In addition to euro and DM banknotes/coins, the Bundesbank also accepts banknotes issued by the Bank deutscher Länder (ie notes issued from 20 June 1948 onwards) for reimbursement. The Bundesbank does not accept other predecessors of the Deutsche Mark (eg the Reichsmark), the East German Mark or foreign currencies for reimbursement.

If the euro banknote/coin that you submit is eligible for reimbursement, it will be exchanged at full face value. In the case of DM banknotes/coins, the corresponding euro value will be reimbursed.

Please use the Reimbursement application for damaged EUR/DEM banknote(s)/coin(s) and complete this in full. In particular, please provide details on the cause of damage so as to avoid unnecessary queries. If submitting DM and euro banknotes/coins at the same time, please fill out two separate reimbursement applications.

Submissions of banknotes/coins that have been treated with chemical or other hazardous substances must be accompanied by a written declaration specifying what substances have been used (eg material safety data sheet).

You can either ask your bank if it is willing to forward the money to a Bundesbank branch or take the damaged money directly to a Bundesbank branch yourself. If you opt for the latter submission method, please note your branch's counter opening times.

Alternatively, you can send your money by post to the following address. 

Please select a secure delivery service as the Bundesbank cannot accept any liability for money lost en route.

If it is not possible to directly exchange your money at a Bundesbank branch, it takes up to three months from the time the money is lodged with a Bundesbank branch until reimbursement is made or reimbursement is denied in writing.

In particularly difficult or labour-intensive cases, the examination process may take longer.

If you have provided bank account details (IBAN and/or BIC) on your reimbursement application, your reimbursement will be credited to your account.

Alternatively, the amount to be reimbursed can be paid out in cash at a Bundesbank branch. Please specify your branch of choice on the reimbursement application. You will then be notified when your money is available for collection.

Please note that the Bundesbank does not send cash by post.

If you find money, please first contact the responsible lost property office.

The Bundesbank replaces damaged genuine euro and DM banknotes if more than half of the note is still intact or it can be proven that the rest of the note has been destroyed.

Deliberately damaged euro banknotes will not be replaced. The same applies to euro and DM banknotes that have already been devalued by a Bundesbank branch.

Seal everything up – even the smallest pieces or the residue (eg ash) – so as to avoid further damage. In the case of burnt banknotes, please ensure that solid objects such as coins do not further damage the ash during transport.

In the event that submitted banknote fragments are ineligible for reimbursement, we generally return these to the submitter with a letter explaining why reimbursement has been denied.

If you find additional fragments of the banknote at a later date, you can send these to the Bundesbank to be examined again.

Banknotes are generally replaced by the Bundesbank free of charge. The Bundesbank only charges a fee to exchange euro banknotes that have been damaged through the inadvertent activation of an anti-theft device.

No. Such banknotes are generally gift and decorative items that were, for instance, produced on behalf of the ECB. It is impossible to free the banknotes from the acrylic without damaging them. Consequently, they cannot be replaced by the Bundesbank.

If you are submitting banknotes that have been damaged by the activation of an anti-theft device, you must first dry them out. Where possible, group them by denomination into sets of 100 banknotes each. Heat-seal the banknote bundles into non-permeable airtight bags and place them into a safe bag. Attach a note to the safe bag stating that the banknotes inside are packaged in heat-sealed bags. Include the relevant material safety data sheet with your submission.

In the case of glue-based anti-theft devices, the rightful owner of the banknotes must meet the following conditions for submission.

1. The banknotes must originate from an ATM or a (combined) cash-in/cash-out machine or have been glued together following activation in transit to such a machine.
2. The submitting institutions must provide the following pieces of documentation together with the banknotes.

a. Machine details (location of the machine, machine’s in-house designation/identifier).

b. The date on which the system was activated and the type of activation (attempted crime, inadvertent activation, technical defect). In the case of (attempted) crime, confirmation from the respective police unit must be submitted.

c. The number of cassettes and the number of banknotes per denomination for each identifiable cassette that was in the machine at the time the system was activated, with such data verifiably originating from the credit institution’s systems.

d. Quantity of glue used according to manufacturer specifications.

e. Material safety data sheet for the glue used (in German).

f. Confirmation by the institution that all the glued banknotes were sourced from the Bundesbank immediately before being loaded into the machine or that they were checked in accordance with banknote recycling rules and are genuine.

The Bundesbank reserves the right – in individual cases – to request further evidence to clarify matters, especially where the details provided seem implausible or where there are clear discrepancies.

The Bundesbank reimburses or replaces euro coins that have become unfit for circulation due to long circulation or accident.

The Bundesbank does not reimburse euro coins that have been altered either deliberately or by a process that could reasonably be expected to have the effect of so altering them. All euro coins that are deemed unfit are taken out of circulation.

Furthermore, euro coins that have been counterfeited or that have already been exchanged and devalued by a Bundesbank branch or another ESCB central bank cannot be replaced.

The Bundesbank will not exchange DM coins for legal tender if they have been counterfeited, contain holes or have been altered in any way other than through normal use.

In accordance with Article 10(1) of EU Regulation (EU) No 1210/2010, damaged coins should be submitted sorted by denomination. They should not contain any loose foreign objects (e.g. sand or dirt). 

If you are submitting a particularly large quantity of coins, they should be packaged in standardised safe bags and accompanied by a list with an overview of the safe bags submitted.

Submissions of coins which have been treated with chemical or other hazardous substances must be accompanied by a written declaration specifying the substances which have been used.

If these requirements are not met, we may refuse to accept or process the coins.

Coins that are not eligible for reimbursement are removed from circulation. The exception is DM coins and euro commemorative coins that are not eligible for reimbursement, provided they are reclaimed within a given time limit (see notice of reimbursement).

A processing fee for replacing coins is not charged at present.