Legalize2013/211/EU: Decision of the European Central Bank of 19 April 2013 on the denominations, specifications, reproduction, exchange and withdrawal of euro banknotes (recast) (ECB/2013/10)
Article 1
Denominations and specifications
Euro banknotes of the first series shall include seven denominations of euro banknotes in the range of 5 euro to 500 euro. Euro banknotes of the second series shall include six denominations in the range of 5 to 200 euro. Euro banknotes shall depict the theme ‘Ages and styles of Europe’ with the following basic specifications.
| Face value (EUR) | Dimensions (first series) | Dimensions (second series) | Dominant colour | Design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 120 × 62 mm | 120 × 62 mm | Grey | Classical |
| 10 | 127 × 67 mm | 127 × 67 mm | Red | Romanesque |
| 20 | 133 × 72 mm | 133 × 72 mm | Blue | Gothic |
| 50 | 140 × 77 mm | 140 × 77 mm | Orange | Renaissance |
| 100 | 147 × 82 mm | 147 × 77 mm | Green | Baroque and rococo |
| 200 | 153 × 82 mm | 153 × 77 mm | Yellow-brown | Iron and glass architecture |
| 500 | 160 × 82 mm | Not to be included in the second series | Purple | Modern 20th century architecture |
The seven denominations in the euro banknote series shall bear the representation of gateways and windows on the front side (recto) and bridges on the reverse side (verso). All seven denominations shall be typical of the different European artistic periods referred to above. Other elements of the designs shall include:
- (a) the symbol of the European Union;
- (b) the name of the currency in the Roman and Greek alphabets and, additionally, for the second series of euro banknotes, the name of the currency in the Cyrillic alphabet;
- (c) the initials of the ECB in the European Union's official language variants:
- (i) for the first series of euro banknotes, the initials of the ECB shall be limited to the following five official language variants: BCE, ECB, EZB, EKT and EKP;
- (ii) for the second series of euro banknotes: (1) for the denominations of euro 5, euro 10, and euro 20, the initials of the ECB shall be limited to the following nine official language variants: BCE, ECB, ЕЦБ, EZB, EKP, EKT, EKB, BĊE and EBC; (2) for the denominations of euro 50, euro 100, and euro 200, the initials of the ECB shall be limited to the following ten official language variants: BCE, ECB, ЕЦБ, EZB, EKP, EKT, ESB, EKB, BĊE and EBC;
- (d) the © symbol which indicates that the copyright belongs to the ECB; and
- (e) the signature of the President of the ECB.
Article 2
Reproduction rules for euro banknotes
‘Reproduction’ shall mean any tangible or intangible image that uses all or part of a euro banknote as specified in Article 1, or parts of its individual design elements such as, inter alia, colour, dimensions and use of letters or symbols, which image may resemble or give the general impression of a genuine euro banknote, irrespective of:
- (a) the size of the image; or
- (b) the material(s) or technique(s) used to produce it; or
- (c) whether or not elements of the design of the euro banknote, such as the letters or symbols, have been altered or added to.
Unless the ECB or an NCB agrees to an exemption as set out in paragraph 5, reproductions which do not comply with the criteria set out in paragraph 3 shall be deemed unlawful and their production, possession, transportation, dissemination, selling, promotion, import into the Union and use or attempted use for transactions prohibited.
Reproductions complying with the following criteria shall be deemed lawful, since there is no risk that the general public might mistake them for genuine euro banknotes:
- (a) one-sided reproductions of a euro banknote as specified in Article 1, provided that the size of the reproduction is equal to or greater than 125 % of both the length and width, or equal to or less than 75 % of both the length and the width of the respective euro banknote as specified in Article 1; or
- (b) two-sided reproductions of a euro banknote as specified in Article 1, provided that the size of the reproduction is equal to or greater than 200 % of both the length and width or equal to or less than 50 % of both the length and width of the respective euro banknote as specified in Article 1; or
- (c) reproductions of individual design elements of a euro banknote as specified in Article 1, provided that such a design element is not depicted on a background resembling a banknote; or
- (d) one-sided reproductions depicting a part of the front side or reverse side of a euro banknote, provided that such a part is smaller than one third of the original front side or reverse side of the euro banknote as specified in Article 1; or
- (e) reproductions made of a material clearly different from paper, which looks and feels distinctly different from the material used for banknotes; or
- (f) intangible reproductions made available electronically on websites, by wire or wireless means or by any other means that allow members of the public to access these intangible reproductions from a place and at a time individually chosen by them, provided that:
- — the word SPECIMEN (sample) (or its equivalent in another official language of the European Union) is incorporated diagonally across the reproduction in Arial font or a font similar to Arial font,
- — the resolution of the electronic reproduction in its 100 % size does not exceed 72 dots per inch (dpi),
- — the length of the word SPECIMEN (or its equivalent in another official language of the European Union) is at least 75 % of the length of the reproduction,
- — the height of the word SPECIMEN (or its equivalent in another official language of the European Union) is at least 15 % of the width of the reproduction, and
- — the word SPECIMEN (or its equivalent in another official language of the European Union) is displayed in a non-transparent (opaque) colour contrasting with the dominant colour of the respective euro banknote as specified in Article 1.
Exceptionally the ECB or the relevant NCB, as applicable, may, upon receiving a written request, consent to exempt a reproduction that does not comply with the criteria of paragraph 3 from the prohibition set out in paragraph 2, if the ECB or the relevant NCB considers that the reproduction cannot be mistaken by the general public for a genuine euro banknote as specified in Article 1. Where a reproduction is produced in the territory of only one Member State whose currency is the euro, such requests for an exemption shall be addressed to the NCB of that Member State. In all other cases, such requests shall be addressed to the ECB.
Reproduction rules for euro banknotes also apply to euro banknotes that have been withdrawn or have lost their legal tender status under this Decision.
Article 3
Exchange of damaged genuine euro banknotes
NCBs shall, upon request, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 and in the relevant decision of the Governing Council referred to in Article 6, exchange damaged genuine euro banknotes where:
- (a) more than 50 % of the euro banknote is presented; or
- (b) 50 % or less of the euro banknote is presented, if the applicant proves that the missing parts have been destroyed.
Further to paragraph 1, the following additional conditions apply to the exchange of damaged genuine euro banknotes:
- (a) where doubt exists as to the applicant’s legal title to the euro banknotes: identification shall be provided by the applicant, as well as proof that the applicant is the owner or otherwise authorised applicant;
- (b) where doubt exists as to the authenticity of the euro banknotes: identification shall be provided by the applicant;
- (c) where ink-stained, contaminated or impregnated genuine euro banknotes are presented: a written explanation as to the kind of stain, contamination or impregnation shall be provided by the applicant;
- (d) where the genuine euro banknotes have been damaged by anti-theft devices: a written statement on the cause of neutralisation shall be provided by the applicant;
- (e) where the genuine euro banknotes have been damaged by anti-theft devices in connection with an attempted or actual robbery, theft, or other criminal activity: the banknotes shall be exchanged only at the request of the owner or otherwise authorised applicant who is the victim of the attempted or actual criminal activity leading to the damage to the banknotes;
- (f) where the genuine euro banknotes have been damaged by anti-theft devices and they are presented by institutions and economic agents referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001: a written statement on the cause of neutralisation, the reference and characteristics of the anti-theft device, details of the party presenting the damaged banknotes and the date of presentation thereof shall be provided by those institutions and economic agents;
- (g) where the genuine euro banknotes have been damaged in bulk due to the activation of anti-theft devices: to the extent possible and if required by NCBs, they shall be presented in sets of 100 euro banknotes, provided that the amount of euro banknotes presented is sufficient to form such sets;
- (h) where institutions and economic agents referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 present for exchange, in one or more transactions, damaged genuine euro banknotes with a value of at least EUR 10 000 , documentation on the origin of the banknotes and identification of the customer or, where applicable, of the beneficial owner as defined in Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council ([^E0001]), shall be provided by those institutions and economic agents. This obligation shall also apply in the event of doubt regarding whether the threshold value of EUR 10 000 has been reached. The rules laid down in this paragraph shall be without prejudice to any stricter identification and reporting requirements adopted by Member States in transposing Directive (EU) 2015/849.
Notwithstanding the above:
- (a) where NCBs know or have sufficient reason to believe that the genuine euro banknotes have been intentionally damaged, they shall refuse to exchange and shall withhold the euro banknotes, in order to avoid the return of such euro banknotes into circulation or to prevent the applicant from presenting them to another NCB for exchange. However, they will exchange the damaged genuine euro banknotes if they either know or have sufficient reason to believe that applicants are bona fide, or if applicants can prove that they are bona fide. Euro banknotes which are damaged to a minor degree, e.g. by having annotations, numbers or brief sentences placed on them, will in principle not be considered to be intentionally damaged euro banknotes; and
- (b) where NCBs know or have sufficient reason to believe that a criminal offence has been committed they shall refuse to exchange the damaged genuine euro banknotes and shall withhold them, against acknowledgement of receipt, as evidence to be presented to the competent authorities to initiate or to support an ongoing criminal investigation. Unless otherwise decided by the competent authorities, the genuine euro banknotes shall at the end of the investigation qualify for exchange under the conditions laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2;
- (c) where NCBs know or have sufficient reason to believe that the damaged genuine euro banknotes are contaminated such that they pose a risk to health and safety, they shall exchange the damaged genuine euro banknotes, if the applicant can provide a health and safety assessment by the competent authorities.
NCBs may perform the exchange by handing out cash in the value of the banknotes in any denomination, by transferring the value of the banknotes to a bank account of the applicant that can be unambiguously identified by an international payment account number identifier (IBAN) as defined in Article 2(15) of Regulation (EU) No 260/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council ([^E0002]), or by crediting the value of the banknotes to an account of the applicant with the NCB, as deemed appropriate by the NCB.
Article 4
Establishment of a fee for the exchange of genuine euro banknotes damaged by anti-theft devices
NCBs shall charge institutions and economic agents referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 a fee when they request NCBs, in accordance with Article 3, to exchange genuine euro banknotes that have been damaged by anti-theft devices. This fee shall also apply regardless of whether the NCB executes the exchange in cash or by transferring or crediting the value of the banknotes to an account.
The fee shall amount to 10 euro cent per damaged euro banknote.
The fee shall only be charged if at least 100 damaged euro banknotes are exchanged. The fee shall be charged for all exchanged euro banknotes.
No fee shall be charged where euro banknotes have been damaged in connection with an attempted or actual robbery, theft or other criminal activity.
Article 5
Crediting of value of genuine euro banknotes accidentally damaged by anti-theft devices and presented for exchange
NCBs shall credit the institutions and economic agents referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 which hold an account at the relevant NCB the value of genuine euro banknotes that have been accidentally damaged by anti-theft devices on the day of receipt of those banknotes, provided that:
- (a) the euro banknotes have not been damaged in connection with an actual robbery, theft or other criminal activity;
- (b) the NCB can immediately verify that the requested amount corresponds at least roughly to the value of the banknotes presented; and
- (c) all other information required by the NCB is submitted.
Any difference revealed after processing between the value of the accidentally damaged genuine euro banknotes presented for exchange and the amount credited prior to processing shall be debited or credited, as the case may be, to the presenting institution or economic agent.
The fees mentioned in Article 4 will be calculated on the basis of the effective number of the accidentally damaged genuine euro banknotes processed by the NCB.
Article 6
Withdrawal of euro banknotes
The withdrawal of a euro banknote type or series shall be regulated by a decision of the Governing Council published for general information in the Official Journal of the European Union and other media. This decision shall cover, as a minimum, the following points:
- — the euro banknote type or series to be withdrawn from circulation, and
- — the duration of the exchange period, and
- — the date on which the euro banknote type or series will lose its legal tender status, and
- — the treatment of the euro banknotes presented once the withdrawal period is over and/or they have lost their legal tender status.
Article 7
Entry into force and repeal
Decision ECB/2003/4 is hereby repealed.
References to Decision ECB/2003/4 shall be construed as references to this Decision.
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
ANNEX
CORRELATION TABLE
| Decision ECB/2003/4 | This Decision |
|---|---|
| Article 1 | Article 1 |
| Article 2 | Article 2 |
| Article 3 | Article 3 |
| Article 4 | Article 4 |
| Article 5 | Article 6 |
| Article 6 | Article 7 |
[^E0001]: Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directive 2006/70/EC (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73).
[^E0002]: Regulation (EU) No 260/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 establishing technical and business requirements for credit transfers and direct debits in euro and amending Regulation (EC) No 924/2009 (OJ L 94, 30.3.2012, p. 22).
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