Euro banknotes and coins

The production and circulation of euro coins is not among the duties of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). The Dutch versions of the euro coins are minted by the Royal Dutch Mint (Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt) on behalf of the Ministry of Finance. The distribution of coins is in the hands of the banks and private cash-in-transit companies. DNB does hold an emergency depot to cope with temporary ups and downs in the demand for coins.

The euro banknotes and coins were introduced on 1 January 2002 in the following twelve Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Meanwhile the euro has been introduced in Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta and Cyprus as well. The euro has also been adopted as legal tender by the tiny states of Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.

When receiving a cash payment, retailers may round the payable amount to the nearest multiple of 5 eurocents. This optional practice must be clearly announced, however, by a sticker on the shop front and another one at the checkout point. Rounding has made paying easier and reduced the overall cost of the cash payment system. The rounding rule does not apply to debit card and other noncash payments.

Former currencies of euro countries such as the Spanish peseta of the German mark (legacy currencies) can no longer be exchanged in the Netherlands. Usually, however, you may exchange them at the central bank of the country of issue. For more information, contact the central bank of the respective country. In some cases, GWK Travelex will exchange legacy euro country currencies.