Banknotes of the Republic of Cyprus
The first notes of the Republic of Cyprus were issued in December 1961 by the Government, through the Accountant General, whose signature they bore. The notes were inscribed with the words “Republic of Cyprus” in Greek, Turkish and English.
In December 1964, the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) issued the first banknotes that bore the signature of its Governor and the inscription “Central Bank of Cyprus” in Greek, Turkish and English.
Until the end of March 1965, the notes introduced by the British colonial administration in 1955 circulated as legal tender, along with the notes of the Republic.
Initially, the notes of the Republic of Cyprus had values of £5, £1, 500 mils and 250 mils. Additional denominations were introduced later. Thus the £10 note appeared in 1977, the 50 cent note in 1983 and the £20 note in 1992.
With the introduction of the cent system in 1983, the 250 and 500 mils notes were withdrawn. The 250 mils note was replaced with the 20 cent coin, whereas the 500 mils note was replaced with the 50 cent note which was succeeded in 1991 by a coin.
With Cyprus’s accession the euro area the Cyprus pound banknotes were replaced by the euro banknotes.