Counterfeit banknotes

Counterfeit banknote detectors range from magnifying glasses to UV lamps to electronic devices with built-in testers. When choosing what device to buy, it is usually advisable to give preference to devices which can check more than one banknote security feature.

The Deutsche Bundesbank gives manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit money detectors the opportunity to have their devices tested using a sample set of the latest euro counterfeits. If you are a manufacturer or distributor of banknote processing systems or detectors please feel free to contact us to arrange a test date.

The test is only considered successful if the device does not accept the authenticity of any of the banknotes from the sample set. The successfully tested devices can be found on the ECB's website, although it should be noted that these devices are not approved for banknote recycling.

Furthermore, the European Central Bank publishes on its website a list of machines which have passed euro-area NCB suitability testing for the re-issuance of processed banknotes by professional cash handlers (cash recycling).

Counterfeit coins

For coin detectors and coin processing machines there is also a common European test procedure. Manufacturers and distributors of this equipment are invited to contact us via E-mail to get further information on the testing procedures. All successfully tested machines are published on the website of the European Commission.