Even after the old currencies ceased to be legal tender, they continued to be accepted by national central banks for periods ranging from ten years to forever. The earliest date was in Germany, where the mark officially ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 2001, though the exchange period lasted for two months more. The official date on which the national currencies ceased to be legal tender varied from member state to member state. The changeover period during which the former currencies' notes and coins were exchanged for those of the euro lasted about two months, going from 1 January 2002 until 28 February 2002.

Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, Lithuania in 2015 and Croatia in 2023. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Belgian franc and the Greek drachma. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. The full design of the Europa series 20 euro banknote was revealed on 24 February 2015 and launched on 25 November 2015. The twenty euro note contains several complex security features such as watermarks, invisible ink, holograms and microprinting that document its authenticity. The twenty euro banknotes depict bridges and arches/doorways in Gothic architecture (between the 13th and 14th century CE).

It is the third-smallest note, measuring 133 x 72 mm with a blue colour scheme. Estimates suggest that the average life of a twenty euro banknote is about two years before it is replaced due to wear. It is the second most widely circulated denomination, accounting for 16.3% of the total banknotes. In July 2023, there were approximately 4,837,000,000 twenty euro banknotes in circulation around the eurozone. The note is used by the 25 countries and a population of 343 million as their sole currency, with 23 legally adopting it. The twenty euro note ( €20) is the third-lowest value euro banknote and has been used since the introduction of the euro (in its cash form) in 2002. First series: hologram stripe with perforations, reflective glossy stripe, EURion constellation, watermarks, microprinting, ultraviolet ink, raised printing, security thread, matted surface, see-through number, barcodes and serial number Įuropa series: portrait watermark, portrait hologram, portrait window, emerald number īridge in Gothic architecture and map of Europe

Who is on the 20 cent euro