Exchanging DM for euro
You can exchange unlimited amounts of DM banknotes and coins for euro indefinitely and free of charge at all Deutsche Bundesbank branches.
Below you will find a link to the branches and their opening hours under “Internal links”.
In certain cases, foreign banknotes and coins may be exchanged in their country of origin (see “Foreign banknotes and coins”).
The official exchange rate is set at EUR 1 for DEM 1.95583.
We accept the following banknotes and coins for exchange.
- Banknotes issued by the Bank deutscher Länder (BdL)
- Bundesbank banknotes and
- Federal coins denominated in Deutsche Mark or Pfennig
We no longer accept the following banknotes and coins for exchange.
50 Mark BdL note II (green), issued in 1948
You may submit this banknote together with an application for reimbursement to the Deutsche Bundesbank’s National Analysis Centre at the Regional Office in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland or to any other Bundesbank branch.
- DM 2 coin, first issue (minting date 1951)
- Banknotes and coins issued prior to 20 June 1948
In exceptional cases, we also accept DM banknotes and coins submitted for exchange by post. We must emphasise, however, that submissions made by post carry substantially higher risks and if you choose to send cash in this manner, you do so at your own risk. Information on deliveries permissible in Germany and abroad can only be obtained from the relevant delivery companies.
Given the potential risk of manipulation on the dispatch route, we kindly ask you to use non-resealable packaging and to refrain from using address labels as these could, for example, conceal a cut. The sender must be specified on the envelope.
Any DM cash that you wish to submit by post can be sent to the Bundesbank’s Mainz branch directly.
If you wish to send us DM cash with an equivalent value of €1,000 (≈ DM1,955.33) or more, please contact us in advance by telephone or e-mail. We will then let you know what information and documentation we initially require to process your application.
Please send us
- a completed version of the “Exchange DM-EUR” application form (see “Downloads”)
- the cash you wish to exchange
The equivalent in euro of the DM cash established by the Bundesbank will be paid out using the method of payment indicated in the “Exchange DM-EUR” application form. This form can be filled out on screen and then printed out.The completed form cannot be saved.
The Deutsche Bundesbank will only issue a notification in writing if the exchange application cannot be processed, or only partially processed.