Numistify guide
Costa Rican Banknotes by Series: Quantities, Serial Numbers, Signatures and Dates (2010–2024)
Every print run of Costa Rica’s current banknote family, with the quantity, serial numbers and signatures the Central Bank publishes, plus the withdrawn notes.
The short answer
Costa Rica’s current banknotes are polymer, in five denominations: ₡1,000, ₡2,000, ₡5,000, ₡10,000 and ₡20,000. According to the Central Bank (BCCR), 574,652,115 notes in these five denominations have been put into circulation since 2010 in 18 runs, each with its series, serial range and the signatures of the BCCR’s president and manager. The same series can carry different signatures, which is what tells its runs apart. Withdrawn notes are no longer legal tender, but they can be exchanged or deposited indefinitely at financial institutions.
The notes in circulation
Each note pairs a historical figure with one of the country’s ecosystems and one of its animals.
| Note | Current series | Portrait | Ecosystem | Animal | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₡1,000 | C | Braulio Carrillo Colina | Tropical dry forest | Deer | 125 × 67 mm |
| ₡2,000 | B | Mauro Fernández Acuña | Coral reef | Shark | 132 × 67 mm |
| ₡5,000 | C | Alfredo González Flores | Mangrove | White-faced capuchin | 139 × 67 mm |
| ₡10,000 | B | José Figueres Ferrer | Tropical rainforest | Sloth | 146 × 67 mm |
| ₡20,000 | B | María Isabel Carvajal (Carmen Lyra) | Páramo | Hummingbird | 153 × 67 mm |
Every run, series by series
Quantities, serial numbers, signatures and circulation dates as the BCCR publishes them in its “Detalle de la emisión” tables. The first runs of the ₡2,000, ₡5,000, ₡10,000 and ₡20,000 (series A, plus the ₡5,000 series B) were printed on cotton paper and have since been withdrawn; the ₡1,000 series A and B were already polymer.
| Note | Series | Quantity | Serial numbers | Signatures (president / manager) | In circulation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₡1,000 | A | 40,000,000 | 000 000 001–042 000 000 | Gutiérrez / González | Jun 20, 2011 |
| ₡1,000 | B | 20,000,000 | 000 000 001–021 599 999 | Bolaños / Delgado | Dec 2, 2016 |
| ₡1,000 | C | 45,000,000 | 000 000 001–049 075 117 | Cubero / Prado | Oct 15, 2021 |
| ₡2,000 | A | 35,028,000 | 000 000 001–041 400 000 | Gutiérrez / González | Jun 20, 2011 |
| ₡2,000 | A | 20,000,000 | 041 400 001–063 000 000 | Bolaños / Delgado | May 12, 2015 |
| ₡2,000 | A | 20,000,000 | 063 000 001–083 999 999 | Castro / Prado | Nov 15, 2017 |
| ₡2,000 | B | 40,000,000 | 000 000 001–043 569 009 | Cubero / Prado | Dec 1, 2020 |
| ₡2,000 | B | 18,910,000 | 043 569 010–067 568 999 | Madrigal / Valverde | Nov 26, 2024 |
| ₡5,000 | A | 19,300,000 | 000 000 001–021 250 000 | Gutiérrez / González | Aug 27, 2012 |
| ₡5,000 | B | 19,833,592 | 000 000 001–020 841 295 | Bolaños / Delgado | Nov 21, 2016 |
| ₡5,000 | C | 40,000,000 | 000 000 001–044 894 523 | Cubero / Prado | Dec 1, 2020 |
| ₡10,000 | A | 64,436,000 | 000 000 001–086 000 000 | Gutiérrez / González | Aug 27, 2012 |
| ₡10,000 | A | 30,000,000 | 086 000 001–120 498 995 | Castro / Prado | Dec 6, 2017 |
| ₡10,000 | B | 65,000,000 | 000 000 001–069 164 800 | Cubero / Prado | Oct 15, 2021 |
| ₡10,000 | B | 20,000,000 | 069 164 801–090 720 000 | Madrigal / Valverde | Nov 25, 2024 |
| ₡20,000 | A | 18,064,523 | 000 000 001–031 900 000 | Gutiérrez / González | Sep 22, 2010 |
| ₡20,000 | A | 19,080,000 | 031 900 001–053 691 250 | Bolaños / Delgado | Jul 15, 2014 |
| ₡20,000 | B | 40,000,000 | 000 000 00*–046 421 826 | Cubero / Prado | Nov 26, 2020 |
Serial ranges are as published by the BCCR and do not always match the quantity. * The BCCR prints the starting number of the ₡20,000 series B as “000 000 00”; every other series starts at 000 000 001.
The signature combinations
Notes carry the signatures of the BCCR’s president and manager at the time of issue. These are the five combinations in these runs and where each appears:
- Francisco de Paula Gutiérrez Gutiérrez / Roy González Rojas — ₡1,000 A (2011), ₡2,000 A (2011), ₡5,000 A (2012), ₡10,000 A (2012), ₡20,000 A (2010)
- Rodrigo Bolaños Zamora / Félix Delgado Quesada — ₡1,000 B (2016), ₡2,000 A (2015), ₡5,000 B (2016), ₡20,000 A (2014)
- Olivier Castro Pérez / Eduardo Prado Zúñiga — ₡2,000 A (2017), ₡10,000 A (2017)
- Rodrigo Cubero Brealey / Eduardo Prado Zúñiga — ₡1,000 C (2021), ₡2,000 B (2020), ₡5,000 C (2020), ₡10,000 B (2021), ₡20,000 B (2020)
- Róger Madrigal López / Hazel Valverde Richmond — ₡2,000 B (2024), ₡10,000 B (2024)
Notes withdrawn from circulation
According to the BCCR, withdrawn notes only lose their status as legal tender, not their monetary value: they can be exchanged or deposited indefinitely at the country’s financial institutions.
Issued before 2011
| Note | Series | Size | Material | Withdrawn from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₡1,000 | A, B, C, D | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Sep 1, 2011 |
| ₡2,000 | A | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Sep 1, 2011 |
| ₡5,000 | A, B, C | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Dec 31, 2012 |
| ₡10,000 | A | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Dec 31, 2012 |
Issued from 2011
| Note | Series | Size | Material | Withdrawn from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₡1,000 | A, B | 125 × 67 mm | Polymer | Nov 1, 2025 |
| ₡2,000 | A | 132 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | May 1, 2022 |
| ₡5,000 | A, B | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Mar 1, 2022 |
| ₡10,000 | A | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Oct 1, 2022 |
| ₡20,000 | A | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Feb 1, 2022 |
| ₡50,000 | A | 156 × 67 mm | Cotton paper | Feb 1, 2022 |
About these figures
All figures come from the “Denominación de billetes” pages of the Central Bank of Costa Rica (consulted in October 2026): each note’s “Detalle de la emisión” table and the “Billetes fuera de circulación” section. Images of the notes are on those pages: the BCCR holds the copyright in the designs, and reproducing them requires its authorization.
Questions people ask
How many banknotes are in circulation in Costa Rica?
The BCCR publishes the quantities issued, not how many are still in circulation. Since 2010 it has issued 574,652,115 notes in the five current denominations in 18 runs.
Which Costa Rican banknotes are no longer legal tender?
The cotton-paper notes of the previous family (₡2,000, ₡5,000, ₡10,000, ₡20,000 and ₡50,000), withdrawn between February and October 2022, and series A and B of the polymer ₡1,000, from November 1, 2025, as well as everything issued before 2011.
Can I exchange old Costa Rican banknotes?
Yes. According to the BCCR, withdrawn notes keep their monetary value and can be exchanged or deposited indefinitely at the country’s financial institutions.
What do the signatures on the notes mean?
They are those of the BCCR’s president and manager when the note was issued. The same series can have several runs with different signatures: the ₡10,000 series B, for example, came out signed by Cubero and Prado in 2021 and by Madrigal and Valverde in 2024.
When did Costa Rica start using polymer banknotes?
The ₡1,000 was issued in polymer from 2011. The complete polymer family arrived in 2020 and 2021: the ₡2,000, ₡5,000 and ₡20,000 in 2020, and the ₡1,000 and ₡10,000 in 2021.
Related guides
A short history of Costa Rican money — from cacao to polymer. Costa Rica’s new coins — designs and quantities.
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