Instructions from the Central Bank of BiH on the exchange of banknotes withdrawn from circulation

(Patria) - The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) reminds citizens of the deadlines and conditions for exchanging banknotes in denominations of 10 KM, 20 KM, 50 KM, and 100 KM, issued in the period 1998–2009, which will be withdrawn from circulation on December 31, 2024.

The exchange is carried out at commercial banks in BiH until December 31 of this year, and since the branches of these banks are widely available, the Central Bank invites citizens and legal entities to complete the exchange by the end of this year.

From January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2035, the exchange will be carried out by the Central Bank of BiH, in accordance with the Decision on the procedure for the exchange of out-of-circulation KM banknotes (Official Gazette of BiH 73/25), it was announced from the Central Bank of BiH.

The exchange will be carried out every working day from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at two locations: Sarajevo, Maršala Tita 25 – Treasury Department of the Central Office; Banja Luka, Vidovdanska 19 – Department for Treasury Operations of the Main Bank of Republika Srpska CBBH.

The applicant for the exchange can be any natural or legal person who possesses out-of-circulation KM banknotes.

The Central Bank exchanges banknotes in denominations of 10 KM, 20 KM, 50 KM, and 100 KM, which are whole, authentic, and without signs of damage or discoloration.

Depending on the value of the banknotes for exchange, in a single transaction or multiple exchanges, the following procedure will be followed:

- For amounts less than 5,000 KM, the applicant is obliged to prove their identity, which is done by presenting an official identification document;
- For amounts of 5,000 KM or more, the applicant is obliged to submit an "Application for the exchange of out-of-circulation KM banknotes" (Form 1-Z) along with the banknotes, which will be available on the Central Bank's website or at the location where the exchange will take place;

For amounts of 20,000 KM or more, in addition to the form, an advance notification of arrival at least 48 hours in advance is mandatory via e-mail addresses:

[email protected] (for exchange in Sarajevo)
[email protected] (for exchange in Banja Luka).

In the process of exchanging out-of-circulation banknotes, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina collects data from the applicant in accordance with the Decision on the procedure for the exchange of out-of-circulation KM banknotes.

The exchange is generally carried out on the same day in one appointment, except for amounts of 20,000 KM or more and/or for the purpose of determining the fulfillment of conditions for the exchange of out-of-circulation KM banknotes. In such cases, the Central Bank determines the fulfillment of conditions for the exchange of out-of-circulation KM banknotes within 60 days from the date of receipt and retention of the banknotes.

The Central Bank will exchange out-of-circulation KM banknotes only if the following conditions are cumulatively met:

- authenticity check confirms that the out-of-circulation KM banknotes are authentic;
- it is determined that the applicant has provided all complete data and made the claims about the origin of the cash plausible.

After the exchange is completed, the applicant is issued a Confirmation of Payment, which serves as proof of the completed exchange of out-of-circulation banknotes and cannot be used as proof of the origin of the money.

Information on KM banknotes withdrawn from circulation is available on the website of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For additional inquiries, you can contact us via e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at +387 33 278 265 and +387 33 278 212.