This paper investigated empirically the determinants of exchange rate regime choice in 15 MENA countries. The explanatory variables used included two sets of criteria emanating from the optimum currency area and macroeconomic theories. We considered three different measures of the dependent variable, choice of exchange regime, in order to avoid potentially misleading classification, namely the IMF’s (official) de jure, the LYS and the RR de facto choice of exchange rate regimes.