First of all, all remaining banknotes should be collected – even if the banknotes are badly damaged, the Bank of Lithuania can replace them with new ones if at least half of the original banknote can be recognized and its number is visible. When such money is brought to the Bank of Lithuania, it is exchanged for new banknotes of the same value.
Banknotes were destroyed by a ferret
The expert tells a story when a person recently brought money that had been gnawed by an animal. He said that a ferret got into his house. The animal was locked up for several days. Through them, he “snapped” with banknotes. After the examination, the client was compensated for a total of more than 1,000 euros.
Incorrectly stored savings of residents are affected by rodents. For example, a client who hid money under the bed turned to the experts. He presented nine pieces of 100 euro banknotes. They were gnawed by mice. However, only eight banknotes were exchanged for new ones, because less than half of one 100-euro banknote was left, and the customer did not provide its small parts.
Money is also damaged by rodents in basements and sometimes in cars. Two pieces of 5 euro banknotes were submitted for expert examination. They are forgotten in the car, where they were somehow eaten. From the small parts provided, the experts were able to determine that they were parts of the same banknotes, so both banknotes were compensated.
“It is important to remember that all, even the smallest parts of the banknotes should be presented to the experts. Banknotes that are damaged in any way do not need to be glued. This can damage them even more,” says I. Vanskeviče.
She remembers a case where money was kept as savings in the basement and mice gnawed it there. Even after a long examination, it was not possible to determine how many banknotes there were in total. Only very small fragments of 50-euro and 100-euro banknotes were presented, but serial numbers were not preserved, and the small parts had no points of contact with each other.
How to present damaged money to experts
If you have damaged money, you need to contact the cash desks of the Bank of Lithuania in Vilnius or Kaunas. Here you need to fill out a request for expertise.
The answer about whether the banknote will be replaced or not is given no later than within 20 working days. At the Bank of Lithuania, money examination and exchange of banknotes for new customers do not cost anything.
If the money is piled up, burned, rotted, etc., do not try to separate it. They should be presented to experts with as little touch as possible. If the banknotes are in some kind of package – a box, a book – submit it with it. This way, there is less risk that you can damage them further.
When performing a solvency examination, specialists are guided by the rules for exchanging Euro banknotes and coins for individuals and legal entities at the Bank of Lithuania. You can read more about exchanging worn and damaged money on the website of the Bank of Lithuania.
Expertises and monetary compensation carried out in the central banks of the European Union (EU) should be free of charge according to the decision of the European Central Bank. Euros are exchanged at all EU central banks regardless of where they were damaged.
2024-08-29 21:38:16