Number of fake notes and coins increased in 2025, with imitations predominating

The Czech National Bank seized a total of 9,036 fake banknotes and coins in 2025, almost 55% more than in 2024. The largest share of the total consisted of imitations of various currencies, 7,354 of which were recorded. In addition, 429 counterfeit Czech banknotes and 208 counterfeit Czech coins were seized, along with 911 counterfeit foreign banknotes and 98 coins. There were 34 altered Czech notes and coins and 2 altered foreign ones.

In 2025, the CNB identified 429 Czech banknotes worth almost CZK 568,000 as counterfeit. Most were of low technical quality, imitating only some of the security features. “If people pay sufficient attention to the security features of Czech banknotes, they should be able to recognise a counterfeit,” said CNB Bank Board member Karina Kubelková.

The security features of Czech banknotes can be checked in three basic steps. “When you hold a banknote in your hands, you can feel the raised intaglio print on part of the portrait and on the numeral of the denomination. Other security features become visible when the banknote is held up to the light,” noted Karina Kubelková. These include the watermark, the windowed security thread and the front-to-back register. “Finally, when the banknote is tilted, you can observe optically variable elements, such as the latent image and, on higher-denomination banknotes, the variable colour elements and the iridescent stripe,” she added.

The most frequently counterfeited notes were two-thousand-koruna notes (102) and one-thousand-koruna notes (100). These were followed by five-hundred-koruna notes (74), one-hundred-koruna notes (60), two-hundred-koruna notes (51) and five-thousand-koruna notes (42). Most counterfeit banknotes were seized by the police, followed by banks, the CNB and cash handlers.

In addition to counterfeit Czech banknotes, 208 counterfeit twenty-koruna coins with a total value of CZK 4,160 were also seized in 2025. Their number more than halved year on year. Counterfeit twenty-koruna coins are characterised by relatively high-quality minting, which deteriorates from the centre towards the edges. A counterfeit can be distinguished from the original, for example, by a visible groove between the raised rim and the field of the coin.

As well as counterfeits, 16 altered Czech banknotes and 18 altered coins were also seized in 2025. These are genuine banknotes and coins that have been modified to show a higher numerical or written value. All of them were of very poor quality.

A total of 1,011 counterfeit and altered foreign banknotes and coins were also seized in the Czech Republic last year, most commonly euros and US dollars. Foreign currency counterfeits were mostly rated at grades 2 and 3 on the security scale.

Imitations of banknotes and coins of various currencies accounted for the largest share of the total. In all, 7,354 imitations – 7,337 banknotes and 17 coins – were seized in 2025.

Find out more about Czech banknotes, coins and their security features at the CNB Visitor Centre exhibitions in Prague and Brno. Entry is free of charge. Information is also available on the CNB website (Banknotes and coins).

Petra Vlčková
CNB spokesperson

Table – Fake banknotes and coins