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Request to exchange defective or damaged banknotes

Exchanging defective/damaged banknotes

Procedure code: ES_BDE_C12B_P54

Individuals or entities may take defective, stained, soiled or torn euro banknotes to a Banco de España branch office or their own bank to have them examined and subsequently exchanged for new ones.

Target audience:
General public Firms and professionals Financial institutions Public authorities

Generally, a banknote will be exchanged if you submit more than half of the original banknote or you can prove that the missing part has been destroyed. If the bank teller can confirm straight away that the banknote is genuine, they will replace it with a new one of the same value. If the banknote cannot be authenticated there and then, it will be sent to our laboratory and you will receive the results of the analysis as soon as possible. If a banknote can be exchanged, its value will be credited to your bank account or you can request payment in cash.

Where banknotes have been damaged by anti-theft devices and they are submitted by professional cash handlers (credit institutions, cash-in-transit companies and currency exchange bureaux), a fee of ten euro cent per banknote will be charged if at least 100 banknotes are exchanged. No fee will be charged if banknotes have been damaged as a result of an attempted or actual robbery, provided that a photocopy of the report filed with the police or judicial authorities is presented. Such banknotes will be replaced only at the request of the original banknote owner (or otherwise authorised applicant) who is the victim of the criminal activity that caused the damage.

Exceptionally, if a banknote has a manufacturing defect, it can be exchanged immediately at any Banco de España branch office or credit institution.

The Banco de España reserves the right not to carry out certain transactions and/or to limit the form of payment of the banknotes exchanged depending on the circumstances in which they have been submitted.

Procedure for: Persons or entities holding damaged or defective banknotes may submit them at a branch office of the Banco de España (or a financial institution) for recognition and subsequent exchange for new banknotes.

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Who is it for?

Inquiries

Cash Department

C/ Alcalá, 48
28014 Madrid

Keywords

  • Exchange of defective banknotes
  • Exchange of damaged banknotes

Last update: 15/09/2025