Exchange of damaged and withdrawn banknotes and coins

• Bohemia Regional Division – Prague office
• Cash Circulation and Payment Media Protection Division – Operations Unit (only for exchanges where damaged and withdrawn money is sent by post to this address: Na Příkopě 864/28, 115 03 Praha 1)
• Bohemia Regional Division – Hradec Králové office
• Moravia Regional Division – Brno office
• Moravia Regional Division – Ostrava office

• Exchanges are carried out by CNB offices, for which a link to the website is provided.
• When exchanging cash exceeding EUR 1,000 (according to the current CNB exchange rate), applicants must present a valid identity document in accordance with Section 7 of Act No. 253/2008 Coll., on Certain Measures against the Legalisation of Proceeds from Crime and the Financing of Terrorism (the “AML Act”).
• For amounts of EUR 15,000 or more, applicants must prove the source of the banknotes and coins in accordance with Section 9 of the AML Act.
• Payment is made in cash or direct to the account specified by the applicant.

The CNB reserves the right to request additional documents to prove the source of the funds.

If the applicant cannot visit a CNB office in person, they can send the damaged and withdrawn banknotes and coins by post to one of the offices listed above.

Conditions for exchanging by post

• Banknotes and coins should be carefully packaged (we recommend placing them in a separate sealed envelope). To minimise the risk of loss of the shipment during transport, we recommend sending the cash as an insured parcel/letter.
• For amounts up to and including EUR 1,000, the CNB accepts, in addition to the exchange application form, applications in the form of a letter, provided that it includes contact details – in particular a telephone number, a contact address and/or an e-mail address.
• For amounts over EUR 1,000, it is necessary to enclose a completed exchange application form and a photocopy of a valid identity document.

The exchange application should be completed in full and correctly. Incomplete exchange applications will not be processed. In such case, the applicant will be asked to provide the missing information.

How amounts are paid for damaged and withdrawn money

• In the case of amounts up to and including EUR 1,000, the CNB may send the corresponding amount in valid banknotes and coins back by insured parcel/letter to the address specified in the exchange application.
• Amounts exceeding EUR 1,000 are only sent by bank transfer to the bank account specified in the exchange application. This account does not have to be in the applicant’s name, but the exchange application should explicitly state the name of the account holder to whom the amount is to be transferred.

• The CNB reserves the right to refuse the exchange or to request additional information about the applicant or the banknotes and coins.
• Applications with incomplete data will not be processed.
• We recommend that you keep a photocopy of the completed exchange application and the submitted documents for your own records.
• The CNB is not responsible for the loss of the shipment during transport.
• Applications for the exchange of banknotes and coins are usually processed within 30 days after receipt of the complete documentation; if additional data is required, the period may be extended.
• The CNB reserves the right to deduct a fee for the exchange of damaged banknotes or coins from the amount of compensation paid/sent. The fee will be based on the relevant item(s) of the CNB price list.

Client/applicant identification and vetting is governed by the AML Act, in particular Sections 7 and 9.

Information on the processing of personal data by the Czech National Bank is available on the Czech National Bank’s website https://www.cnb.cz/en/privacy-statement-and-disclaimer/information-about-the-processing-of-personal-data/