Each bank may set its own fee for exchanging coins. Fee-free options include the Bank of Russia’s Coin Week or, according to a lawyer, depositing coins into one’s own account.
Russian banks are allowed to charge a fee for exchanging coins for banknotes, with each lender setting the amount, Yulia Suvorova, legal director at comparison service Sravni, told RIA Novosti.
Customers can exchange coins free of charge during the Bank of Russia’s Coin Week. Another option is to deposit coins into one’s own bank account without a fee and then withdraw the required amount in cash. Customers exchanging a large amount should carry identification. Banks must identify customers in cash transactions above 15,000 roubles. They may also set a separate fee for processing a large volume of coins.
Coins with scratches, discoloration, chips or dents, as well as bent, flattened, melted or etched coins, remain legal tender if the damage does not prevent staff from identifying their denomination and confirming they were issued by the Bank of Russia. Suvorova said refusing to exchange genuine coins without serious damage would be unlawful and advised customers to try another bank in such cases.