Revised with effect from 1 May 2023

Norges Bank, banks and various others have an obligation to investigate and report in the event of suspicion that a transaction is associated with a criminal act, cf. the Act relating to measures to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, etc. (Money Laundering Act).

The following rules concern deliveries to the central bank of banknotes and coins that are physically marked or damaged in such a way as to raise suspicion that they are associated with a criminal act, or where there are other reasons to suspect this. Examples are notes that have been stained by means of ampoules of that are used for cash in transport and in ATMs, and notes that may have been cut or washed in an attempt to remove the dye in order to conceal crimes.

Any member of the public in possession of such notes shall contact his or her bank if the banknote series are valid. The bank in question shall then perform the actions required by the provisions of the Money Laundering Act before the notes are delivered to Norges Bank.

Where notes are delivered to Norges Bank by the general public in connection with a claim for compensation for lost, burnt or damaged notes and coins or the rules on the redemption of withdrawn notes and coins, Norges Bank will perform the actions required by the provisions of the Money Laundering Act.

1. Bank's deliveries to Norges Bank's own depots

Notes and coins that may stem from a criminal act or notes that have been dye-stained by accident shall be delivered to Norges Bank's depots. The delivery shall be accompanied by a form documenting what the bank has done, whether a detailed investigation has been undertaken pursuant to the provisions of the Money Laundering Act, and whether the matter has been reported to the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (ØKOKRIM).

The following requirements apply:

1.1 Dye-stained notes and notes that have cut-off edges or show signs of attempts at chemical cleaning or for some other reason may be assumed to stem from a criminal act:

a) Prior to delivery, the bank shall have complied with the provisions of the Money Laundering Act. By way of documentation, the delivering bank shall complete and enclose a form confirming that the bank has made investigations and filed a report in accordance with the rules of the Money Laundering Act, and that the police will not request to have the notes handed over as evidence.

b) The delivery of the notes shall be advised through Norges Bank's ordering system. Each case is to be advised and registered as a delivery in the system. The completed form (cf. section 3) shall be enclosed legibly inside the bag with a copy attached to the outside.

1.2 Notes that have been dye-stained by accident during packing or transportation:

a) The delivering bank shall complete a form describing the incident (cf. section 3). This form, which includes a specification of the number of notes per denomination, shall be submitted to Norges Bank as a claim. The transporter may complete the form if the transporter has been authorised to do so by the delivering bank.

b) Once the approved claim has been returned to the claimant, the delivery can be advised through Norges Bank's ordering system. Each case/incident shall be advised and registered as a delivery in the system.

c) Notes shall be delivered dry and packed in a separate transparent bag for each case/incident bearing a unique bag number that is also presented as a barcode. The approved claim shall be enclosed legibly inside the bag with a copy attached to the outside. The delivery notification shall accompany the bags as usual. The bag shall show who has packed the unit (logo and signature) and the date of packing. When using a band, this shall be marked with who packed the unit. Notes shall be packed in bundles of 100/packs of five bundles strapped, or bundles of 500 notes banded.

Processing by Norges Bank:

Notes delivered with the documentation specified in section 1.1 or 1.2 will be accepted by Norges Bank, and the amount credited to the delivering bank's account. Notes that are delivered without the aforementioned documentation or are not dry or packed/labelled in accordance with be returned to the bank making the delivery.

Fees:

• Where deliveries are made under section 1.2, the delivering bank must pay a fee, currently NOK 500 per case/ incident, when the number of dry-stained notes stated in the delivery is not consistent with the actual amount delivered. Fees for each case will not be charged until a control count has been performed at Norges Bank.

2. The general public's deliveries to Norges Bank

The general public may claim compensation for damaged notes and coins under the rules on damaged notes and coins or the rules on the redemption of withdrawn notes and coins.

Under the rules on damaged notes and coins, a form shall be completed explaining how and when the damage arose, etc. In the case of withdrawn notes and coins, information shall be given on why they were not redeemed earlier.

If the appearance of the notes and coins or the explanation given raises suspicion that the money may be associated with a criminal act, further investigations will be instigated.

Processing by Norges Bank:

The claim will be considered by Norges Bank, which will if necessary report the matter to ØKOKRIM under the provisions of the Money Laundering Act.

3. Forms

The forms to accompany banks' deliveries of banknotes that may stem from criminal acts and banknotes damaged by accident can be found on the page Dye-stained notes.