How to Send Money to the UAE with Wise

What the recipient receives in the UAE

Wise adds that its partners in the UAE "do extra information and security checks from time to time". If that happens, Wise emails you and asks for more information about the transfer, which can add time.

What you need from the recipient

How the UAE IBAN is built

According to Wise's UAE IBAN page, the 23 characters are:

• AE: the country code
• 2 check digits
• 3 digits: the bank code
• 16 digits: the account number

The recipient finds the IBAN in their bank app or on a statement.

Step by step: send money to the UAE with Wise

1. Open a Wise account through our link and get verified: create a Wise account, Wise verification.
2. In the app or on the website, tap Send. A bar at the top shows the four stages: Recipient · Amount · Review · Pay. The first screen asks "WHO ARE YOU SENDING TO?", with a search box and your recent recipients below.
3. For a new recipient, tap + Add. Don't start from an existing contact: Wise then only shows the currencies you've already used with that contact.
4. Under "Select their currency", type AED and choose it.
5. On "Add a recipient", choose Bank details ("You'll need their account information"). Or use Upload screenshot or invoice and let Wise read the details from a screenshot, photo or PDF; then check every field.
6. Fill in the form: Recipient type, the name in English (max. 35 characters) and the IBAN starting with AE. Add the optional fields if you have them.
7. Amount: type what you send (From, e.g. GBP) or what should arrive (To, AED). Wise shows the rate, the fee and the expected arrival.
8. Review: check the English name and the 23 characters of the IBAN.
9. Pay: choose how to pay. If you pay by bank transfer, send the exact amount to the details Wise shows, from an account in your own name.
10. Follow the status in the app or on the website. If Wise emails you with questions from its UAE partners, answer quickly.

Paying from the UK, the US, Canada and Europe

From the UK (send money to Dubai from the UK): Faster Payments is the usual way. For a large amount, such as a deposit on a flat, Wise accepts bank transfers of up to 20 million GBP per transfer, and AED has no cap on the receiving side.

From the US: if your address is in the US you can't pay by Swift. A domestic wire is faster than ACH, but Wise says most banks charge 15-30 USD for it.

From Canada: CAD has to come from a Canadian bank account. Interac e-Transfer goes up to 25,000 CAD.

How long it takes

1. Your money reaches Wise: seconds from the UK, minutes to a day by SEPA, up to 4 working days by US ACH.
2. Wise pays out in the UAE: 0-2 working days, counting Monday to Friday (Friday is a half day). So a transfer sent late in the week may only land after the weekend.

The partners' extra checks, when they happen, add time until you answer Wise's email.

Fees: how Wise prices a transfer to the UAE

• A fixed part plus a percentage of the amount, depending on the currency you pay with.
• How you pay: a bank transfer is usually the cheapest. Cards cost more; a card from a different country than your paying currency costs more again.
• Exchange rate: Wise says it uses the mid-market rate with no markup.
• Dynamic charges: Wise may add an extra line for less-used currencies or volatile markets. If it isn't in the calculator, it doesn't apply.

Wise shows the full cost and the AED amount before you confirm. We don't print rates because they change every day. More: Wise fees explained

If you live in the UAE

• Paying in AED is currently suspended. Wise says: "We're not currently able to support transfers from AED" and that it is working with the authorities to bring them back. You can still send to AED from abroad. When AED payments come back, Wise says UAE residents pay 5% VAT on the fees.
• Sign-up and balance: you can open a personal account and hold money in it. The Wise card isn't available to UAE residents.
• Paying in USD instead: Wise allows USD by card or by Swift for people outside the US. But a UAE-issued card paying in USD counts as an international card, which has a higher fee, and the card limit is 2,000 USD per 24 hours and 8,000 USD per 7 days. Apple Pay and Google Pay need a card from the same region as the currency, so they don't work with a UAE card for USD.
• Residence documents: for an address in a GCC country, Wise accepts a right-to-reside document from any GCC member country.

What Wise can't do for the UAE

• No cash pickup and no exchange-house collection. Bank accounts only.
• No paying from someone else's account.
• No crypto. Wise doesn't allow sending money to crypto exchanges or to people selling crypto, and may close accounts that do.

FAQ

Is Wise available in the UAE?

For sending to the UAE, yes: AED to any UAE bank account. For people living in the UAE, sign-up works, but paying in AED is currently suspended and the card isn't available.

How long does Wise take to send money to Dubai?

Wise says 0-2 working days for AED, Monday to Friday, with Friday as a half day. Add the time your payment needs to reach Wise.

Is there a limit for sending AED?

Wise says there's no limit on how much you can send to AED. The currency you pay with may have its own limit, for example 3,500 CHF by card.

Can I write the recipient's name in Arabic?

No. Wise asks for up to 35 English characters only.

Can I send money from the UAE to Egypt with Wise?

Not in dirhams while AED payments are suspended. See our guide to sending money to Egypt for what Wise accepts.

Get started

Open your Wise account →

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Last updated: 23 October 2026 · All facts from the official Wise pages listed above.