A significant portion of the Hungarian population continues to hold banknotes that have been withdrawn from circulation in recent years.

Withdrawn banknotes cease to be legal tender on their withdrawal deadline, followed by a currency exchange deadline after which they can no longer be exchanged for appropriate legal tender.

However, if specific conditions are met, it is still possible to use withdrawn banknotes for payments in shops before the currency exchange deadline.

In Hungary, two key dates are critical during the withdrawal of banknotes, which is managed by the central bank.

These dates are the withdrawal deadline, marking the end of a banknote's legal tender status, and the currency exchange deadline, which typically occurs 20 years later.

As highlighted concerning the withdrawn 1000 forint banknote, shops may still accept such banknotes under exceptional circumstances.

Upon reaching the withdrawal deadline, banknotes can no longer be used as legal tender; however, as stated by the central bank, individuals can still exchange any remaining withdrawn banknotes at designated banks and post offices for a period of three years post-withdrawal, free of charge.

Beyond this three-year window, exchanges may only be processed at the central bank itself, increasing the likelihood that individuals will retain pesos with diminished value if they do not exchange them promptly.

The concept of the withdrawal deadline signifies that banknotes are formally taken out of circulation, yet can still be exchanged until their currency exchange deadline.

Following the exchange deadline, withdrawn banknotes lose their monetary value and cannot be exchanged for legal tender.

Currently, all historically withdrawn banknotes have surpassed their respective withdrawal deadlines, yet their currency exchange deadlines have not yet arrived.

For instance, the soonest currency exchange deadline for the old 1000 forint note will be in 2027, allowing for exchanges of these notes for current legal tender until that time.

Legally, there is no restriction against using withdrawn banknotes for transactions as long as the payment occurs before the currency exchange deadline.

While these banknotes lose their legal tender status on the corresponding withdrawal deadline, it does not prevent retailers from choosing to accept them voluntarily.

The central bank indicates that there are no legal provisions prohibiting anyone from accepting withdrawn banknotes for payment.

However, it also notes that once the withdrawal deadline has passed, merchants are not obligated to accept them.

Thus, retailers have the discretion to decline the acceptance of any banknotes a customer wishes to use after the established withdrawal deadline.

Nevertheless, if a retailer voluntarily decides to accept withdrawn banknotes, customers can still use these notes for transactions before the currency exchange deadline.

This means businesses maintain the flexibility to accept former legal tender according to their policies.