Exchanging currency is a perennial pain in international travel. Fortunately for U.S. vacationers, there are a bunch of destinations, including many tourism heavy hitters, where no exchange is necessary.
Often in an effort to protect against inflation or stabilize a rocky financial situation, as Western Union explains, several countries have adopted the greenback as their official currency.
And several more accept the U.S. dollar as an additional or secondary currency that consumers may use as an alternative to the local currency. This is especially common in border regions and tourist areas, where dollars can pay for stuff like food, cab rides, and souvenirs.
Countries Where the U.S. Dollar Is the Official Currency
Other than the United States and its territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), 11 international destinations have adopted the U.S. dollar as their official currency:
- • British Virgin Islands
- • Caribbean Netherlands: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (aka the BES Islands)
- • Ecuador
- • El Salvador
- • Marshall Islands
- • Micronesia
- • Palau
- • Panama
- • Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor)
- • Turks and Caicos
- • Zimbabwe
Note that in some cases, there may be more than one official currency in the destination.
Countries Where the U.S. Dollar Is Accepted as a Secondary Currency
Though not an official currency in these places, the U.S. dollar is widely accepted for commercial purposes in the following countries and territories—particularly in areas frequented by tourists.
- • Aruba
- • Bahamas
- • Barbados
- • Bermuda
- • Belize
- • Cambodia
- • Canada
- • Cayman Islands
- • Costa Rica
- • Curaçao
- • Liberia
- • Mexico
- • Myanmar
- • Nicaragua
- • Sint Maarten/St. Martin
- • St. Kitts and Nevis
- • Vietnam
