Exchanging damaged euro banknotes and coins

I. General information

The procedure for exchanging damaged euro banknotes and coins is the same as that for exchanging undamaged euro banknotes and coins.

When you present damaged genuine banknotes and coins to us in person or send them to us by post, we will replace them with undamaged banknotes and coins of the same face value subject to the following conditions and to the additional conditions stated in (II) and (III) below:

a) more than 50% of the euro banknote is presented or sent;

b) 50% or less of the euro banknote is presented or sent, and you can prove that the missing parts have been destroyed;

c) the damaged coins are whole coins.

II. Additional conditions for exchanging damaged euro banknotes

The following conditions apply to the exchange of damaged genuine euro banknotes:

a) where doubt exists as to your legal title to the banknotes:

you must provide proof that you are the owner of the banknotes or are otherwise authorised to apply for the exchange;

b) where ink-stained, contaminated or impregnated banknotes are presented:

you must provide a written explanation as to the kind of stain, contamination or impregnation;

c) where the banknotes have been damaged by anti-theft devices:

you must provide a written statement on the cause of neutralisation;

d) where the banknotes have been damaged by anti-theft devices in connection with an attempted or actual robbery, theft, or other criminal activity:

you must, in addition to being the owner of the banknotes or being otherwise authorised to apply for the exchange, be the victim of the attempted or actual criminal activity leading to the damage to the banknotes;

e) where the banknotes are contaminated such that they pose a risk to health and safety:

you must provide a health and safety assessment by the competent authorities.

III. Other grounds for not exchanging damaged euro banknotes and coins

We will not exchange your damaged euro banknotes or coins where:

a) we suspect they have been counterfeited or altered;

b) they are intentionally damaged (e.g. coins with holes);

c) the damage constitutes, or is related to, a criminal offence;

d) the banknotes and coins are specimen banknotes and coins (for example, banknotes overprinted or punched with an inscription such as “SPECIMEN” or, in Slovak, “VZOR”) or they have been officially invalidated (for example, in the case of banknotes, with five evenly spaced perforations);

e) any part of the banknote is not part of the original note.

If you present us with any banknotes or coins that fall into any of the above categories, we will withdraw them from circulation without reimbursement. We will issue you a confirmation of their withdrawal.