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Costa Rica
Costa Rican Colon (CRC)
Curiosities about the currency
The Costa Rican colón (CRC) has been the official currency of Costa Rica since 1896, when it replaced the peso. Its symbol is ₡. In 1950, the Central Bank of Costa Rica was established and is currently the only entity authorised to issue the currency.
The current banknotes of Costa Rica are 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, and 20000 colones. The most recent ones were issued between 2018 and 2019 and are made of polymer, which gives them a plastic texture. These are much safer than paper banknotes.
The currency of Costa Rican colones is available in denominations of 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 colones. One colon is divided into one hundred parts called cents. There were also coins of 5 and 1 that are no longer issued, although they are still in circulation. They are collector's items.
The banknotes of Costa Rica have different sizes so that visually impaired people can recognise them independently. There are no other raised security features, and they can only be distinguished by touch.
Costa Rica is one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. For this reason, all the colón banknotes feature local fauna and flora: a hummingbird, a sloth, monkeys, sharks… The same applies to natural environments such as mangroves and moors.
What do the banknotes/coins look like?
Front part
*The banknotes and coins correspond to the newest issued series and are for reference. Colours may vary and there may be more designs than those shown.
