Euro Currency in Netherlands | ExpatINFO Holland

The Netherlands is a member of the Eurozone which uses the shared Euro currency for financial transactions. Below are details about Euro coins and Euro bills, the denominations and identifying features to help avoid counterfeiting…

EURO COINS

€.01, €.02, €.05, €.10, €.20, €.50, €1.00, €2.00

EURO BILLS

€5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500

EURO COINAGE DESIGN & DETAILS

All Euro coins have the same front design based on its denomination. The back of each coin features the design of the country the coin was minted in. There have been two coin designs in the Netherlands; the first featured a profile likeness of Queen Beatrix and the current design features a 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 which can be read by machines.

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 by stopping production of the 1 and 2 Euro Cent coins. [NOTE: the rounding of in-store transactions to the nearest €.05 only applies to cash purchases and PIN card purchases]

EURO BILLS DESIGN & DETAILS

All Euro banknotes have a uniform front design and back design based on denomination (unlike Euro coins which can have different back designs for the same currency)

Euro banknotes vary in size based on value, with the smallest being the €5 bill and the largest the €500 bill.

Each denomination banknote has a different primary color: €5 = grey, €10 = red, €20 = blue, €50 = orange, €100 = green, €200 = yellow, €500 = purple

The original bill designs that have been used ever since the Euro currency was introduced in 2002 are being replaced. The newly designed bills incorporate more advanced anti-counterfeiting security features. The roll out is by denomination, €5 bill in 2013, €10 bill in 2014, €20 bill in 2015, €50 bill in 2017, €100 bill in 2019, €200 bill intro date not announced yet. The €500 banknote is being phased out so a new design will not be introduced. The current €200 and €500 bills are not widely circulated nor accepted by businesses in the Netherlands.

The newly designed ‘Europa series’ banknotes include lots of identifying features 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 which the European Central Bank keep private.