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Where Can I Change Notes to Coins

Exchange Old or Damaged Money

Notice I New appointment service for exchanging money at the Central Bank

You must now book an appointment to exchange banknotes or coins in-person at the Central Bank's public office.  This is in keeping with public health guidelines due to COVID-19.

Find out how to book an appointment below.

You can apply to the Central Bank of Ireland to exchange old or damaged money. Through this service, you can exchange:

  • IR£ pounds: Old or damaged Irish banknotes and coins
  • € euro: Damaged euro banknotes and coins

You cannot exchange:

  • Foreign currency, e.g. to convert euro to or from another currency
  • Forged or counterfeit money. Read more about applications we may refuse below.

If your application is successful, we will reimburse you by transferring funds into a bank account of your choice. We cannot reimburse you in cash.

How to apply

Follow the steps below to prepare your application..

Step 1. Prepare your notes and coins

IR£ pounds: Old or damaged banknotes and coins

You can exchange old IR£ pound banknotes and coins into euro.

The exchange rate is IR£1 = €1.269738.

You can also exchange damaged old Irish IR£ pounds. Examples of damaged banknotes include those that are partially burnt, cut or decomposed.

Read how to prepare and package your money below, including some special conditions.

€ euro: Damaged banknotes and coins

You can make an application for damaged euro banknotes and coins to be replaced. The Central Bank will consider your application under its procedures which are governed by the Decision of the European Central Bank of 19 April 2013 on the denominations, specifications, reproduction, exchange and withdrawal of euro banknotes (ECB/2013/10).

Read how to prepare and package your money below, including some special conditions.

Step 2. Download and complete the application form(s)

There are separate forms for € euro and IR£ pound banknotes and coins.

€ euro

Exchange damaged € euro banknotes | pdf 815 KB Exchange damaged € euro coins | pdf 890 KB

IR£ pounds

Exchange old or damaged IR£ banknotes | pdf 831 KB Exchange old or damaged IR£ coins | pdf 897 KB

Step 3. Prepare supporting documents

For a personal application worth over €200

If the value of exchange is worth over €200, you must include a high-quality photocopy of an official identity document which reflects the name on the bank account details you provide with your application form. This may include your:

  • Passport
  • Driver's licence

The photocopy must clearly show your full name and photograph. You are also required to provide proof of address and proof of ownership of the bank account into which the funds will be exchanged (e.g. a redacted bank statement).

In the event you are submitting in excess of €1,000, you must also provide reliable and independent data, documents and/or information to evidence the source of funds and/or proof of your ownership of the banknotes. This may include:

  • Documents evidencing payments made to you
  • Bank account statements/bank withdrawal receipts
  • Receipts of sale
  • Legal documents, etc.).

For a business application worth over €200

Include the following information with your application:

  • CRO (Companies Registration Office) number
  • High-quality photocopy of a redacted bank statement for the company bank account included on your application form

Step 4. Check other application conditions

You may also have to meet other conditions to apply for an exchange. This includes circumstances where your notes or coins:

  • Are contaminated, e.g. with blood or chemicals
  • Need extra testing
  • Need special handling due to the nature of the damage or contamination
  • Weigh over 10KG (a maximum limit of 10KG applies to coin lodgements).

Read the full application conditions below.

Step 5. Submit your application

There are three options when submitting your application to the Central Bank:

Option 1: Via a Retail Bank Branch

In some cases, you may be able to apply to exchange old or damaged money via your bank branch. You must complete the appropriate Central Bank exchange form at a retail bank branch, and they may submit the application directly to the Central Bank on your behalf. Contact your bank directly to ask about this option.

Option 2: Registered Post

Applicants within Ireland may complete the appropriate form and send it by Registered Post directly to the Central Bank address listed on the form.

Please see the An Post website for further information on sending restricted items by post. Applications submitted to the Central Bank by post are at the sender's risk.

Option 3: At the Central Bank's Public Office [By appointment]

Due to COVID-19 and in keeping with public health and government guidelines, public access to our offices and teller services in North Wall Quay, Dublin 1 is currently limited and by appointment only.

How to make an appointment at the Central Bank of Ireland for submissions of exchange of Irish Pound (IEP) and damaged euro banknotes.

Special conditions related to COVID-19: The above referenced service will be available only up to and including COVID-19 Level 4 of the Government's Living with COVID-19 plan and the Central Bank's premises will remain closed for all visitors at Level 5.

Three appointments slots are available to book at 13:00, 13:30 and 14:00 Monday to Friday.

To inquire about the availability of a date and time for an appointment, please email currencyservices@centralbank.ie or telephone +353 (1) 224 5969.

Upon arrival at the Central Bank of Ireland for your appointment

For health and safety measures, upon arrival at the Central Bank of Ireland, you will be directed by Security to take your temperature. If you fail once, you must leave the building and return in 10 minutes to retake it. If you fail a second time, unfortunately your appointment for that date and time will not proceed. Instead, for the health and safety of staff and other members of the public possibly attending the service, you will need to leave the building and make a new appointment for a later date. The Security or reception staff will inform the Tellers Office that you had to leave.

If you pass the temperature check, please proceed to the Tellers Office in the reception area at the time of your appointment.

Visitors to the building are required to wear face coverings at all times during the visit.

For walk-in appointments

Two walk- in slots will be available at 14:30 and 15:00, for members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis. (Please note: Should no bookings be made for the earlier part of the afternoon, these slots will be available for members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis.)

To ensure you are seen and to avoid disappointment, we strongly advise that you make an appointment – as outlined in the steps above.  If you attend for the walk-in service, there is no guarantee that you will be able to access the service if demand is high. You may be asked to return on another day, if there are no available slots.

Once you have made an appointment to attend onsite, or if you are considering attending the walk-in service, a number of forms are required to be completed for submission to the Tellers Office.

Step 6. After you apply

When we receive your application, we will check that you have included the:

  1. Completed application form(s)
  2. Money to be exchanged, i.e. notes and/or coins
  3. Supporting documents (if required)

We will also check other conditions where relevant, e.g. weight, contamination, etc.

We will then process your application. This may involve sending the notes or coins for testing and engaging with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Siochana and other competent authorities.

Full exchange

Applications will be considered and determined in accordance with the Central Bank's procedures which are governed by the Decision of the European Central Bank of 19 April 2013 on the denominations, specifications, reproduction, exchange and withdrawal of euro banknotes (ECB/2013/10). The Central Bank will endeavour to determine applications within a reasonable period.   Higher value submissions will be subject to additional scrutiny and where engagement with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Síochána and/or other competent authorities is considered to be necessary, the timeframe within which a decision is made will be longer.

If your application is refused

If your application does not meet all the application conditions and has been refused, we will send you a letter to inform you of our decision and explain the reasons why. For example, this may happen if you submit less than half of a euro banknote for exchange and do not provide evidence that the missing parts have been destroyed.

In the event you are not satisfied with the outcome of your application, or the manner in which the organisation has dealt with you, you may wish to lodge a complaint with us.

Read the conditions for refusal below.

Regulations and Conditions

€ Euro and IR£ Pound

€ Euro Only

How we use your information

Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection laws. Personal data will be processed in accordance with data protection legislation.  Any queries concerning the processing of personal data by the Central Bank of Ireland may be directed to dataprotection@centralbank.ie. You can find out more about how the Central Bank of Ireland deals with your personal data on our privacy page.

Contact and help

If you have any queries about this service, please contact us.

Where Can I Change Notes to Coins

Source: http://www.centralbank.ie/consumer-hub/notes-and-coins/exchange-of-notes-and-coins