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NZD to ILS Exchange Rate

Code ILS
Symbol
Coins
NIS ½, 1, 2, 5, 10
Banknotes
NIS 20, 50, 100, 200

Buying Israeli New Shekels online

  • Budget Planning Tool

    Punch in your holiday deets below to use crowd-sourced Numbeo data* to help you plan your spending money.

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    On foreign exchange rates when you order with Travel Money NZ.

  • Pick up locally

    With over 20 convenient store locations across New Zealand, you can securely pick up your Israeli New Shekels with no hassles.

Planning your trip to Israel

Holiday Budget Calculator

We get it, doing your holiday budget is a snore fest. It's important though, so we've made it super easy for you to do now. Just punch in your holiday deets and we'll combine destination spend data with our exchange rates so you know how much to take. Easy peasy budget donesy!

About the currency

Coins and notes

The Israeli new shekel (or sheqel) is the official currency of the State of Israel, but it’s also used in several Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The new shekel can be divided into 100 agora. On ILS coins and banknotes, the currency is spelled as “sheqel”, but “shekel” is commonly used (this currency is so nice they named it twice).

Decorated with images of mosques, local landmarks and famous political and religious leaders, Israeli banknotes are circulated in $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $200 denominations. Israeli coins come in both agora and shekel values, including 1c, 5c, 10c, $½, $1, $2, $5 and $10 pieces. Have fun trying to fit all that pocket change in your wallet!

Facts about the currency

  • The Israeli shekel is one of the least restricted currencies in the world when it comes to importing and exporting, with no restrictions in place. You may find that some tourist sites in Israel accept USD as payment, but you’re still likely to receive your change in shekels.
  • The symbol for the shekel does not appear on most keyboards and is rarely used, so instead the currency is commonly referred to by its initials – NIS.
  • Israel has no mint to produce its currency. Banknotes are printed in Switzerland and coins are minted in South Korea.
  • Many of the NIS banknotes have a vertical orientation rather than the traditional horizontal design.
  • The $20 note was the first to be made of polymer, and was issued in 2008.
  • Prior to 1969, the currency of Israel was the lira or pound. This changed to the shekel, but implementation only happened 9 years after the law was passed to introduce the new currency. Better late than never.

Check out the exchange rate between the currencies. Want to wait for a particular rate? Simply sign up for a currency alert and we’ll give you a heads up when the Israeli New Shekel has hit the magic number.