard.

    Limit $300 / transaction

  • BNU ATM — Dili Airport (arrivals)

    Just past customs in the arrivals hall at Presidente Nicolau Lobato. Visa and Mastercard. Confirmed working around the clock — useful for late-night landings.

    Limit $200 / transaction · 24/7

  • Mandiri ATM — Comoro

    Outside the Mandiri Comoro branch on Avenida Presidente Nicolau Lobato. One of the few ATMs in Dili to accept JCB alongside Visa and Mastercard.

    Limit $250 / transaction

Practical tips before you travel

  • Bring crisp post-2006 notes. Many vendors and even banks visually check series year and condition; older or damaged notes get refused.
  • Withdraw your full trip budget in Dili. Once you leave the capital, ATMs are rare — Atauro, the highlands, and the south coast are effectively cash-only.
  • Card-only payment is uncommon outside the top hotels and Timor Plaza. Assume cash for restaurants, guesthouses, dive operators, taxis and microlets.
  • Expect ATM fees of $1–4 per withdrawal on top of whatever your home bank charges for a foreign-currency withdrawal — and pick the highest per-transaction limit you can to minimise the per-fee hit.
  • WhatsApp Pay and SOTcoin are emerging digital options used by a small but growing set of merchants — see the /pay/ page for current acceptance.
"I learned the hard way — a single torn corner on a $20 bill, and three vendors in a row waved me off. Pull crisp post-2006 notes from your home bank before you fly, and carry them flat." — Repeat visitor, Dili waterfront
Heads up: Bank hours, branch locations and ATM availability can change. Confirm critical needs (for example, before an outer-island trip) with your accommodation.