Send money to Lebanon from the UAE: the channels and their real cost

To send money to Lebanon from the UAE, whether from Dubai or another emirate, the total cost recorded on 23 October 2026 on public calculators ranges from about 0.8% to 3.7% of the amount for AED 500, and from about 0.8% to 2.9% for AED 3,000, fees, VAT and exchange rate included. The money arrives in US dollars, as cash from an agent or in a mobile wallet. A transfer to a bank account in Lebanon carries a fixed fee, from a few tens of dirhams to AED 150 or more according to published price lists, before the exchange margin and intermediary bank charges.

This guide compares services without recommending any of them. For three amounts, on the same day, it shows what you pay and what your relative receives, then explains how to check that a service is allowed to operate in the UAE and in Lebanon.

The total cost, recorded on 23 October 2026

• Remitly: standard price, rate of 0.2705 US dollars per dirham. Fees of AED 15, 25 and 65 for cash pickup depending on the amount, AED 5 for a mobile wallet, plus 5% VAT on the fees. New customers get a time-limited offer: a better rate (0.2759) on the first AED 4,000 sent. It is not counted in the table. In Lebanon, Remitly lists Whish Money and Purpl as payout partners.
• Taptap Send: rate of 0.27 US dollars per dirham in the public rate file on its website. That file shows no fee for transfers from the UAE to Lebanon, while it does show fees for other destinations; the company publishes no price list for the UAE. The app shows the final price before you send.
• Western Union: not recorded. Its UAE calculator requires an account. On its Lebanon page, Western Union advertises fees “from AED 15” online, no transfer fee on the first online transfer to Lebanon (exchange rate gains still apply), and no payout fee when the money goes to OMT Pay or BOB wallets. For cash at OMT, add the 2% payout fee (see below).
• Careem Pay: not recorded (price shown only in the app). According to its press release of 26 January 2026, you can send up to AED 8,000 per transaction, collected in US dollars at Whish Money in Lebanon.
• Exchange houses and banks: not recorded, as they do not publish their daily exchange rate for Lebanon. Their published fees are listed below.

How the data was collected

• Same day, same time: all quotes were taken on 23 October 2026 between 4:26 and 4:29 p.m., Dubai time, on the companies’ public calculators, without an account or identification.
• Same amounts: AED 500, 1,000 and 3,000 sent, paid by debit card unless stated otherwise, received in US dollars.
• Total cost: we compare the dollars received with what you would have got at the official peg, without fees. Example: you pay AED 515.75 and your relative receives USD 135.25; at the peg, AED 515.75 is worth USD 140.44; the total cost is therefore 3.7%.
• Reference rate: the dirham has been pegged to the US dollar since February 2002, at USD 1 = AED 3.6725, according to the official UAE government portal. Unlike a market rate, it does not move from day to day.
• Not recorded: Western Union and Careem Pay (prices visible only with an account), exchange houses and banks (daily rates not published). Prices change without notice: run the quote again on the day you send.

Our method applies to this data. Did you pay a different price for a transfer to Lebanon? Submit it: the next updates will take it into account.

The channels available in the UAE

• Money transfer apps (Remitly, Taptap Send, Careem Pay, among others): you pay by card or by transfer from a UAE account; your relative collects dollars from an agent in Lebanon (Whish, MTM) or receives them in a mobile wallet (Whish, Purpl).
• Western Union: online and in its app, with identity checks online, at your door or at an Al Fardan Exchange branch, according to Western Union; at the branches of exchange houses that offer it; or from Emirates NBD online banking, up to AED 25,000 per transaction according to the bank. In Lebanon, the money is collected at OMT or another Western Union agent.
• Exchange houses (Al Ansari Exchange, LuLu Exchange and others): at the counter, on their website or in their app, paying in cash or by card. They offer cash pickup and transfers to a bank account in Lebanon.
• Bank transfer: from your UAE bank to an account in Lebanon, by SWIFT. See the next section.

Whish and OMT in the UAE. Neither Lebanese network publishes any branch in the UAE. Whish’s FAQ only mentions branches outside Lebanon in Canada. From the UAE, you reach Whish through the apps that pay out to it (Remitly, Taptap Send, Careem Pay). OMT, for its part, is Western Union’s agent in Lebanon: a Western Union transfer sent from the UAE is collected at OMT. Be wary of an intermediary in the UAE calling itself a “Whish agent” or an “OMT agent”: ask under which licence it operates.

Bank transfers and exchange houses: the published fees

• Emirates NBD: AED 26.25 for an international transfer in the ENBD X app or portal, AED 73.50 at a branch (price in force since 1 October 2025, VAT included). If you choose to pay all charges (“OUR” option), the bank adds its correspondents’ charges: USD 26.25 for a dollar transfer routed through its US correspondents, and AED 105 for any dirham transfer outside the UAE (correspondent charges, October 2026).
• Al Ansari Exchange: AED 17.38 to 150, plus 5% VAT, for a transfer to a bank account in Lebanon, in US dollars, in 1 to 3 working days; from AED 15 plus VAT for cash pickup (key facts statement of February 2026).
• LuLu Exchange: Lebanon is served by bank transfer and cash pickup, not by mobile wallet. Fees for a transfer to a bank account abroad range from AED 0 to 180 “or more”, VAT included, depending on the amount, country and currency (key fact statement of April 2026).

On top of these fees come costs that the price lists do not state in advance: the exchange margin on the dirham, intermediary bank charges, deducted from the amount sent if you choose the “SHA” or “BEN” option, and the charges of the receiving Lebanese bank. These key facts statements are required by the Central Bank of the UAE under consumer protection rules: ask for one at the counter if it is not online.

Receiving into an account in Lebanon. Banque du Liban distinguishes so-called “fresh” accounts, funded with new money and defined by its Basic Circular No. 150 (Decision No. 13217 of 9 April 2020), from foreign currency deposits made before 31 October 2019, which are subject to capped withdrawals. It excludes them, for example, from the withdrawal calculation under Circular No. 158. Before sending, ask your relative to get written confirmation from their bank on three points: the transfer will be credited to a “fresh” account, it can be withdrawn in US dollars, and at what commission.

Checking a service before you send

In the UAE, exchange houses are licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE. The official government portal notes that, under the Exchange Business Regulation No. C 7/2025, they are authorised to transfer funds abroad, in dirhams and foreign currencies (u.ae, page updated on 4 September 2026). The Central Bank publishes the list of licensed institutions: search for the exact company name, not the brand. Companies based in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) are supervised by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), which keeps its own public register.

What the services listed state about themselves (not checked in the registers, which could not be reached from our connection):

• Al Ansari Exchange: “licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of United Arab Emirates”;
• LuLu International Exchange: “licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE”;
• Emirates NBD: “licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE”;
• Remitly: “Regulated by the DFSA”;
• Taptap Send: its DIFC company is authorised by the DFSA (reference F007317) and its Dubai company is licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE for payment services and exchange business (licences page);
• Western Union: its “How to send money” page refers customers to Al Fardan Exchange branches for in-person identity checks, which suggests that its online services in the UAE run through this exchange house.

In Lebanon, Banque du Liban publishes the list of electronic payment services providers allowed to carry out transfers. It includes OMT, BOB Finance, Whish Money, MTM and Purpl, among others, with the type of transfers each may handle (internal, external or both).

On the Lebanese side: currency, collection, documents

• Currency: all the services recorded pay out US dollars. None of the calculators consulted offers Lebanese pounds. If your relative needs pounds, they exchange them locally; Whish says it carries out this conversion in its app through a licensed local money exchange partner.
• Collecting at OMT (Western Union): in US dollars only, with a valid ID and the 10-digit tracking number (MTCN). OMT deducts a 2% cash-handling fee, shown on the receipt; it says transfers received in its OMT Pay app are free of charge (OMT). Emirates NBD also mentions this 2% for Western Union transfers to Lebanon.
• Collecting at Whish: in cash from an agent, or in the Whish wallet. Whish’s price list shows 1% to withdraw dollars from a wallet at the counter or an ATM, and a maximum balance of USD 3,000 for an individual account. Taptap Send, for its part, states that its recipients pay no cash-out fee, that receipts via Whish are limited to USD 5,000 a month, and advises using an official Whish agent above USD 200.
• From USD 1,000 in cash: under Banque du Liban Basic Decision No. 13769 of 14 November 2025 (Circular No. 3), as in force since 30 June 2026, the provider must check identity and keep a copy of the ID for every cash transaction, and have an identification form (RF1-A) filled in. Proof of the source of funds is only required from USD 10,000 a month, or if there is a suspicion. A transfer of AED 3,000, about USD 810, stays below that threshold.
• In the UAE, the sender shows their Emirates ID or a passport with a valid UAE residence visa (Al Ansari Exchange key facts statement). The exchange house may ask about the source of funds and block a transaction it considers suspicious.

Sources

• Official UAE government portal, “Fact sheet”, dirham peg, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Official UAE government portal, “Banking”, updated 4 September 2026, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Central Bank of the UAE, list of licensed institutions and Exchange Business Regulation No. C 7/2025, not readable from our connection on 23 October 2026.
• Banque du Liban, “List of Electronic Payment Services Providers”, January 2026 document, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Banque du Liban, Basic Circular No. 3 and Basic Decision No. 13769 of 14 November 2025, amended by Intermediate Decision No. 13815 of 4 May 2026, in force since 30 June 2026.
• Banque du Liban, Basic Circular No. 158 (Decision No. 13335), September 2026 version, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Remitly, “Send money to Lebanon from United Arab Emirates” and its calculator, data as of 23 October 2026.
• Taptap Send, “Send money to Lebanon”, its public rate file and its licences page, data as of 23 October 2026.
• Western Union UAE, “Send money to Lebanon from the UAE” and “How to send money”, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Careem Pay, press release of 26 January 2026 on cash pickup in Lebanon, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Emirates NBD, “Western Union”, personal banking schedule of charges and correspondent bank charges (October 2026), accessed 23 October 2026.
• Al Ansari Exchange, “Remittances” key facts statement (February 2026) and LuLu Exchange, “Remittance” key fact statement (April 2026), accessed 23 October 2026.
• OMT, “Western Union International Money Transfer”, accessed 23 October 2026.
• Whish Money, “Fees & Commissions” and FAQ, accessed 23 October 2026.

Checked on 23.10.2026. Price data as of 23.10.2026: it will be collected again at each update of the series.