Banknotes of the Romanian leu

Since 1867 there have been four successive currencies in Romania known as the leu (plural lei). This article details the banknotes denominated in the leu and its subdivision the ban since 1917, with images.

Banknotes of the first leu (ROL)

1877 issue
1877 Bilet Hypothecar Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing issue withdrawal
5 L Blue 1877 12 June 1877 June 1889 [1]
10 L
20 L
50 L
100 L
500 L
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1909-1916 issue
1909-1916 Series
ImageValueDimensionsMain ColourDescriptionDate of
ObverseReverseObverseReverseprintingissue
1 L
2 L
5 L
20 L
100 L
500 L
1000 L
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

German occupation WWI issue
1917 German Occupation Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing issue withdrawal
25 b 1917 1917
50 b
1 L
2 L
5 L
20 L
100 L
1000 L
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1917 issue ("paper coins")

Issued in Iaşi, during World War I by the Ministry of Finance, as war money. The banknotes represent the ban (pl. bani).

1917 Series
ImageValueDimensionsMain ColourDescriptionDate of
ObverseReverseObverseReverseprintingissue
10 b 33 × 44 mm green King Ferdinand Coat of arms 1917
25 b 39 × 51 mm green, yellow King Ferdinand Coat of arms 1917
50 b 45 × 60 mm green, orange King Ferdinand Coat of arms 1917

1920 issue
1920 Series
ImageValueDimensionsMain ColourDescriptionDate of
ObverseReverseObverseReverseprintingissue
1 L 78 × 55 blue industrial landscape, value, maid Coat of arms, Capitoline Wolf, Decebal, Trajan 1920 17 July 1920
2 L 104 × 68 blue maid, value, vulture Coat of arms, two Romanian soldiers
5 L 133 × 81 blue, red, violet Coat of arms, value, peasant lady spinning wool maid and child in a loom, value 25 March 1920
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1934–1947 issue

The 5,000, 10,000, 100,000 (1946), 1,000,000, and 5,000,000 lei banknotes from the 1943-1947 series had the left edge wavy.

1922–1947 Series
ImageValueDimensionsMain ColourDescriptionDate of printing and issue
ObverseReverseObverseReverseWatermark
500 L 157 × 86 brown Romanian peasant women, the small coat of arms, value Peleş Castle continuous rows BNR 1934–1942
1,000 L 183 × 104 brown, green Romanian peasant women, value Romanian peasant women King Carol II 1936–1940
green, purple Nerva Traian 1941–1945
2,000 L 201 × 113 brown Romanian peasant women, value Romanian peasant women, the middle coat of arms, industrial landscape, Peleş Castle (in the background) Nerva Traian 1941
continuous rows BNR 1943–1945
5,000 L 166 × 91 blue Decebal, Nerva Traian, the middle coat of arms, industrial, urban and rural landscape Nerva Traian 1943
continuous rows BNR 1945
10,000 L 194 × 107 brown, pink Romanian peasant women, the middle coat of arms, value Romanian peasant women, the middle coat of arms continuous rows BNR 1945–1946
100,000 L 187 × 90 blue, green Romanian peasant women, value Romanian peasant women, value continuous rows BNR 1946
100,000 L 182 × 88 pink, orange Decebal, Nerva Traian, value Romanian peasants, the middle coat of arms, value continuous rows BNR 1947
1,000,000 L 190 × 90 green, blue Decebal, Nerva Traian, value Romanian peasants, the middle coat of arms, value continuous rows BNR 1947
5,000,000 L 205x105 yellow, brown Capitoline Wolf, value Romanian peasants, value 1947
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Red Army 1944 issue
1944 Red Army Occupation Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing issue withdrawal
5 L 115 x 60 mm Blue 1944 1944 1 October 1944
10 L 160 x 80 mm Brown
20 L 170 x 85 mm Blue
100 L 186 x 100 mm Brown-olive
500 L 195 x 104 mm Brown
1000 L 200 x 105 mm Red
5000 L 205 x 102 mm Blue
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Banknotes of the second leu

Kingdom of Romania
1947 Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse issue withdrawal lapse
20 L Trajan and Decebal 15 August 1947 30 January 1952 1 February 1952
100 L Brown three workers holding a hammer, a bunch of wheat and a torch "Romania"
500 L Romanian peasant woman
1000 L Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Romania, replaced since 1948 by the coat of arms of the People's Republic of Romania
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

People's Republic of Romania
1948 Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse issue withdrawal lapse
20 L ×  mm Brown, green maiden Coat of arms 15 October 1948 30 January 1952 1 February 1952
500 L Red Horea, Cloșca and Crișan Factory
1000 L Blue Nicolae Bălcescu River natural scene
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Banknotes of the third leu (ROL)

1952 issue
1952 Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing issue withdrawal
1 L 118 × 57 mm Brown, yellow Value Coat of arms January 1952 28 January 1952 16 April 1970
3 L 122 × 61 mm Dark brown, green Value Coat of arms
5 L 122 × 65 mm Dark blue, yellow Maid Dam construction scene
10 L 135 × 73 mm Red, green Furnace worker Quarry scene
25 L 148 × 80 mm Dark brown, violet Tudor Vladimirescu Harvesting scene
100 L 168 × 90 mm Blue Nicolae Bălcescu Casa Scânteii
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1966 issue
1966 Series
Image Value Dimensions Main colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing issue withdrawal
1 L 103 × 52 mm Brown, yellow Coat of arms Value 1966 1 November 1966 1 January 1997 (no longer in circulation since 1970–1972)
3 L 114 × 57 mm Dark blue Coat of arms Value
5 L 124 × 62 mm Light brown Coat of arms Port 1 January 1997 (no longer in circulation since 1982–1984)
10 L 131 × 65 mm Violet Coat of arms Harvesting scene 1990–1992
25 L 140 × 70 mm Dark green Tudor Vladimirescu Factory (Coke ovens of the Hunedoara Steelworks)
50 L 145 × 72 mm Green Alexandru Ioan Cuza Palace of Culture, Iaşi
100 L 153 × 75 mm Blue Nicolae Bălcescu Romanian Athenaeum
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1991–1992 issue
1991 Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing withdrawal
500 L 156 × 74 mm Brown Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși January 1991 1992
April 1991
1,000 L 167 × 76 mm Red, green Mihai Eminescu Putna Monastery September 1991 1 April 1999
5,000 L 172 × 76 mm Violet Avram Iancu Densuş Church, Dacian Draco, Gate of Alba Iulia Citadel March 1992
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1992–1994 issue
1992 Series
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing withdrawal
200 L 155 × 76 mm Light brown Grigore Antipa Danube Delta December 1992 October 1993
500 L 160 × 76 mm Green Constantin Brâncuși Sculptures by Brâncuși December 1992 16 December 1999
1,000 L 167 × 76 mm Red, green Mihai Eminescu Putna Monastery May 1993 1 April 1999
5,000 L 172 × 76 mm Violet Avram Iancu Densuş Church, Dacian Draco, Gate of Alba Iulia Citadel May 1993
10,000 L 180 × 76 mm Light red Nicolae Iorga Şuţu Palace February 1994 16 December 2000
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1996–2000 issue
1996 Series - paper
Image Value Dimensions Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse printing issue withdrawal lapse
1,000 L 140 × 61 mm Blue Mihai Eminescu Ruins of Histria, Linden tree flowers 1998 1 June 1998 17 December 2001 1 February 2002
5,000 L 145 × 64 mm Orange Lucian Blaga Crucifix 17 June 2002 1 October 2002
10,000 L 150 × 67 mm Green Nicolae Iorga, Milkweed gentian Cathedral of Curtea de Argeş 1999 15 July 1999 16 December 2002 1 July 2003
50,000 L 155 × 70 mm Violet George Enescu, Carnation, irregular shape with safety feature The Sphinx of Bucegi Mountains, musical chord from "Oedip King" 1996 20 November 1996
George Enescu, Carnation, shape of a violin 2000 6 March 2000 1 June 2004 1 January 2005
100,000 L 160 × 73 mm Red Nicolae Grigorescu, Marshmallow traditional house from Oltenia, scene from the "Rodica" painting 1998 1 June 1998
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1999–2003 issue
1999 Series - polymer
ImageValueDimensionsMain ColourDescriptionDate of
ObverseReverseObverseReverseprintingissuewithdrawallapse
2,000 L 143 × 63 mm Blue, yellow, red Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 Map of Romania 1999 2 August 1999 30 November 2004 31 March 2005
10,000 L 150 × 67 mm Green Nicolae Iorga, Milkweed gentian Cathedral of Curtea de Argeş 2000 18 September 2000 1 January 2007 Indefinite
50,000 L 155 × 70 mm Violet George Enescu, Carnation Romanian Athenaeum, musical chord from "Oedip King" 2001 14 December 2001
100,000 L 160 × 73 mm Orange, light red Nicolae Grigorescu, Marshmallow traditional house from Oltenia, scene from the "Rodica" painting 12 November 2001
500,000 L 165 × 76 mm Yellow Aurel Vlaicu, Edelweiss Vlaicu II airplane design 2000 23 October 2000
1,000,000 L 168 × 78 mm Blue Ion Luca Caragiale, Sweet violet National Theatre of Bucharest (old building) 2003 5 December 2003
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

A 500 lei coin and the 2,000 lei note shown above were made in order to celebrate the 1999 total solar eclipse. Whereas the 500 lei coin is currently very rare, becoming a prized collector's item, the 2,000 lei note was quite popular, being taken out of circulation in 2004 (a long time after the 1,000 and 5,000 lei bills were replaced by coins).

Banknotes of the fourth leu (RON)

The leu notes issued on 1 July 2005 are of equal size to euro banknotes, so that machines will need less refitting once Romania joins the euro zone. This decision was taken after a lot of debate, and with some opposition, the initial decision being to make them even smaller, similar to the 1966 series. The old leu notes were rather long and fairly uncomfortable to carry.

The design of the notes follows some common guidelines: the obverse shows a flower native to Romania and the portrait of a Romanian cultural personality; the reverse shows a building or a well-known monument. All banknotes are printed on plastic polymer, each in its own colour theme (light green for 1 leu, light purple for 5 lei, light pink and light orange for 10 lei, yellow for 50 lei, blue for 100 lei, dark orange for 200 lei, and light gray for 500 lei). On 14 November 2008 the National Bank of Romania announced the issue of a redesigned 10 lei banknote. The new design employs offset printing in favor of the intaglio printing used in the 2005 series. Also the transparent window will undergo a shape redesign.[2]

Each banknote also features a small transparent window, in the shape of a distinctive item characterising the activity of the pictured personality, a heraldic symbol for Nicolae Iorga, a music key for George Enescu, painting implements for Nicolae Grigorescu, an eagle for flying pioneer Aurel Vlaicu, theater masks for Ion Luca Caragiale, a pen point for Lucian Blaga and an hourglass symbolising poetry and time for Mihai Eminescu. Each banknote has a different texture, to be easily recognised in the pocket or by those with visual impairments.

Note that the 500 lei banknotes see limited usage since they are not dispensed by automated teller machines.

On 21 December 2017, the National Bank of Romania announced that beginning with 1 January 2018, all the banknotes and coins will feature the new version of the coat of arms. All other features (portraits, security etc.) remain unchanged.[3] The banknotes will feature the date of issue 1 January 2018, and will be released as demanded. The 1 July 2005, 1 December 2006, and 1 December 2008 issues will continue to be legal tender and circulate in parallel with the revised banknotes.

On 31 July 2019, the National Bank of Romania announced that in 2020 it would issue the 20 lei banknote, which will feature Ecaterina Teodoroiu.[4]

2005, 2006, 2008, and 2018 Series
Image Value Size Printing Technique Main Colour Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Dimensions Same size as Obverse Reverse Printing Issue
1 L 120 × 62 mm €5 Offset Green Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) Nicolae Iorga, Milkweed gentian Cathedral of Curtea de Argeş 2005-2017 1 July 2005
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
5 L 127 × 67 mm €10 Violet Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) George Enescu, Carnation Romanian Athenaeum 2005-2017 1 July 2005
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
10 L 133 × 72 mm €20 Intaglio Pink and light red Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) Nicolae Grigorescu, Althaea Traditional house from Oltenia, Nicolae Grigorescu painting Rodica 2005-2007 1 July 2005
Offset 2008-2017 1 December 2008
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
50 L 140 × 77 mm €50 Intaglio Yellow Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) Aurel Vlaicu, Edelweiss Vlaicu II airplane design, eagle head 2005-2017 1 July 2005
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
100 L 147 × 82 mm €100 Blue Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) Ion Luca Caragiale, Sweet violet National Theatre of Bucharest (old building), Statue of Ion Luca Caragiale, by Constantin Baraschi 2005-2017 1 July 2005
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
200 L 150 × 82 mm None Brown and orange Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) Lucian Blaga, poppies A watermill and the Hamangia Thinker 2006-2017 1 December 2006
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
500 L 153 × 82 mm €200 Blue and violet Coat of arms of Romania (1992-2016) Mihai Eminescu, Tilia Central University Library of Iaşi 2005-2017 1 July 2005
Coat of arms of Romania (2016–present) 2018–present 1 January 2018
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Commemorative Banknotes
Commemorative banknotes of Romania
Image Value Size Printing Technique Main Colour Description Date of Notes
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse Printing Issue
2,000 L 143 × 63 mm Offset Blue, yellow, red Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 Map of Romania 1999 2 August 1999 Also issued a circulating version (1999-2004)
100 L 147 × 82 mm Intaglio Blue King Ferdinand, and Queen Marie; scene from The National Assembly in Alba Iulia Mace of King Ferdinand, scene from the 1 December 1918 return to Bucharest of the Royal Family 2018 1 December 2018 Celebrating 100 years form the Great Union[5]
Ion I. C. Brătianu; Plaque of Order of Carol I Palace of the Assembly of Deputies (today Palace of the Patriarchate); Order of Carol I (reverse) 2019 1 December 2019 Celebrating 100 years form the Great Union[6]
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

References
  1. http://www.worldwar2.ro/colectionarul/Colectionarul_Roman_8.pdf
  2. BNR press release
  3. BNR press release
  4. "BNR va lansa în circulaţie bancnota de 20 de lei, pe care va apărea Ecaterina Teodoroiu". Digi24 (in Romanian). 31 July 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. "Bancnotă aniversară pentru colecționare dedicată împlinirii a 100 de ani de la Marea Unire de la 1 Decembrie 1918". BNR press release (in Romanian). 29 November 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  6. "Emisiuni numismatice având ca teme (1) Istoria aurului – moneda de 50 lei cu milesimul 1922 și (2) Desăvârșirea Marii Uniri – Ion I.C. Brătianu.". BNR press release (in Romanian). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
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