How Do You Receive AED (UAE Dirham) Payments in India in 2026?

The table ranks platforms with full published pricing for AED by the INR received on AED 5,000, then lists other business platforms that accept AED, unranked. Fees were checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later.

The real AED to INR rate is the mid-market rate. Because the Central Bank of the UAE keeps the dirham at a fixed rate against the US dollar, AED/INR moves with USD/INR. Bank TT, card and provider rates usually sit below mid-market. For example, at an example mid-market rate of ₹24.00, a ₹23.76 rate means a 1% markup.

Today's rate, its history and every platform's payout are on the AED to INR rate page.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹25.73 per AED for 4 Nov 2026.

Yes, you can hold AED in India in an EEFC account if your bank offers one in dirhams. Any resident foreign exchange earner, including an individual freelancer, may credit 100% of export earnings. The EEFC account is a current account and pays no interest. Each month's accruals must be converted by the end of the following month.

• Who qualifies: All categories of resident foreign exchange earners, such as individuals and companies, under Q2 of RBI's EEFC FAQ. Ask your AD bank whether it opens EEFC accounts in AED, since banks choose which currencies they offer.
• Conversion rule: The sum of a calendar month's accruals should be converted into rupees by the last day of the next month, after adjusting for approved uses or forward commitments, under the EEFC provisions of the Master Direction on Deposits and Accounts.
• Permitted uses: AED in the account can pay permitted current account transactions outside India, such as a UAE trade licence renewal or a Dubai event fee. Rupees withdrawn cannot be converted back and re-credited (Q9 and Q10).
• Alternatives: A cross-border payment aggregator may settle in a non-INR currency only to exporters it has directly onboarded, under para 11(i) of the Payment Aggregator Master Direction. Otherwise AED is converted to rupees on arrival.

• Spot: AED is converted at the rate on the day it is credited. This is the default for most savings and current accounts, and the rupee amount depends on the market that day.
• Forward contract: You agree an AED/INR rate today for a future date with your AD bank. The amount and tenor cannot exceed your export exposure, under para 2.4(i) of the Master Direction on Risk Management and Inter-Bank Dealings. See forward contracts for exporters.
• Limit order: You ask your bank or provider to convert AED only when the rate reaches a level you set. RBI rules do not define limit orders, so check whether your AD bank offers one and how long an order stays open.
• Natural hedge: You keep AED in an EEFC account to pay AED costs, such as UAE contractors or a Dubai office. An AD bank may also allow set-off of export receivables against import payables with the same overseas buyer or supplier under Regulation 7 of the FEMA Export and Import Regulations, 2026.

Receiving AED for exports in India requires the correct purpose code, an EDF declaration and realisation of services exports within nine months of the invoice date. The FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 apply from 1 October 2026. Your AD bank records each AED receipt in EDPMS and reports it with a purpose code.

• Purpose code: Quote the code that matches the service, such as P0802 "Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form)" or P1006 "Business and management consultancy and public relations services" from the RBI purpose code list. See purpose codes for freelancers.
• EDF: Services exporters file an EDF within 30 days from the end of the invoice month under Regulation 3(2). A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 withdrew the SOFTEX circulars from 1 October 2026, so software exports are now declared on the EDF. See EDF form for export.
• Realisation: Full export value must be realised within nine months from the invoice date for services, or twelve months if invoiced or settled in INR, under Regulation 5. Your AD bank may extend this on request.
• EDPMS: For invoices up to ₹10 lakh, the AD bank may close the EDPMS entry on your declaration that payment was realised, under Regulation 4(2). See what is EDPMS.
• FIRA: FIRA is not a term defined in FEMA. Banks and providers use it for their remittance advices. GST refund rules ask for a Bank Realisation Certificate or Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate under Rule 89(2)(c). See what is FIRA.

Rules and rails are linked to official sources below with the dates they were checked. Platform figures come from each platform's own pages, checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later, and RBI authorisation was checked against RBI's published list. Rates are XE live mid-market rates, dated 4 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. Al Etihad Payments (CBUAE subsidiary): Aani, Aani is a payments platform that allows customers to transfer funds up to AED 50,000 immediately and conveniently, on a 24*7 basis (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. Central Bank of the UAE: How the Monetary System Works, CBUAE maintains a fixed exchange rate of the UAE dirham against the US dollar (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. Central Bank of the UAE: Payments and Settlements, CBUAE owns, operates and manages UAEFTS as a Large-Value Payment System; AFAQ and Buna listed as cross-border systems; addressing scheme using a mobile phone number, email address or other unique identifier (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. RBI press release 2023-2024/604: RBI and Central Bank of the UAE sign two MoUs (July 15, 2023), Para 2: Local Currency Settlement System to promote use of INR and AED bilaterally, enabling exporters and importers to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies; para 3: linking UPI with UAE's Instant Payment Platform (checked 8 Oct 2026)
5. RBI FAQ: Exchange Earners Foreign Currency (EEFC) Account, Q1, Q2, Q8, Q9, Q10 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI Master Direction: Deposits and Accounts (updated September 02, 2026), EEFC provisions: sum total of accruals during a calendar month to be converted into Rupees on or before the last day of the succeeding calendar month after adjusting for approved purposes or forward commitments; non-interest bearing current account (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. RBI Master Direction: Risk Management and Inter-Bank Dealings (updated October 01, 2026), Para 2.4(i): notional amount and tenor of the derivative contract does not exceed the value and tenor of the exposure; para 3.2: permitted exchange-traded pairs USD-INR, EUR-INR, GBP-INR, JPY-INR, EUR-USD, GBP-USD and USD-JPY (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), Para 11(d) ₹25 lakh per transaction; 11(h) documents for EDPMS closure; 11(i) non-INR settlement only for directly onboarded exporters; 16(a) Inward Collection Account (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, Notification FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, Regulation 3(2) EDF for services within 30 days from end of invoice month; 4(2) EDPMS closure up to ₹10 lakh on declaration; 5 nine months from invoice for services, twelve months if invoiced or settled in INR; 7 set-off (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 dated January 16, 2026, RBI/2025-26/194: supersedes the Master Directions on Export and Import of Goods and Services and the listed circulars, including the SOFTEX procedure circulars, from October 01, 2026 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. RBI circular: Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments (April 09, 2026), Para 3: inform customers on receipt, reconciliation interval normally not exceeding one hour, endeavour to credit payments received in forex market hours within the same business day (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 84 (2012), FETERS purpose codes for receipts, P0802 Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form); P1006 Business and management consultancy and public relations services (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. CGST Rules, Rule 89 (CBIC tax information portal), Rule 89(2)(c): Bank Realisation Certificates or Foreign Inward Remittance Certificates for export of services (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. Razorpay MoneySaver Export Account (International Bank Transfers) pricing, Standard Plan: 0% FX markup, 1% fee, FlashLinks 2%, GST applicable, flat fee of INR 1,000 on transactions below INR 1,00,000, setup and AMC INR 0 (checked 6 Oct 2026)
15. Skydo homepage (pricing and fee calculator), Know what you pay; calculator showing GST 18% of transaction fee (checked 6 Oct 2026)
16. Stripe India pricing, International cards with USD/other currency presentment 4.3% + 2% if currency conversion is required; Mastercard and Visa cards issued outside India 3% + 2%; American Express outside India 3.5% + 2%; dispute received INR 1,000.00 (checked 7 Oct 2026)
17. HDFC Bank: Remittance Services Fees & Charges, Inward Remittance Charge: No Charge; FIRC Charge for Inward Remittance & FCY Cheque Collection INR 200 per FIRC; GST slabs on amount of currency exchanged (checked 6 Oct 2026)
18. Kotak Everyday Savings Account fees and charges, Foreign Inward Remittance certificate (Branch Request) INR 100/Request; GST on Foreign Currency Conversion; fees exclusive of GST (checked 6 Oct 2026)
19. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)
20. Axis Bank: Inward Remittances (Business Banking) (checked 6 Oct 2026)
21. ICICI Bank - Inward trade remittances, Receive remittances in 24+ currencies; BIRC for export proceeds, FIRC for FDI/FII on request; funds credited within 1 hour of disposal instruction and documents (checked 7 Oct 2026)