Saudi Central Bank Ramadan Hours: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting a Branch
Ramadan changes everything. The pace of the day shifts. Routines flip upside down. People sleep later, wake later, and somehow manage to get more done between Asr and Maghrib than they do in a full regular workday. It’s a beautiful chaos — and if you’re trying to handle banking during this month, a little preparation goes a long way.
The Saudi Central Bank, officially known as SAMA (Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority), releases official working hour guidelines for all financial institutions operating under its supervision before Ramadan begins each year. These aren’t suggestions. Banks, money exchange centers, and payment service providers — they all have to follow what SAMA says. And SAMA takes it seriously.
This guide covers everything. What hours banks are open, when exchange centers operate, what happens during Eid, how ATMs are managed, and how digital banking fits into all of this. Whether you’re a Saudi national, an expat worker sending money home, or just someone with a bill to pay, this is the article you need.
Who Is SAMA and Why Do Their Hours Matter?
SAMA is Saudi Arabia’s central bank. It regulates and supervises all commercial banks, insurance companies, finance companies, and payment service providers in the Kingdom. When SAMA issues a circular about working hours, every institution has to comply. No exceptions.
Every year, before the holy month begins, SAMA publishes detailed instructions on how banks should operate during Ramadan. This includes opening and closing times, ATM maintenance windows, money transfer operating hours, and special arrangements for Makkah, Madinah, and border crossings.
It’s not just about shortening the workday. SAMA tries to balance accessibility with respect for the spiritual nature of the month. The instructions are thoughtful. And understanding them helps you plan your banking needs without frustration.
Bank Branch Hours During Ramadan 2025 (1446H)
Let’s get to the point.
Banks in Saudi Arabia serve the public during business days from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM during the holy month of Ramadan.
That’s a six-hour window. It’s shorter than the regular banking day, so if you’re used to walking into a branch at 9 AM, that won’t work during Ramadan. Plan for a mid-morning visit instead.
Branches are open Saturday through Wednesday, as usual. Thursday and Friday remain the weekend. So your window each week is five working days, six hours each. That’s 30 hours per week of in-branch banking — still reasonable, but you need to time it right.
One thing people often overlook: queues inside branches tend to get longer during Ramadan because the total operating window is shorter. Everyone’s compressing their banking into fewer hours. If you can, visit early in the morning — around 10:30 AM. Avoid the post-Dhuhr rush, which usually hits between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.
Exchange Centers and Payment Service Providers
Exchange centers and payment service providers — including remittance companies — operate on a slightly different schedule.
Financial transfer centers and payment service providers operate from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, offering six flexible hours daily.
That 9:30 AM start is earlier than banks, which is useful for people who need to send money first thing in the morning. The “flexible hours” wording matters — it means institutions can stagger their specific open and close times within that window, as long as they’re covering the required six hours.
For the large number of expat workers in Saudi Arabia — particularly from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa — this is extremely relevant. Ramadan is often when workers send money home in larger amounts, whether for Eid celebrations or family needs. Knowing that exchange centers run a slightly extended window compared to regular bank branches is important.
If you’re sending an international transfer, try to arrive by 4:30 PM at the latest to give yourself time to complete the transaction before the center closes.
Eid Al-Fitr Holidays: When Banks Close (and Reopen)
The Eid Al-Fitr holiday starts by the end of work on March 30 (01/10/1446 AH), with financial institutions resuming work on April 2 (04/10/1446 AH).
So that’s a four-day closure — from the evening of March 30 through April 1. Banks reopen on April 2.
Plan your banking before March 28 if possible. Leaving things to the last working day before Eid is always a gamble. Branches get crowded. Systems get slow. People are anxious. The earlier you settle your financial transactions, the smoother your Eid will be.
One important note: even during the Eid holiday closure, SAMA ensures that some branches remain operational. Select branches in high-traffic areas will operate during specific times throughout the Eid holidays to ensure continued service. These are usually branches near major shopping malls, airports, and busy commercial districts. Check your bank’s app or website for the nearest open branch during the holiday.
Eid Al-Adha Holidays: The Other Closure to Know
The Eid Al-Adha holiday begins by the end of work on June 5 (09/12/1446 AH), with work recommencing on June 10 (14/12/1446 AH).
That’s a five-day break. Longer than Eid Al-Fitr. If you have any significant financial transactions planned — loan payments, large transfers, trade settlements — make sure they’re done before June 5.
Eid Al-Adha also coincides with the Hajj season, which brings its own special arrangements.
Special Provisions for Makkah, Madinah, and Border Crossings
This is something many people don’t know about.
Despite the holidays, SAMA noted that bank branches, exchange centers, and payment service providers in Makkah, Madinah, and the border crossings will remain open to serve pilgrims and Umrah performers.
This makes complete sense. Millions of people are moving through these cities during Ramadan and the Hajj season. A pilgrim arriving in Madinah who needs to exchange currency or access their funds can’t wait for a bank to open on Wednesday morning. SAMA accounts for this.
Bank branches, FX centers, payment service providers, and their seasonal branches in air and sea pilgrimage hubs, border crossings, and holy sites in Makkah and Madinah will remain open throughout the Hajj season to serve pilgrims and visitors.
If you’re traveling for Umrah during Ramadan, you don’t need to worry as much about banking hours. The infrastructure is there. It’s designed to handle the volume.
ATM Availability During Ramadan
People often assume that because branches have shorter hours, ATMs are also limited. Not true.
The working hours of feeding and maintaining ATMs are throughout the week, including official holidays and weekends, and 24 hours a day for the main cities — Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam — commercial centers, airports, and train stations.
So in major cities, ATMs never stop running. They’re restocked and maintained around the clock. Even on Eid.
For the rest of the cities of the Kingdom, ATM maintenance runs from seven in the morning until ten in the evening.
Smaller cities have a maintenance window, but the machines themselves remain accessible unless there’s a specific issue. The practical message: cash withdrawals are rarely a problem during Ramadan. Branch visits are where the time restrictions actually matter.
The 2026–2029 SAMA Schedule: Long-Term Planning
SAMA recently did something unusually forward-thinking. They published working hours and holiday schedules not just for 2025, but for the next several years.
SAMA announced official holidays and working hours for financial institutions under its supervision, as well as for the Saudi Instant Payment System (Sarie), for the next four years.
This is genuinely useful for businesses. If you’re a company that needs to plan cash flow, payroll cycles, or payment processing around banking holidays, having this data in advance allows for real planning rather than scrambling.
During Ramadan, banks will operate from 10 AM to 4 PM, while remittance centers and payment service providers will work six flexible hours from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. These hours remain consistent across future Ramadans as well, which means the same planning logic applies year after year.
The only variable is the Hijri calendar, which shifts the Gregorian dates of Ramadan slightly each year. Ramadan 2025 began in early March. By 2029, it will fall in late January. The hours stay the same, but the season changes.
Online and Mobile Banking: The Real Game-Changer
Honestly? The reduced branch hours matter a lot less than they used to.
Saudi Arabia’s banking sector has invested heavily in digital infrastructure. Almost every major bank — Al Rajhi, SNB, Riyadh Bank, Arab National Bank, SABB, Banque Saudi Fransi — now has a mobile app that handles the vast majority of transactions without requiring a branch visit.
During Ramadan, you can:
Transfer money domestically through SARIE (the Saudi instant payment system) at any hour. Send international remittances through the bank’s app or authorized platforms. Pay utilities, government fees, and bills via SADAD. Apply for credit products. Update account details. Dispute transactions. Check balances. Generate account statements.
None of that requires a branch. None of it is affected by Ramadan hours.
SARIE itself runs 24/7. SAMA has confirmed this. Even during Eid closures, SARIE doesn’t stop processing. Money still moves. The system doesn’t sleep.
If you haven’t fully adopted mobile banking, Ramadan is actually a great time to do it. The branches being open only six hours a day is a nudge toward digital habits that will serve you well year-round.
Practical Tips for Managing Your Banking During Ramadan
A few things that actually help:
Visit branches in the morning. The 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM window is usually the least crowded. Post-Asr visits tend to be rushed, and everyone’s thinking about Iftar.
Use the bank’s app for everything you can. Card activation, transfers, and bill payments — all digital. Save your branch visit for things that genuinely require it, like opening an account, getting a certified statement, or resolving a complex issue.
Settle loan payments early. If your payment falls near Eid, don’t wait. Banks process payments based on calendar dates. A missed payment is a missed payment, even if the branch was closed. Most banks have auto-payment options — activate them if you haven’t.
Exchange currency before Ramadan if you can. If you know you’ll need foreign currency — for travel, remittances, or business — exchange it before the holy month starts. Not because exchange centers close, but because demand spikes and rates can fluctuate.
Don’t assume holiday hours. Even if you’ve banked at a particular branch for years, verify its Ramadan hours through the app or the bank’s official website. Some smaller branches adjust their timings within SAMA’s permitted range.
A Note for Expats and Foreign Workers
Saudi Arabia hosts millions of expat workers, and many of them send a significant portion of their salary home each month. Ramadan and the period before Eid Al-Fitr are typically the peak periods for remittances.
Exchange centers and money transfer companies operate from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM during Ramadan, which is workable if you plan your visits. However, if you’re working a day shift, getting to an exchange center during those hours might require taking a short break or going on your lunch.
Alternatively, many banks now allow international transfers directly through their apps, often at competitive rates. Al Rajhi Bank’s international transfer service, for instance, is widely used by expats across the Kingdom and doesn’t require a branch visit.
The point is: options exist. You’re not limited to standing in a queue. Explore the digital channels your bank offers. Most are better than people expect.
What Happens If You Miss the Banking Window?
Say you needed to do something urgent, and the branches are closed. What then?
For cash, ATMs are available around the clock in major cities. For transfers, SARIE runs 24/7. For payments, SADAD processes 24/7. For most urgent needs, you can handle things through digital channels even if branches are closed.
Where you genuinely need a branch — notarized documents, complex account issues, large cash deposits — those things will have to wait until the next business day. There’s no workaround for that. The practical lesson: don’t let urgent matters pile up until the last minute.
Summary of SAMA Ramadan Banking Hours at a Glance
Banks: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (business days, Saturday to Wednesday)
Exchange centers and payment providers: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM (6 flexible working hours)
ATMs in major cities: 24 hours, 7 days, including holidays
ATMs in other cities: 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Eid Al-Fitr closure (2025): March 30 evening through April 1; reopening April 2
Eid Al-Adha closure (2025): June 5 evening through June 9; reopening June 10
Makkah, Madinah, border crossings: Remain open continuously, including Eid
FAQs: Saudi Central Bank Ramadan Hours
Q: What time do banks open during Ramadan in Saudi Arabia?
Banks open at 10:00 AM during Ramadan. This is the official start time mandated by SAMA for all commercial banks operating in the Kingdom. Don’t show up at 9 AM — the doors won’t open.
Q: What time do Saudi banks close during Ramadan?
Banks close at 4:00 PM during the holy month. That gives you a six-hour window on each business day. Make the most of it.
Q: Do money exchange centers have different hours from banks during Ramadan?
Yes. Exchange centers and payment service providers operate from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM — six flexible hours — which is slightly different from regular bank branches. They also start half an hour earlier.
Q: Are Saudi banks open on weekends during Ramadan?
No. The standard Saudi banking weekend applies during Ramadan too. Banks are closed on Thursday and Friday, and open Saturday through Wednesday.
Q: Do banks close for Eid Al-Fitr?
Yes. For Eid Al-Fitr 2025, banks closed from the end of business on March 30 and reopened on April 2. Select branches in high-traffic areas may operate on limited hours during the holiday for essential services.
Q: Are ATMs available 24 hours a day during Ramadan?
In major cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, and Dammam — yes, ATMs operate around the clock, including holidays. In smaller cities, ATM maintenance runs from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Q: Can I send money internationally during Ramadan?
Yes, through both bank branches during working hours and digital channels at any time. SARIE, the Saudi instant payment system, runs 24/7. Many banks also offer international transfer services through their mobile apps that aren’t restricted by branch hours.
Q: Are banks in Makkah and Madinah open during Eid?
Yes. SAMA specifically mandates that branches, exchange centers, and payment service providers in Makkah, Madinah, and at border crossings remain open to serve pilgrims and Umrah performers, even during official holidays.
Q: Has SAMA announced banking hours for future Ramadans beyond 2025?
Yes. SAMA has published holiday and working hour schedules through 2029. The Ramadan hours — banks from 10 AM to 4 PM, exchange centers from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM — remain consistent. Only the Gregorian calendar dates shift due to the Hijri calendar cycle.
Q: What should I do if I have an urgent banking need when branches are closed?
Use your bank’s mobile app or internet banking for transfers, bill payments, and most account management tasks. SARIE processes domestic transfers 24/7. For cash, ATMs in major cities are always available. For matters that genuinely require a branch visit, plan and don’t leave critical tasks to the last working day before Eid.
Ramadan is a month of discipline, reflection, and intentionality. That applies to your financial life, too. Knowing SAMA’s banking hours in advance means you’re not caught off guard, not stressing over a closed branch, and not missing a deadline because you assumed the bank was open. Plan smart, use the digital tools available, and let the holy month be what it’s meant to be — peaceful.
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