This post was first published on December 19th 2019 and has been updated on May 29th 2023
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The Saudi riyal is the official currency of Saudi Arabia. Its ISO 4217 code is SAR and its symbol is SR (in Arabic ر.س). The Saudi riyal, in some parts is also known as Saudi rial. One riyal is divided into 100 halala.
As of May 2023, the equivalence of the Saudi riyal currency against the euro is:
- 1 Euro = 4,02 Saudi riyals.
- 1 Saudi riyal = 0,25 euros.
History of the Saudi riyal
The Saudi riyal has its origin in the currency of the Hejaz region before the formation of the country of Saudi Arabia.
This previous currency was based on the currency of the Ottoman Empire although it later set its value with respect to the Indian rupee, in 1935. In 1960 the division of the riyal was established in 20 ghirsh, although this lasted a short time for the introduction of halala in the year 1963.
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The Monetary Authority of Saudi Arabia (originally the Monetary Agency of Saudi Arabia) is the central bank of Saudi Arabia and was created in 1952.
Saudi Arabia banknotes 2023
Its acronym is SAMA and on its website we can obtain practical information about riyal coins and banknotes.
Saudi riyal coins
Dozens of different riyal coins as well as divisions thereof were minted from 1925 to 1963. Since 1963 the 1 halala coin made out of bronze was minted. In 1972 followed the coins of 5, 10, 25 and 50 halalas.
Then the 1 riyal coin in 1976 and a modification of the coin of 50 halala in 2007 with The name of King Abdullah.
In 2016, the sixth series of Saudi Arabia´s coins came into force with copies of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 halalas and 1 and 2 riyals coins.
1 halala coin
On the face of this coin appears the Saudi national emblem engraved in the center with the title of the King (Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques) and a recurring plant motif on top.
The name of the King (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) is engraved on the bottom of the emblem with the year Hijri (1438) on the right side and the Gregorian year (2016) on the left. The upper and lower areas of the obverse side are engraved with plant motifs.
The tails of the coin shows the number 1 engraved in the center with the denomination in Arabic words (هللة واحدة) placed on top and the English denomination (ONE HALALA) at the bottom. In addition, the upper and lower areas of the reverse are engraved with recurring plant patterns. This currency would be worth half a cent of the euro today, that is, practically nothing.
1 halala coin (Saudi Arabia)
5 halalas coin
On one side of the coin is the national emblem of the Kingdom engraved in the center with the title of the King (the Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques) and a recurring plant motif at the top. The name of the King (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) is engraved on the bottom of the emblem with the year Hijri (1438) on the right side and the Gregorian year (2016) on the left. The upper and lower areas of the obverse side are engraved with plant motifs.
The other side of the coin shows the number 5 engraved in the center with the denomination in Arabic words (خمس هللات) placed above and the English denomination (FIVE HALALAS) at the bottom. In addition, the upper and lower areas of the reverse are engraved with recurring plant patterns.
5 halalas coin (Saudí Arabia)
This currency would be equivalent to one euro cent today.
10 halalas coin
On the side of this coin you can see the national emblem of the Kingdom engraved in the center with the title of the King (Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques) and a recurring plant motif at the top.
The name of the King (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) is engraved on the bottom of the emblem with the year Hijri (1438) on the right side and the Gregorian year of this series (2016) on the left. The upper and lower areas of the obverse side are engraved with plant motifs.
The opposite side shows the number 10 engraved in the center with the denomination in Arabic words (عشر هللات) placed above and the English denomination (TEN HALALAS) at the bottom. In addition, the upper and lower areas of the reverse are engraved with recurring plant patterns.
10 halalas coin (Saudí Arabia)
The countervaluation in euros of this currency is about 2 cents.
25 halalas coin
The front side of the coin shows the national emblem of the Kingdom engraved in the center with the title of the King (Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques) and a recurring plant motif on top.
The name of the King (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) is engraved on the bottom of the emblem with the year Hijri (1438) on the right side and the Gregorian year of emission (2016) on the left. The upper and lower part of the obverse are engraved with plant motifs.
The opposite side shows the number 25 engraved in the center with the denomination in Arabic words (خمس وعشرون هللة) placed above, and the denomination in English words (TWENTY FIVE HALALAS) at the bottom. In addition, the upper and lower areas of the reverse are engraved with recurring plant motifs.
25 halalas coin (Saudi Arabia)
This currency would have a value in euros today in Spain of around 5 euro cents.
50 halalas coin
The fron side of the coin exhibits the national emblem of the Kingdom in the center with the title of King Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques and a recurring plant motif on top.
The name of the King (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) is engraved on the bottom of the emblem with the year Hijri (1438) on the right side and the Gregorian year (2016) on the left. The upper and lower part of the obverse are engraved with plant motifs.
On the back of the coin you can see the number (50) engraved in the center with the Arabic denomination (خمسون هللة) above and the English denomination (FIFTY HALALAS) at the bottom. In addition, the upper and lower areas of the reverse are engraved with recurring plant patterns.
50 halalas coin (Saudi Arabia)
This currency would be changed today at about 10 euro cents.
1 Saudi riyal coin
The 1 riyal coin shows a portrait of King Salman Al Saud in silver. On the right side appears his name King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the title of King Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques, engraved in a golden frame. On the left there is a plant motif that encompasses the national emblem of the Kingdom.
1 Saudi riyal coin (1 SR)
The back of the coin shows in its center the denomination of the coin (SAR 1) with the denomination in Arabic letters (ريال واحد) at the top and in English (ONE RIYAL) at the bottom. On the right side, there is a gold frame engraved with the full name of the Kingdom, and on the left there is a plant motif that encompasses the national emblem of the Kingdom. The Hijri year (1438) is engraved in the upper part and the Gregorian year of emission (2016) in the lower part.
2 Saudi riyals coin
The coin of 2 riyals dates from 2016 and has a value in euros today of about 40 cents. On the heads-side is the portrait of King Abdulaziz Al Saud engraved in gold in the center. On the right side of the portrait, the name of the King (King Abdulaziz bin Abdul-Rahman Al Saud) is engraved in a silver frame, and on the left there is a motif that contains plant patterns and the national emblem of the Saudi Kingdom.
2 Saudi riyals coin (2 SR)
The tales-side of the coin cross shows its current value (SAR 2) written in gold in the center with the Arabic denomination (ريالان) above and the English denomination (TWO RIYALS) at the bottom.
On the right side of the coin, there is a silver frame that contains the name of the Kingdom, and on the left there is a plant motif that encompasses the national emblem of the Kingdom. The year Hijri (1438) is engraved at the top and the year of the Gregorian calendar (2016) engraved at the bottom.
Saudi riyal banknotes
In 1961, the then Monetary Agency of Saudi Arabia began issuing banknotes from Saudi riyals. The first banknotes issued were 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 rails. In the year 1983, the 500 riyal banknote was introduced and in the year 2000, the 20 and 200 riyal notes were introduced in the country.
In 2016, the sixth series of riyal banknotes came into circulation with denominations of 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 Saudi riyals.
5 Saudi riyals banknote
This banknote of violet colors would be worth today, in Spain, one euro in exchange suppliers, approximately.
The obverse shows the portrait of the Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and a view of the Shaybah Oil Field. Shaybah is one of the largest oil producing deposits in Saudi Arabia.
It is operated by the Saudi oil company Aramco and is located about 40 km from the northern border of the Rub al-Jali desert. For his part, Salman bin Abdulaziz is the king of Saudi Arabia, guardian of the Holy Places and head of the House of Saud since January 23, 2015.
The reverse shows a view of native flowers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
5 riyals banknote (5 SR)
10 Saudi riyals banknote
On the obverse of the 10-color, brown-toned note, you can see a portrait of the Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and a photo of the Palace of the late King Abdulaziz in the Almoraba area. Salman bin Abdulaziz is the king of Saudi Arabia, guardian of the Holy Places and head of the House of Saud since January 23, 2015.
The reverse of the note shows a view of the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Financial Center in Riyadh, capital and the main business center of Saudi Arabia, with more than 5 million inhabitants.
Today currency suppliers would give you around 2 euros in exchange for a 10 SR banknote.
10 Saudi riyals note (10 SR)
50 Saudi riyals banknote
On the obverse of this 50 SR note, of green tones, there is a portrait of the Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and a photo of the Al-Sakhra Dome Mosque. Salman bin Abdulaziz is the king of Saudi Arabia, guardian of the Holy Places and head of the House of Saud since January 23, 2015. The reverse of the banknote shows a view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds Al-Shareef.
The counter value of the 50 riyal banknote today in euros, in Spain would be 10 euros.
50 saudi riyal banknote (50 SR)
100 Saudi riyals banknote
On the obverse of the 100 SR note, reddish in color, a portrait of the Custodian of the Two Sacred Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (b. 1935) is shown next to the Green Dome of the Prophet’s Mosque. Salman bin Abdulaziz is the king of Saudi Arabia, guardian of the Holy Places and head of the House of Saud since January 23, 2015
The reverse side of the banknote shows a view of the Prophet’s Mosque in Al-Madinah Al-Monawarah. The Prophet’s Mosque in Medina was originally built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, located in Medina, in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. It was the third mosque built in the history of Islam and is now one of the largest in the world with the capacity to accommodate 1 million faithful.
100 Saudi riyals banknote (100 SR)
If a 100 riyal banknote falls into your hands, today you would get for it the equivalent of about 20 euros in Spain.
500 Saudi riyals banknote
This 500 saudi riyals note is of the highest denomination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is blue and shows the late King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud on the obverse with the Santa Ka`aba in the background. Abdulaziz bin Saúd was the first king of Saudi Arabia from September 22, 1932 until his death. He is considered the founder of the modern Saudi state, after fighting for 30 years until the unification of Saudi Arabia.
On the reverse of the banknote you can see the Sacred Mosque of Makkah Al Mukarramah. It is the most important mosque in the city of Mecca and the first holy place of Islam.
Today, in the currency providers in Spain they would give you about 100 euros in exchange for a 500 SR banknote.
500 saudi riyals banknote (500 SR)
Euro to Saudi riyals exchange rate
The Euro to Saudi riyals exchange rate has not undergone major variations in the last 5 years, staying at around 4 to 5 riyals per euro. Since mid-2018, the exchange rate has remained very stable and in May 29th 2023, the euro to saudi riyal exchange rate is € 1 = SR 4.03.
Euro to Saudi riyal rate May 29 2023
As you can see, the exchange rate last year has ranged between 3.7 and 4.7 riyals per euro, but keep in mind that this graph represents the value of the “currency” riyal against the euro, and not that of the paper currency (travel money), which is lower.
In fact, in the currency exchange suppliers in Spain you can buy Saudi riyals today at an exchange rate of 3.57 riyals for each euro, nothing to do with the euro to riyal exchange rate (4.03 riyals per euro).
So, when you see these values in Google and other currency converters with your mobile phone, keep this in mind:
-This is an unreliable rate. That is, if you click on the “Disclaimer” link, you get this Google Finance warning: “Google cannot guarantee the accuracy of the exchange rates shown. Confirm the current rates before making a transaction that may be affected by changes in exchange rates. ”
-These rates you see are usually wholesale rates of the Saudi riyal currency against the Euro currency (travel money currency and paper currency are not the same);
-This rate is only accessible to banks. That is, it is impossible to get it as a private individual;
If you need riyal banknotes, you will have to go through the retail banknote market (bank or currency provider). This means that Saudi riyals will have had to be “transported” by someone for you to enjoy them (or bought from Saudi tourists or professionals passing through Spain previously).
In other words, moving banknotes from one place to another has logistic costs that will make their selling price more expensive (the exchange rate that will be applied to you by the seller).
The Saudi riyal is a very scarce currency in Spain, so it is not easy to find it available for sale. Therefore it is good to anticipate the purchase and order it online to get a better price.
Where to exchange Saudi riyals
The Saudi riyal is a rare currency in Spain, so it is not easy to find it available for sale. Therefore, it is good to anticipate the purchase and order it online to obtain a better price.
The exchange of Saudi riyals for euros can be done at the airports, where currency suppliers operate, in the currency suppliers at street level in tourist cities, or in the three large banks (BBVA, Santander, Caixabank that sell it).
But apart from the change they give you, you will have to anticipate a bank commission of between 2.5 and 3%. This means that if you change 600 euros to crowns, in addition to the change applied to you, you will pay a commission of 15 to 18 euros. And they will exchange the rest at their exchange rate of the day.
As for the currency suppliers in Spain, they tend to have good rates (except those in airports and AVE stations such as Global Exchange and Exact Change, which have very attractive exchange offices but do not give good rates).
The currency suppliers that collaborate with Cambiator do not charge you a commission and when competing with each other, you can always contract the currency supplier that best suits you (for price, for convenience, for proximity to you or for trust).
For its part, ING has an agreement with Global Exchange to send the riyals to your home. And Evo with Exact Change to do the same. Neither of them charge you a commission, but since the bank takes a part of your change, the rates of the riyals will not be so interesting for you. Check it yourself.
Change 1000 euros to Saudi riyals
If you wanted to change 1000 euros to Saudi riyals at the date of this post, these would be the Global Exchange rates compared to those of the exchange houses that collaborate with Cambiator.
Below you will understand why this company does not want to collaborate with us by facilitating price comparison, currency by currency.
To know the euro to saudi riyal exchange rate today, you can use our currency comparator:
| Supplier / Place | EUR to SAR rate (05 29 2023) | 1.000 € gest you (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Global Exchange Barcelona Airport | 2,778069 | 2.778 SAR |
| Global Exchange Madrid Airport | 2,778069 | 2.778 SAR |
| Global Exchange Málaga Airport | 2,778069 | 2.778 SAR |
| Global Exchange Alicante Airport | 2,778069 | 2.778 SAR |
| Global Exchange ING venture | 3,409395 | 3.409 SAR |
| Global Exchange home delivery | 3,432637 | 3.433 SAR |
| Cambiator | 3,570918 | 3.571 SAR |
As you can see, the difference between being careless with your currency exchange (leaving it for the last day at the airport of departure) or looking a bit and making your euros worth, today is called 3,571 – 2,778 SARs = 793 Saudi riyals more or less. That is, about 180 euros to change.
For this reason, we always recommend that you make a previous comparison of the exchange rates in Cambiator, before deciding on a specific exchange house. And of course, except in cases of extreme necessity, do not change currency at the airport, where for 1000 euros of change you lose 180 euros of difference compared to the change with Cambiator.
Are they expensive rates? Well, it will depend on who says it and how urgently you need the coin. But of course, since foreign currency is a commodity, no user would rationally pay more for the same thing if they can find it cheaper, convenience of having many currencies, every day at your disposal, aside.
And that’s why Cambiator’s motto is “a dollar is a dollar, why pay more for the same thing?”.
Euro to riyal rate today
- Euro to Saudi riyal exchange rate (EUR-SAR)
- Saudi Riyal to Euro exchange rate (SAR-EUR)
Other popular currencies
Best rate of the day (exchange euros to another currency)
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