The BdP has a service responsible for valuing debased notes and coins (for example, in fires, floods or because they were buried). After appreciation, a value is delivered to the holders.

According to the Bank of Portugal, in 2024, 587,489 notes were manually valued and 12.4 million euros were returned to those who presented them. Most had “folds, tears or defects resulting from the action of fire, humidity or other elements”. The central bank also valued 277,592 coins and the refund reached 60.6 thousand euros.

Any citizen who has destroyed or mutilated notes (damaged by humidity, burned, eaten by animals, among other reasons) can send them to the Bank of Portugal so that they can be valued. For a euro note to be valued, more than 50% of the surface of the note must be reconstructable, so that its authenticity can be guaranteed by the security features (in the case of escudo notes, it was 75%).

If it is possible to revalue the degraded note, it is destroyed and the equivalent value is given to citizens. If the notes are unrecognizable, they are considered lost, destroyed and the owner does not receive any compensation. All cases of destroyed notes that reach the Bank of Portugal are reported to the courts to prevent possible crimes.

Banknotes that have been stained, for example, by accidental discharges from ATMs or in money-transporting cases, are also valued. Coins, despite being much more resistant, are also valued. It is also necessary to attest to its genuineness and whether the damage was not intentional.