What currency should I use to travel to Belarus from Russia? This is what the new Belarusian money will look like Designation of the new money Belarus
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From July 1, Belarus will switch to new money. Of course, this is an important stage in the life of the country and the Belarusian people, but in addition, this is also a real stressful situation for all citizens without exception. We all have a few more days so that the denomination does not take us by surprise, and the transition to new money is not associated with frustration and problems.
5 things to do before denomination
Denomination is a difficult period not only for the population, but primarily for financial institutions and banks. They need to completely rebuild and reconfigure their systems to handle the new money. Therefore, banks are already sending out information to their customers about their work schedule and warning: in the period from the afternoon of June 30 to July 4, interruptions in working with payment cards and online payment systems are possible.
Stock up on cash
Particular attention should be paid to this point by those fellow citizens who will be abroad on these days: from the afternoon of June 30 until the morning of July 1 (and possibly throughout the day), cards will not work. Therefore, withdraw cash in advance for 2-3 days.
It is worth stocking up on cash in advance: banks need to reconfigure the operation of ATMs, so it is quite possible that on the 20th and 30th some ATMs will not work.
Pay utilities, taxes, fines
Definitely pay all utility bills: gas, water, electricity. How will tariffs be rounded in new money? Pay for telecommunications services - Internet, telephone, top up your mobile phone balance. As already mentioned, online payments during the transition period from June 30 to July 4 may work intermittently, and bank branches switch to special operating modes.
Individual entrepreneurs and citizens renting out apartments must pay monthly taxes in advance, before the 1st. If suddenly your payment does not go through due to the special denominational mode of operation of banks, the tax office will not give you discounts, and they will charge a penalty, as on ordinary days.
Exchange currency
Exchange offices of all banks without exception are switching to a special operating mode these days. Therefore, if you plan to buy currency or exchange foreign money for Belarusian rubles, do it in advance.
Pay with banks: loans and auto payments.
We would like to pay special attention to paying monthly loan installments. Many banks put loan repayment date is the last or first day of the month. Pay in advance to avoid late payments: many banks will not discount denominations and will charge fines if you fail to repay on time.
For those who have loan repayments (utility payments, mobile phone replenishment, etc.) set up using autopayment on the 30th or 1st, this time you also need to make payment in advance, in “manual” mode. Auto payments may simply not go through due to technical work.
Carefully study the new denominations of money
Naturally, you need to know what the bills and coins put into circulation will look like. Look at their appearance in advance, study them yourself and tell your family about them. If your children already go to stores for some purchases, they should have an idea of what new Belarusian banknotes and coins now look like, what denomination is and how much, for example, 10,000 rubles will be in terms of new money.
What will the new money be like in Belarus (photo and description)
What will the new banknotes and coins look like? The answer to this question can be obtained on almost any website of all financial organizations, in all banking institutions, and in retail outlets. In addition, by order of the government, in all institutions where cash is circulated (shops, markets, banks and post offices), color posters with samples of new money and their ratio to the old must be placed.
Seven denominations of banknotes (5 r, 10 r, 20 r, 50 r, 100 r, 200 r and 500 r), and eight denominations of coins (1 kopeck, 2 kopeck, 5 kopeck, 10 kopeck, 20 kopeck and 50 kopecks, 1 ruble and 2 rubles).
In just six months, Belarusian rubles of the 2000 model will be taken out of circulation and will lose their payment ability, but will they remain valuable for collecting? And in general, does it have any value? What are the rarest banknotes?
About it website talked to the bonist Valery Blotsky.
Valery has been collecting banknotes since 2012, but, he says, without fanaticism. He prefers to keep tables that contain all the information about rare Belarusian banknotes: when they appeared, how much they were offered for at auctions, and how much they were eventually sold for. The work is voluminous and complex - this is such a hobby.
Looking through all the banknotes in everyday life has already become a habit for him. At home, Valery has an ultraviolet lamp to see the ultraviolet protection of a banknote or to check whether it has been treated, for example, with chemicals.
Let's start the conversation with the name of Belarusian money. These are not rubles or bills or banknotes, as we used to call them, but tickets - by the way, that’s what is written on them. Each ticket has a series and number. Collectors collect tickets mainly by series.
From 1992 to 1999, 274 series of all the money in circulation at that time were issued, but even in one series there can be two types of banknotes, which may differ, for example, in the design of the watermark. In total, 300 varieties of banknotes were issued in 1992-1999.
Collectors are more often interested in banknotes of the 2000 model - 393 series were issued, and taking into account varieties - 430.
For collecting, it is important to have at least one copy from each series, and bonists strive to get this copy in perfect condition.
The “latest” series, samples and beautiful numbers are valued
The value of banknotes depends on their quantity (at auctions, in circulation) and condition. The latest episodes are considered the most valuable. What does the last one mean? Suppose Belarus orders the printing of 30 million banknotes, they are printed, divided into three series of 10 million copies each. But since defects are possible during printing, and the agreed edition needs to be released in full, an additional fourth series is released, where the missing quantity is obtained - this is the last series, in which, naturally, there will be less than 10 million copies.
Samples of banknotes are of particular value - this is a rarity, because they practically do not go beyond the banks. Due to its rarity, a specimen can cost around $1,000.
“In Transnistria, for example, you can freely buy samples, but here they are purely for official purposes. They are located in bank branches, and only the head of the branch has access to them. But funny things also happen. Once upon a time, during a tour of a foreign delegation to the National Bank, at the request of one of these representatives, a high-ranking employee of the National Bank brought four samples of Belarusian banknotes and presented them to this person. Thanks to this, they got onto the market,”- says Valery.
In 2014, in Belarus, there was a record sale of a 5,000 ruble banknote from the rare AG series, and it was reported that it was sold twice, allegedly the first buyer subsequently resold it for a higher price.
In fact, says Valery, the bill was sold only once. The first time the buyer did not buy it, although he won the auction on ay.by, offering $1,580. Later, the bill was placed at the Russian auction “Molotok”, from which it sold for $2,092.
"This is, of course, wildness"- says Valery. In his opinion, the bill was not worth it. Moreover, at the time of sale it was the only known banknote from the AG series, but after this high-profile story other copies were found - now 8 such banknotes are known. They tried to sell them, but to no avail. They offered $1,396 for one banknote, but they never bought it, says the bonist.
“The people who found them think that they are a super rarity and they will make a lot of money,” he says . - In fact, they significantly exaggerate their value, set a minimum price of $1,000, but no one will give that kind of money for them anymore, so there are no normal passages. If we had made an initial bid of 1,000 rubles and no minimum price, then after the sensational auction a real passage would have been recorded, but I think the price would have been no more than $100.”
In addition to the series, the condition of the banknote is of great importance - it must be perfect. The slightest defect reduces the price of the item by an order of magnitude. But the average person and the collector perceive ideal condition differently. The 50,000 dollar bill below seems new and perfect, but it's not.
If you look closely, you can see a bend, a slightly darkened corner and other minor flaws that “kill” the collectible value of the banknote.
Banknotes of the 50000 MS series in perfect condition are rare; one was recently sold at auction for 450 thousand rubles.
“For example, I don’t have one. It was first discovered in 2011, and this banknote ( in the photo above . - website) withdrawn two days ago from an ATM ( the conversation took place in mid-June . - website). This is surprising, because in principle they should have disappeared a long time ago, but it was taken in perfect condition, but, unfortunately, it was damaged, because I wasn’t the one who took the picture - I would have kept it in its original form,”- says Valery.
Banknotes with beautiful numbers are also valued - identical numbers in the number, round numbers or the very first bills in a series (with number 0000001). Recently, a 5,000 ruble banknote of the EB series with the first number was sold for $127, even though it was wrinkled.
The first numbers and numbers 0123456 are considered the rarest, followed by numbers with the same digits, and then numbers ending in zeros, for example, 8000000.
The special find is number 0000000, which is usually assigned to samples.
“Two banknotes, 1000 VA and 1000 VB, are known, which were put into circulation with all zeros, but without the inscription “SAMPLE”. This is a marriage because this shouldn't happen."- explains the bonist.
Only all nines can be cooler than all zeros - 9999999, but no one has seen such banknotes yet. It is believed that they are confiscated, like banknotes with all zeros.
Marriage and mistakes
“They are very valuable, because in principle this should not happen - so many people, so many eyes look through it all, confiscate it and destroy it. Belarusian money was considered one of the most reliable in terms of the number of defects, but thanks to the hype after 5000 AG, people began to pay attention, and a huge number of defects were found. It can no longer be said that Belarusian money is distinguished by a small number of defective banknotes.”
The photo below shows the highlight of Valery’s collection. During printing, the bill tore and bent, resulting in a fragment of the other side's design being printed on one side. In Belarus, only two banknotes with such a defect are known.
Sometimes banknotes are folded so that individual strips are not printed at all, sometimes one layer of the design is not printed, and banknotes can also have different shades.
Showing the defective banknotes, Valery actually asks riddles and asks to find the defect on one or another banknote. It is difficult for an untrained person to do this, especially when you need to find something that is not there: for example, the absence of a series and number on a banknote.
Sometimes one digit on a number may slip off, or the entire number may be printed twice, or the banknote may slide down, or two different numbers may be indicated on one banknote.
Also, the banknote may lack a protective strip, or the watermark slides under the design, although it should be on a white background. There is a known case where a red coating remains on the security thread, which is removed during printing.
Sometimes you can find hack work at auctions, says Valery. Some banknotes are deliberately damaged by using an iron to remove part of the design from one banknote to another so that it looks like a defect, and they are sold to inexperienced collectors.
People often come across defective banknotes, but they do not pay attention to them or damage them simply by putting them in their wallet.
“The average person will look: there is some hole or it’s not printed, it’s strange, but then he will think that he needs to buy bread, and will give it to the store. But in fact, this is a value that needs to be shown on the forum or to an experienced collector. In any case, it must be preserved. The more people pay attention to this, the better."- says Valery.
There are also banknotes with errors, but since there are so many of them, they are of no value.
One of the famous banknotes with errors is the 10-ruble banknote of series B AND- with a letter that is not in the Belarusian alphabet.
On the 50 thousandth bill there is an error in the microtext “M AND RSKI ZAMAK”, on the 100,000th banknote at Nesvizh Castle there are Orthodox crosses instead of Radziwill’s eagles.
What will be valued after denomination?
Banknotes issued since 2011 will most likely never be of significant value, with the exception of six series of 115 - 20,000 Gx, 50,000 nS and gp, 100,000 sv and 200,000 be and ge, says Valery.
“People have become more attentive, the number of people interested is increasing, and people have put aside even rare series in huge quantities - not in spines, but in packs (10 spines each),”- he explained.
As soon as many banknotes of one, albeit rare, series appear, the price for them immediately drops significantly.
“Therefore, you need to invest very carefully. For example, there is a banknote of 500 rubles Che, which now costs about 150 dollars, you can buy two of them, and then 10 more pieces will appear, a person will gradually begin to sell them at auction, and the price will drop to 50, or even less.”
Finding something worthwhile in a wallet, according to the bonist, is unlikely, since there will most likely be imperfect specimens there. It is better to pay attention to the bills from the ATM, because... there are more chances to get a new, perfect bill. Also, banknotes in perfect condition are introduced through exchange offices, post offices and bank branches. However, the likelihood of withdrawing a rare series from an ATM is still less than finding an interesting defective one, says Valery.
After the denomination, in his opinion, collectors will continue to collect old money, because the new ones will have a very large denomination.
“Although, maybe this is only at the initial stage,- the bonist argues. - Someone can put aside 500 rubles, and then six months later there will be a threefold devaluation - most likely, he will be very upset.”
Valery himself intends to collect a collection of new banknotes right away and not wait for the moment when the money depreciates.
In his opinion, there is no point in collecting rare coins, especially buying for big money, because “The Chinese will print anything” and will be thrown onto the market, devaluing all others. It was for this reason that he began to pay less attention to collecting coins and subsequently switched to banknotes.
Let us tell you what currency is currently used in Belarus and why it is called “bunnies”. Let’s take a separate look at exchangers and the current exchange rate.
Belarus uses its own rubles. They are similar to Russian ones only in name, and even then, locals more often call them “bunnies.” Where did such a diminutive name come from, and what is remarkable about this currency? Let's start from afar.
Since 1 2016, the ISO code of the Belarusian ruble is BYN (before that it was BYR). To determine the exact exchange rate to the Russian ruble, euro or dollar, use a special calculator.
A brief background for the most meticulous
The Belarusian currency is relatively young. Until 1991, the country used exclusively Soviet rubles, but with the collapse of the USSR, the question arose about the need to create its own banknotes. The fact is that, compared to the rest of the countries of the Soviet Union, Belarus had the lowest prices for food products, and in order to prevent their mass export by foreigners, the government introduced special coupons for goods.
At first, coupons were used along with Soviet rubles, and at the end of 1992 the country switched to payment tickets, the rate of which was equal to 10 Soviet rubles. At that time, the new national currency itself was lying on electronic accounts and waiting in the wings.
Some public figures first proposed calling the means of payment “thaler” - in honor of an old German coin. Sketches of banknotes and coins (“pennies”) were even developed. However, in the end, only the poet Nil Gilevich supported this name, while the majority spoke in favor of a more familiar name - “Belarusian ruble” or “ruble”.
From mid-1993, Soviet money gradually began to be withdrawn from circulation, and in 1994, the local ruble acquired the status of the only legal means of making payments on the territory of an independent state.
Where did those “bunnies” come from?
In order to move away from the political theme as much as possible, it was decided to use neutral images for the banknote design. Thus, various animals appeared on banknotes: bison, bear, squirrel, lynx, elk, wolves, beavers and the notorious hare, thanks to which people began to call the new money “bunnies” (hare = 1 ruble).
Animals decorated banknotes with denominations up to 100 rubles. But on larger banknotes there are images of architectural monuments.
There are no longer animals on the new banknotes (modified in 2011); instead, the images on the banknotes are dedicated to different regions of the country. Nevertheless, Belarusians still habitually call local money “bunnies”.
Denominations and modern course
The currency of Belarus has gone through difficult times. If in 1992-1994. One local ruble could be purchased for 10 Soviet rubles, but in subsequent years its exchange rate began to fall steadily under the influence of inflation.
In 1994, the Bank of Belarus carried out the first redenomination of its currency by 10 times. After 6 years, another denomination was required - this time by a factor of 1000! And on July 1, 2016, a 10,000-fold denomination took place, and for the first time coins in denominations from 1 kopeck to 2 rubles appeared in use. Previously, only commemorative coins were issued in the country.
Where is the best place to exchange Russian rubles for local ones?
Since the Belarusian ruble is a non-convertible currency, it cannot be purchased outside the republic. But within the country, any currency can be freely exchanged for national currency. This can be done at exchange offices located at airports, bus stations, hotels and large shopping centers.
A passport may be required for the exchange procedure. Receipts and checks received during the exchange should be kept: they will be required when traveling outside the country.
In the summer of 2016, work began in Belarus on the largest denomination for the state. The old “bunnies” lost 4 zeros at once, so jokes about millionaires are a thing of the past. The reasons for the redenomination are quite clear; rapid inflation and huge denominations make calculations difficult.
The country prepared for this process a long time ago, and the first new banknotes and coins appeared back in 2009.
With the release of the first batches of new rubles, the country faced crisis problems, and the process of transition to the new money had to be postponed.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at the new Belarusian money and coins.
What is a denomination?
Denomination– reduction of the denomination of money to simplify payments.
For Belarus, such a process has been asking for a long time, so long ago that local residents have become accustomed to their money, and tourists are in some shock when they have to pay several thousand just for travel.
They reduced the denomination of money by 10 thousand, that is, 10,000 turned into 1 ruble, 100,000 - 10 rubles, and so on.
The first denominated ruble appeared in banks in 2016, on July 1, on the same day all prices were recalculated to new ones, this applies to both social services and other systems of the country.
The denomination of the Belarusian ruble takes a very long time, so at first Belarusians will have to get used not only to the new denominations, but also to the fact that along with the new ones, some of the old money remains in circulation.
New Belarusian rubles
It is impossible to introduce new denominations without new banknotes. Now Belarus has its own banknotes and new coins.
The appearance of the banknotes has a traditional content, with paintings of outstanding architectural buildings in various areas, as well as thematic collages dedicated to art.
In general, the design of the banknotes is more reminiscent of the new European money, this is not surprising, because the appearance was created thanks to an artist from the EU countries.
Money is also printed abroad, or rather in the UK.
In the photo below, you can see in more detail what the new Belarusian money now looks like.
5 rubles
Junior parity of banknotes. On one of the sides there is a drawing of the Kamenets Tower. On the back there is an image of the life of the Slavs in ancient times.
10 rubles
The front part is the Transfiguration Church, in the Vitebsk region. The reverse is a picture of the themes of printing and education.
20 rubles
The face is the Rumyantsev Palace, the back is the theme of spirituality.
50 rubles
Considering that the first batches contain 50 rubles of the 2009 model, some of the money will be in circulation with an incorrectly written denomination.
The fact is that, according to the new rules, the spelling of the number 50 has changed, this will be reflected in the new editions, but they decided to leave the old ones in circulation.
Face – Mir Castle, Grodno region, back – various images corresponding to the theme of art.
100 rubles
The face is the Radziwill Castle in Nesvizh. The focus is theater and folk festivals.
200 rubles
The museum in Mogilev on the front side and at the back - elements of urban planning and various crafts.
500 rubles
Senior parity, on which the National Library of the city of Minsk is drawn. On the reverse side there are elements closely related to the themes of literature.
Having studied the photos of the new banknotes, you can see that the year 2009 is written on them. It was this year that a new design of money was approved and the first samples were printed for release into circulation, but the process was slightly delayed.
They decided to leave the appearance and old banknotes for redenomination and gradually introduce fresh batches.
New Belarusian kopecks
In addition to banknotes, new coins also appeared. Belarus does not have its own mint and does not intend to create one. The coins were brought to the country from Europe, or rather from Lithuania and Slovakia.
The new Belarusian ruble and other coins, at the time of their appearance in circulation, had noticeable destruction of the metal. The National Bank noted that this drawback is typical only for the first batches; in new batches, the characteristics of the metal will change.
A total of eight denominations appeared, which we will look at in detail in the photo:
Obverse coins - a single one, in the center - the state emblem, under it - the inscription Belarus and at the very bottom - the date of minting.
1 kopeck
In the center there is a large number 1, on the right is the denomination, on the left is an ornament (a symbol of wealth).
2 kopecks
Copper plated steel base.
The number 2 is in the center, on the right is the denomination, on the left is the ornament (a symbol of wealth).
5 kopecks
Copper plated steel base.
Big number 5 in the middle. On the right is parity, an ornament (symbol of wealth) in the center of the curl of the number itself.
10 kopecks
Large number 10, on the right - dignity, ornament (symbol of fertility) in the center of the number 0.
20 kopecks
Steel disc coated with an alloy of brass and copper.
Large number 20, on the right - dignity, ornament (symbol of fertility) in the center of the number 0.
50 kopecks
Steel disc coated with an alloy of brass and copper.
The large number is 50, on the right is the dignity, the ornament in the center of the number 0.
1 ruble
Steel coin with cupronickel outer layer.
1 Belarusian ruble has a large number one in the center, the denomination on the left, and an ornament on the right, symbolizing the desire for freedom and happiness.
2 rubles
Steel base for outer ring and inner disc. In the center there is a nickel silver coating, on the outside - brass.
As you can see in the photo, the coin has a different obverse. On the front part of this sample there is the country's coat of arms (central disk), the year of issue on the bottom on the brass ring, on top - Belarus, on the right and left is the "Bagach" ornament. On the reverse there is a denomination and an ornament, which is a symbol of man’s desire for freedom.