Sending money from the UAE to Indonesia: the payments stack
Sending AED 735 from the UAE to Indonesia cost 4.55% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 8 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Indonesia typically run over BI-FAST, BI-RTGS; between now and the end of 2027 there are 4 weekdays when banks in the UAE are closed but Indonesia keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 4.55% of AED 735 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.55% across 8 services |
| Collect in UAE | Aani, UAEFTS, IPI (Immediate Payment Instruction), UAEDDS (UAE Direct Debit System) |
| Pay out in Indonesia | BI-FAST, BI-RTGS, SKNBI (national clearing), QRIS (collections) |
What it costs to send AED 735
The World Bank surveyed 8 services sending from the UAE to Indonesia from 15 August 2025 to 22 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 4.55% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.55%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the UAE
- Under the Exchange Business Regulation (Circular 7/2025, effective 26 June 2025) a Category I licence covers currency exchange, remittances and WPS salary processing, Category II covers currency exchange and remittances, Category III currency exchange only, and Category IV remittances through digital channels only, with no cash-in or cash-out and currency conversion only within the digital remittance. source
- Exchange businesses that are limited liability companies need minimum paid-up capital of AED 25 million and a bank guarantee to the CBUAE of AED 50 million for Categories I to III or AED 25 million for Category IV; a Category IV licensee must be a limited liability company, and the CBUAE can allow 100% non-UAE ownership for that category. source
- The Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (Circular 15/2021) has four licence categories; cross-border fund transfer services are available under Category I and Category II, Category I adds payment token services, and Category IV covers payment initiation and account information services. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the UAE.
The payout side: Indonesia
| Payout partner | What it does in Indonesia | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DOKU | Cross Border Payouts send IDR to banks, e-wallets and bill payments in Indonesia, accept deposits in USD, SGD or IDR, validate bank accounts in real time, and serve both licensed remittance platforms and businesses without a local entity. | source |
| Xendit | Pays out IDR over BI-FAST (about 15 minutes, up to IDR 250,000,000) and RTGS (about 2 hours, 2 p.m. cut-off, no limit) to banks and e-wallets for B2B, B2C, C2B and C2C flows. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays IDR to all banks in Indonesia in real time 24x7 via BI-FAST and online transfer, by BI-FAST proxy, to wallets and via Visa Direct, with a 2 p.m. Jakarta cut-off for SKN and RTGS. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Supports payouts in Indonesia by bank transfer and to wallets such as GoPay, OVO, DANA, LinkAja and ShopeePay. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Indonesia: launching payments in Indonesia.
Payout rails in Indonesia
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| BI-FAST | Bank Indonesia | Real-time retail transfers every day, Monday to Sunday, 24 hours a day; Bank Indonesia sets the maximum amount per transaction and participants must publish it to customers. | source |
| BI-RTGS | Bank Indonesia | High-value real-time gross settlement, open 06:30 to 19:00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on operating days set by Bank Indonesia. | source |
| SKNBI (national clearing) | Bank Indonesia | Batch clearing; Nium's cut-off for SKN and RTGS payouts is 2 p.m. Jakarta time, while BI-FAST and online transfers run 24x7. | source |
| QRIS (collections) | Bank Indonesia and the Indonesian Payment System Association | National QR standard for collecting payments; Xendit's QRIS channel accepts up to IDR 10,000,000 per payment and settles T+1 business days. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 4 dates when the UAE is closed and Indonesia is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 14 dates when Indonesia is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | UAE | Indonesia | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 Dec 2026 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Indonesia the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Thu 3 Dec 2026 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Indonesia the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Open | Collective leave: Christmas | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Open | Christmas Day | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Tue 5 Jan 2027 | Open | Isra Mi'raj of the Prophet Muhammad (1448 H) | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 5 Feb 2027 | Open | Collective leave: Chinese New Year | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 8 Mar 2027 | Open | Nyepi (Day of Silence, Saka New Year 1949) | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (Ramadan 30 or Eid day 1) | Collective leave: Idul Fitri | Both closed |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Idul Fitri 1448 H (day 1) | Both closed |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Idul Fitri 1448 H (day 2) | Both closed |
| Fri 12 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (only if Ramadan lasts 30 days) | Collective leave: Idul Fitri | Both closed |
| Mon 15 Mar 2027 | Open | Collective leave: Idul Fitri | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 25 Mar 2027 | Open | Collective leave: Good Friday | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Open | Good Friday | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 6 May 2027 | Open | Ascension of Jesus Christ | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 2) | Idul Adha 1448 H | Both closed |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 3) | Collective leave: Idul Adha | Both closed |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Open | Collective leave: Vesak | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 20 May 2027 | Open | Vesak Day (2571 BE) | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 1 Jun 2027 | Open | Pancasila Day | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 17 Aug 2027 | Open | Independence Day | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 2 Dec 2027 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Indonesia the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 3 Dec 2027 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Indonesia the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Open | Collective leave: Christmas | Indonesia banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- First Abu Dhabi Bank moved its UAE offices to a Monday to Friday working week with a Saturday and Sunday weekend from 3 January 2022, following UAE Government and CBUAE guidelines, in line with the federal government's Saturday and Sunday weekend. source
- Islamic public holidays (Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day, Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year and the Prophet's birthday) are set by moon sighting, and under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 a public holiday is not moved when it falls on a weekend or another holiday; National Day is 2 and 3 December. source
- BI-FAST participants manage cash liquidity in their BI-FAST settlement accounts, and top-ups from BI-RTGS settlement accounts can only be made during BI-RTGS operating hours, so weekend and night payouts depend on balances placed beforehand. source
- BI-RTGS runs 06:30 to 19:00 WIB on its operating days, which caps when rupiah liquidity can move between banks' settlement accounts. source
- Xendit lists a BI-FAST limit of IDR 250,000,000 per transaction; larger payouts go over RTGS with a 2 p.m. Jakarta cut-off. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in UAE, the payout partners and banks in Indonesia and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Indonesia balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the UAE to Indonesia?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending AED 735 at 4.55% in Q3 2025, across 8 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.55%.
Which rails pay out in Indonesia?
Local payouts run over BI-FAST, BI-RTGS, SKNBI (national clearing), QRIS (collections).
When do I need to prefund Indonesia payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 4 weekdays when the UAE is closed and Indonesia is open, the first on Wed 2 Dec 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Cabinet Resolution No. (27) of 2024 Concerning the Public Holidays in the State · UAE Legislation
- Public holidays · The Official Portal of the UAE Government
- SKB Libur Nasional dan Cuti Bersama Tahun 2027 · Kemenko PMK
- Gov't announces 2027 national holidays and collective leave days · Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.