People who have old banknotes and no longer want them have this option available.
If you have old banknotes, the ones made of cotton, and no longer want them, here’s where you can take them and exchange them.
The Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) is one of the entities authorized by the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) to receive and exchange national banknotes that have gone out of circulation.
Cotton-based banknotes in the denominations of ¢5, ¢10, ¢20, ¢50, ¢100, ¢500, ¢1,000, ¢2,000, ¢5,000, ¢10,000, ¢20,000, and ¢50,000 from previous series lose their value as a means of payment but not their monetary value. This means they can be exchanged at face value. For example, if someone brings in a ¢100 bill, they will receive a ¢100 coin in return.
The exchange of banknotes can be done Monday to Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., at the following branches: BCR Central Offices, Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, Nicoya, Cañas, San Isidro de El General, Ciudad Neilly, Limón, and Ciudad Quesada.
Interested individuals must present a valid and well-preserved ID and bring the banknotes sorted by denomination. The maximum amount that can be exchanged per person is ¢500,000.
What About Coins?
Coins can also be exchanged. However, suppose you have more than 10 coins. In that case, they must be sorted by denomination and placed in a transparent plastic bag containing a document that specifies the number of coins and the total amount to be exchanged.
Coins can be exchanged at the same branches mentioned above.
What About U.S. Dollars?
Recently, the Central Bank issued a document titled "Rules for the Acceptance of U.S. Dollar Banknotes" to standardize the manual and automated classification of these banknotes within the national financial system.
The document only addresses the rules for acceptance of the bills. It does not define aspects related to their authenticity, which the corresponding bank determines.
U.S. dollar bills issued after 1990 will not be accepted if:
The dirt is evenly distributed across the entire surface of the bill.
There is one or more stains larger than 3 cm².
More than 30% of the bill is covered in graphite markings.
The bill has tears larger than 0.5 cm.
Only banknotes with a single tear repaired with transparent adhesive tape will be accepted.
The following banknotes will not be accepted:
Those with holes larger than 0.5 cm².
Mutilated bills, regardless of the size of the damage.
Repaired bills, especially those with security ink stains.
U.S. banknotes issued before 1990 that are in poor condition will be conditionally accepted, depending on the criteria set by the designated receiving bank in the United States.
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