A revamped 500-forint banknote will be introduced into circulation in Hungary on February 1st next year as the current bill of the same denomination is being enhanced with new security features and a brighter colour scheme. The redesign of the 500-forint note is the last step of an ongoing programme under way since 2014 to replace old Hungarian banknotes with a new kind of paper. The present series of the brownish bills will remain in circulation until October 31st, 2019.

From November 1st, 2019, only the redesigned 500-forint bills will be accepted as payment. After this date, old notes in 500-forint denominations can be exchanged for the new bills of the same value free of charge at Hungary’s commercial banks and post offices for three more years, and at the Central Bank of Hungary for 20 years.

As part of this phasing-out project of old paper money, modernised notes have already been introduced in denominations of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 forints. These bills are now all in circulation with updated design and improved security components.

The Central Bank of Hungary has been providing support to commercial clients, banks and cash-payment machines to integrate the new 500-forint notes into their system.

The cashier’s office at the Central Bank of Hungary (District V, Kiss Ernő utca 1) is open on Mondays from 10am to 6pm, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8am to 3pm, and on Fridays from 7am to noon.

For more information, see the Central Bank of Hungary website.