Euro Currency in Netherlands
Expats should be aware that Euro is utilized as currency in Netherlands. The country is a member of the Eurozone, a group of 20 European Union states that share a common financial system. Here you can find details about Euro coins and Euro bills, their denominations and the built-in identifying features to help avoid counterfeiting…
EURO COINS
€.01, €.02, €.05, €.10, €.20, €.50, €1, €2
EURO BILLS
€5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500
EURO COINAGE DESIGN & DETAILS
All Euro coins have the same front design based on their denomination. The design on the back of each coin varies depending on the country the coin was minted in. There have been two coin designs (excluding special edition coins) in the Netherlands; the first featured the likeness of Queen Beatrix while the current design features the likeness of King Willem-Alexander.
Euro coinage is divided into 3 groups:
- Low Value (€.01, €.02, €.05) coins are made of copper-coated steel and vary in size from smallest to largest based on the value.
- Medium Value (€.10, €.20, €.50) coins are made of Nordic gold and also vary in size from smallest to largest based on value. The edge of the 10 and 50 Euro Cent coins are ridged, while the edge of a 20 Euro Cent coin is notched.
- High Value (€1 and €2) coins are two-toned (nickel-brass and copper-nickel) with the €1 coin being smaller than the €2 coin. The edge of the €1 coin is alternating ridged and smooth while the edge of the €2 coin is embossed with lettering. Both coins have security features built in.
In 2004 the Netherlands enacted legislation making it legal for retailers to round cash purchases to the nearest €.05. This minimized in-store handling of insignificant value coins and was a cost savings for the government which stopped minting the 1 and 2 Euro Cent coins.
Read more about Euro coins.
EURO BILLS DESIGN & DETAILS
All Euro banknotes have uniform front and back designs based on the denomination (unlike Euro coins which can have country-specific back side designs).
Like Euro coins, Euro banknotes vary in size based on value, with the smallest being the €5 bill and the largest the €500 bill.
Each denomination of Euro bill utilizes one specific primary color: €5 = grey, €10 = red, €20 = blue, €50 = orange, €100 = green, €200 = yellow, €500 = purple
Europa Series
During the 2010’s, the original Euro bills in circulation were updated with sophisticated anti-counterfeiting features. The new bills are referred to as the ‘Europa‘ series and were introduced over a six-year period by denomination: the €5 bill in 2013, followed by the €10 bill in 2014, the €20 bill in 2015, the €50 bill in 2017 and the €200* bill in 2019.
The original €500 banknote was not updated and instead has been phased out as it was not widely used.
*It should be noted that €200 bills are not widely circulated in the Netherlands and are not accepted by most Dutch businesses.
The ‘Europa series’ banknotes include many high-tech identifying elements which make counterfeiting difficult. These include: security thread within the material, magnetic ink, digital watermarks, infrared and ultraviolet watermarks, serial numbers which incorporate checksum technology and others features which the European Central Bank keeps private.
Future Euro Bills
The European Central Bank is already at work formulating the next bills to replace the ‘Europa’ series. The public has been asked for its input on the forthcoming designs, which have now been narrowed down to two: “European culture: shared cultural spaces” and “Rivers and birds: resilience in diversity”.
Read more about the future Euro bill theme design.
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