THE ISRAELI SHEKEL: CURRENCY IN THE “HOLY LAND”
In the “holy land” of Israel you usually pay with the Israeli shekel (ILS). The shekel is also the official currency in the Palestinian territories. It is therefore worth swapping euros for shekels beforehand. Sufficient currency – for example for your boat tour on the Sea of Galilee – can be ordered online here via XE.
ISRAELI SHEKEL OR NEW ISRAELI SHEKEL?
If one speaks today of the Israeli shekel, the New Israeli Sheqel (NIS) is meant. Due to inflation, it replaced the old shekel on September 4, 1985 – after just five years. In order to avoid this in the future, the Israeli central bank and the government in Jerusalem developed a catalog of measures. It is intended to support the country’s economic stability and the new currency over the long term. In our currency converter you can find out the current XE exchange rate from euros to shekels and you can also have the exact amount converted for over 70 other currencies.
BANKNOTES AS A TRIBUTE TO GENDER EQUALITY
According to Countryaah, there are 20, 50, 100 and 200 NIS banknotes of the shekel in circulation. The banknotes have been changing since 2013 and 2014: Hebrew writers of the 20th century are immortalized on them – Leah Goldberg, for example. This is a tribute to gender equality in the Jewish state. In the course of time, smaller banknotes were replaced by corresponding coins.
SMALL COINS OVERRIDDEN
Coins are currently in circulation in sizes from 10 agorot to 10 shekels. The 1 agora coin and the 5 agorot coin were suspended in 1991 and 2008, respectively. That is why amounts of money are rounded in everyday life – which you may notice when buying Bourekas (dumplings with a filling, for example sheep’s cheese) at the farmers’ market. Take a look at the 10 shekel coin: In terms of its color combination, it is similar to our 1 or 2 euro coin.
ORDER ISRAELI SHEKEL ONLINE
With just a few clicks, you can conveniently buy the Israeli shekel – or any other currency – via the XE website. Simply select the currency and see the current exchange rate between the shekel and the euro. We will then conveniently deliver the shekels you have ordered to your home or office. In addition, you can also easily change your travel money in one of the many branches of XE.
THE CURRENCY AT A GLANCE
1 New Israeli Shekel = 100 Agorot. Currency abbreviation: NIS, ILS (ISO code). Banknotes are in circulation to the denomination of 200, 100, 50 and 20 NIS. Coins to the denominations of 10, 5, 2, 1 and ½ NIS as well as 10 Agorot.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE REGULATIONS
The import and export is unlimited up to 100,000 NIS. You must declare any amount above this. For more helpful tips on staying in Israel, see our Israel travel guide.