Money & Payments in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste adopted the US dollar as its official currency in 2000. Prices are in dollars, so there is no local currency to change into.

Coins are the exception. Small change comes in Timorese centavo coins, pegged to US cents, so 25 centavos equals 25 cents. They only work inside Timor-Leste, so spend them before you leave. $1 notes are rarely used: expect change in centavos and keep your notes in $5s, $10s and $20s.

Bring US dollars in $5, $10 and $20 notes, which shops, guesthouses, drivers and markets can break. A $50 can be hard to use and you may not get change, and $100 notes are widely refused. Banks and businesses may also reject worn, torn or marked notes, so bring clean ones.

How much depends on how you travel. Budget travellers often spend $30 to $60 a day on accommodation, food and local transport, and more on days with a dive trip or a private car. ATMs are scarce and unreliable outside Dili, so bring enough cash for the whole trip, or at least for everywhere you go after leaving the capital.

Split your cash. Keep a day's spending money apart from the main stash, leave some in your accommodation safe where there is one, and keep a small emergency reserve separate from both.

ATMs are only in Dili and Baucau, run mainly by BNU and BNCTL. BNU machines are the most reliable for foreign cards. Visa and UnionPay are the only cards reliably accepted at the few Dili venues that take cards, and Mastercard works for withdrawals at BNU ATMs, with a fee. Bring a Visa card, and a Mastercard as a backup for cash if you have one. Withdrawal limits and fees apply, and machines can run out of cash at weekends and on public holidays.

There are no ATMs on Atauro, in Maubisse, in most of the eastern districts, or anywhere rural. If your trip goes beyond Dili, withdraw what you need before you leave the capital.

In short, Dili is the only dependable place to get cash. Everywhere else, you spend what you brought.

Rarely, and only in Dili. A few upmarket hotels, some restaurants and some larger supermarkets in the capital take cards, mostly Visa. Everywhere else, including almost all of Atauro, the highlands and the east, is cash only.

Even where a place advertises card payments, the machine may be down or the connection may fail. Carry enough cash to manage as if cards did not exist.

Day to day, you pay cash. Booking is slower. Many guesthouses and operators confirm over WhatsApp rather than through a website, replies can take time, and you may need to message more than once to secure a date. Book popular dive boats and high-season accommodation ahead. For the public Atauro ferry, check the ferry page for notices and buy your ticket for cash at the port on the day.

Online card payments are the weak link. The Citilink booking site, for example, is widely reported to reject foreign cards, and travellers often book those flights through a third-party site such as Traveloka or through an agent instead. Other local online payments are just as unreliable.

Rezerva shows availability and confirms hotels, tours and transport in one place, with payment and confirmation handled, so you are not chasing operators over WhatsApp or fighting a checkout that will not take your card. For anything you cannot book ahead, carry cash to pay on the spot.

Most visitors get a visa on arrival at Dili airport: $30 USD, valid 30 days, paid in cash. There are no ATMs before immigration, so arrive with the cash in hand, ideally a $20 and a $10. EU citizens (except Ireland) and a few other nationalities enter visa-free, and the land border has its own rules.

The visa guide covers who needs a visa, who is exempt, extensions and the land-border procedure.