A Romanian wallet is a compact gallery of writers, artists, scientists and national memory. The current ladder runs through 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 lei. The 20 joined the circulation series in 2021 with Ecaterina Teodoroiu, and the 2026 issue keeps the established artwork while adding a new date and signatures.
Paper money
Romanian leu notes are colourful polymer portraits of writers, scientists and artists, with transparent windows that make each value feel distinctive.
Romania's polymer notes celebrate writers, artists, musicians, scientists and national memory, surrounding each portrait with flowers, buildings and symbols of their work. Cash by Country artwork is an original, simplified interpretation and is not legal tender.
Read the wallet as eight Romanian stories
The clear patch is part of the note, not damage
The first woman on a circulation note stands at 20 lei
Ecaterina Teodoroiu, a First World War heroine, appears on the green 20-lei banknote with the Mărășești Mausoleum on the reverse. The National Bank introduced it on 1 December 2021. It is genuine circulating money even though its share of notes remains much smaller than the familiar 1, 50, 100 and 200.
Romania reached polymer before most of Europe
The National Bank's 2,000-lei eclipse note of 1999 was the first polymer banknote issued in Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. Today's series continues that material choice. Polymer survives moisture well, but heat can distort it, so a banknote belongs in a wallet rather than under an iron or on a hot dashboard.
The one-leu note changes the shape of small change
Romania has no ordinary 1-leu circulation coin. The smallest note is worth one hundred bani, while the coin ladder stops at 50 bani. That makes a handful of 50-bani coins useful for exact small totals and for recognising the country's deposit-return value.
The 500 is valid but rarely the easiest note
The grey 500-lei note is legal tender, yet it represented a very small share of circulation in the National Bank's published denomination data. ATMs more commonly dispense 50, 100 and 200. Ask for a smaller mix when a large note would empty a kiosk or market stall's change tray.
A February 2026 date does not replace the notes already in your wallet
The 2026 banknote issue introduced a new printed date and signatures while keeping the same graphic and security design. It enters circulation gradually beside earlier valid issues, so different dates on otherwise familiar notes are expected.