What is "e-dirham"

The e-Dirham is a payment tool introduced by the government of the United Arab Emirates with the aim of facilitating the collection of revenues of governmental and non-governmental service fees in a safe and secure way.

The e-Dirham was initially intended for use by the UAE federal government, but it was later used by the local governments of the constituent Emirates, as well as by semi-governmental organizations and private enterprises.

The e-Dirham was launched on 3 February 2001, making the UAE the first country within the Arab Region to introduce such a system countrywide.

The e-Dirham has become widely available, and has many payment channels. The Ministry of Finance and Industry has worked and is still working on expanding payment channels. Currently available payment channels include

• Electronic point of sale (EPOS) terminals
• Over the Internet (E-Dirham Payment Gateway)
• E-Stamp