Exchange Old or Damaged Money

Please note that the Central Bank of Ireland does not exchange any foreign currency, including sterling. Please visit the Bank of England website for more information on how to exchange sterling.

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.

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:

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 coins | pdf 890 KB Exchange damaged € euro banknotes | pdf 444 KB

IR£ pounds

Exchange of IR£ banknotes | pdf 155 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]

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. 

Five appointments slots are available to book at 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30 and 15:00 Monday to Friday.

To inquire about the availability of a date and time for an appointment, please email [email protected] or telephone +353 (1) 224 5969.

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. 

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 data[email protected]. 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 at [email protected].