Damaged money

Requirements for replacing banknotes

The Bundesbank will replace damaged euro and Deutsche Mark banknotes if more than half of the note is presented or it can be proved that the missing (larger) part of the banknote has been destroyed.

Deliberately damaged euro- or Deutsche Mark-banknotes will not be replaced. The same applies to euro- and mark-banknotes that have been exchanged and devalued by branches of Deutsche Bundesbank.

Requirements for replacing coins

The Bundesbank will replace damaged cent and euro coins as well as Pfennig or Deutsche Mark coins as long as they are not counterfeit, there is no hole in them or the weight has not been reduced in any way other than from general use.

Coins that have already been exchanged and devalued at the Bundesbank's offices or at those of the ESCB national central banks are not replaced.

Larger quantities of damaged coins (for example, coins weighing over 1 ton) may be submitted by prior arrangement only. Packaging and delivery conditions apply. If this affects you, please contact the National Analysis Centre, our staff will be pleased to provide you with the relevant information and arrange a delivery location and date, if required.

National Analysis Centre

• H 123
• Hegelstraße 65
• D - 55122 Mainz
• +49 (0) 6131 377-4363
• falschgeldstelle@bundesbank.de

What should you do?

Seal everything up - even the smallest pieces or the residue (eg ash) - so as to avoid further damage. Please ensure, that there are no massive objects like coins between burned banknotes, because those could grind the ash to powder.

Ask your bank whether it is willing to forward the money to a branch Deutsche Bundesbank, or take the money directly to a branch yourself.

When submitting the money, use the application form and give exact details of the cause of the damage and the whereabouts of the missing parts of the note (only available in German). Please also inform us of any possible health risks if you have cause to believe that the banknotes or coins may be contaminated.

• Application form for submitting damaged money (only available in German)

What happens next?

Damaged banknotes or coins which the Bundesbank branches are unable to exchange immediately are forwarded to the National Analysis Centre at the Mainz Regional Office for examination. As a general rule, once the money reaches a branch office, it takes around two weeks until either the redeemed amount is credited or the claim is rejected in writing. In more difficult or labour-intensive cases, the examination process may take several months.

Does the Bundesbank charge a fee for replacing money?

The Bundesbank only charges a fee to exchange euro banknotes which have been damaged through the inadvertent activation of an anti-theft device. Otherwise it replaces money free of charge.