The UAE dirham symbol has taken a step toward becoming a standard feature on digital devices now that it has been added to Unicode 18.0.
The Unicode Consortium has given the dirham symbol a code, U+20C3, so software developers and technology companies can use the same character on phones, computers, applications and websites.
With this addition, the dirham sign can now be put into systems together with other established currency symbols. Users should not expect a new dirham key to appear on every phone right away.
When will the symbol appear on phones?
Unicode approval sets the standard, but each technology company still has to implement it.
Device manufacturers, operating system developers, font providers, and app makers will need to add support for the character by updating their software or systems. Keyboard developers will also decide how and where users can access the dirham symbol.
This means the dirham sign might show up on some updated websites or applications before it is directly available on a phone keyboard.
Older devices may not get support if their manufacturers stop giving software updates. Unicode has not provided a date for when the dirham symbol will be available on all devices.
For businesses, the new standard gives a character for showing dirham amounts in invoices, prices, financial documents, and other digital communications.
Until platforms adopt the dirham symbol, businesses may keep using existing fonts or graphic versions of the symbol.
UAE introduced the symbol in 2025
The Central Bank of the UAE officially unveiled the dirham symbol on March 27, 2025.
According to Unicode’s specification, the dirham symbol design is based on the letter “D,” which stands for dirham. It has two horizontal lines that are inspired by the UAE flag. Those lines also show monetary stability.
The Central Bank has earlier given guidance that the dirham symbol could be put on the number 6 key on keyboards. Its final placemen,,t howe, ver will depend on each keyboard manufacturer and software provider.
The UAE dirham symbol was one of the currency characters added in Unicode 18.0. The update also added symbols for the rufiyaa and Omani rial.
The latest Unicode release has 13,007 characters, nine of them new emojis, bringing the total to 172,808 characters.
For UAE residents,s the Unicode addition is a technical milestone, but everyday use of the dirham symbol will depend on how fast technology companies addsupport foforhe new dirham character.