Banknotes & Counterfeit Deterrence

Every country has legal restrictions on the reproduction of banknote images. The counterfeiting of currency is a crime, and while restrictions vary from country to country, in some countries, any reproduction of banknote images – even for artistic or advertising uses – is strictly forbidden. Even in countries that allow some limited use of banknote images, there are specific rules and requirements. This website will provide you with information about reproducing banknote images and links to country-specific websites for further guidance.


While the overall economic losses to society from counterfeiting of currency are generally limited, the victims who suffer the most harm are individuals and businesses, because no one reimburses those who accept counterfeit notes. Counterfeit currency can also undermine confidence in the payment system, making the public uncertain about accepting cash for transactions.

The Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG) is responsible for this website. A counterfeit deterrence system (CDS) has been developed by the CBCDG to deter the use of personal computers, digital imaging equipment, and software in the counterfeiting of banknotes. The CDS has been voluntarily adopted by hardware and software manufacturers, and prevents personal computers and digital imaging tools from capturing or reproducing the image of a protected banknote. The technology does not have the capacity to track the use of a personal computer or digital imaging tools.

For information specific to a particular country or the banknote image you want to use, click on the appropriate region on the map or select the relevant country or currency from the list.

1.

Regions:

 Select a region from the list or click on the map below
 

back to home

Currency:

Countries:

Languages:
GBP – pound sterling United Kingdom English

Official bank or department:

Contact information:

Links:
Bank of England Reproductions Officer
Bank of England
Threadneedle Street
London EC2R 8AH
United Kingdom

Bank of England guidelines

Low dpi banknote images

General information about the reproduction of banknotes:

It is an offence to deface this currency.

Reproductions must not be shown in an offensive context, for example in conjunction with imagery or text of a violent or pornographic nature.

There should be no distortion of the Queen’s image (apart from an enlargement, reduction or slant).

For further details, please contact the Bank of England directly.

Reproduction in printed media:

A banknote may be reproduced if the following criteria are met:

  • Condition 1 - Reproductions are one-sided only (nothing should appear on the reverse of the reproduction which might give the impression that the reproduction is a genuine banknote).
  • Condition 2 - Reproductions are not the same size as the actual banknotes: if they are smaller, they must be at most two-thirds as long and at most two-thirds as wide; if they are larger, they must be at least one and a half times as long and at least one and a half times as wide. Reproductions of parts of banknotes must meet the same conditions.
  • Condition 3 - Reproductions are not shown in an offensive context, for example in conjunction with imagery or text of a violent or pornographic nature.
  • Condition 4 - There is no distortion of the Queen’s image (apart from an enlargement, reduction or slant).
  • Condition 5 - At least one of the following criteria is also met:
  1. the reproduction of the banknote is shown on the slant and not flat to camera – in such cases, the distortion must be such that right angles are reduced to acute angles of 70° or less, or increased to obtuse angles of 110° or more;
  2. the reproduction is printed on a material clearly different and distinguishable from paper or paper-like material;
  3. the colours on the reproduction differ distinctly from the main colours used on any of the current series of Bank of England banknotes;
  4. in the case of partial reproductions, no more than 50% of the total surface area of one side of the original banknote is reproduced;
  5. if the reproduction is flat to camera, it must be overprinted with the word “SPECIMEN” twice in accordance with Condition 6 (see “Reproduction in electronic media”).

Reproduction in electronic media:

A banknote may be reproduced if Conditions 3 and 4 (see “Reproduction in printed media”) and 6 (see below) are met:

  • Condition 6 - The reproduction includes the word “SPECIMEN” twice in solid black capital letters: once from the bottom left corner to the top centre and once from the bottom centre to the top right corner – the length of the word “SPECIMEN” must not be less than one-third of the length of the reproduction and the height of the characters must not be less than one-eighth of the height of the reproduction. This applies to both complete and partial reproductions.