The Bank of Mexico has announced that it will withdraw the 20-peso banknote from circulation in the F family. The banknote is known for bearing the effigy of President Benito Juárez, who assumed the presidency in 1858 and issued the Reform Laws the following year.
The measure was announced in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) and went into effect on October 10, 2025. According to the statement, as of that date, credit institutions throughout the country must refrain from returning banknotes that will be withdrawn from circulation to the public.
The withdrawal of banknotes from circulation is a process that the Bank of Mexico has been carrying out progressively for decades. These banknotes are gradually withdrawn from circulation and replaced with new banknotes. Currently, banknotes in the B, C, D, and D1 families, as well as the 20, 50, and 1,000-peso banknotes in the F family, are in the process of being withdrawn.
Can I still use banknotes in the process of being withdrawn?
Yes. Banxico has announced that the 20-peso banknotes bearing the image of Benito Juárez retain their “liberating power,” meaning they will continue to be valid for payments and transactions. However, banks will be responsible for receiving them at their branches and separating them from the rest of the banknotes. They will then be sent to the Bank of Mexico with the legend “in the process of withdrawal and/or demonetized” so that they are no longer put into circulation. In this way, the banknotes will gradually be removed from citizens’ pockets.
This 20-peso banknote was put into circulation on August 20, 2007, and is part of the F family of Mexican banknotes, which is characterized by improvements in security features, color variations, and different sizes for each denomination, according to Banxico.
Made of polymer, measuring 120 by 66 millimeters and predominantly blue, it features various security features such as microprinted text, a watermark, a transparent window, touch-sensitive reliefs, and fluorescence.
On the front, the banknote features the image of Benito Juárez, accompanied by a scale and a book, alluding to the Reform Laws of 1859. The back features a panoramic view of the Monte Albán archaeological site in Oaxaca, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with iconographic details from the Zapotec culture, such as an earring found in Tomb 7 and a fragment of the mask of the God of Rain and Thunder.
What other banknotes have been withdrawn from circulation?
Other banknotes being phased out include the 50-peso bill bearing the image of José María Morelos y Pavón, and the 1,000-peso bill bearing the image of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Also, the 100-peso bill bearing the image of Nezahualcóyotl; the 200-peso bill bearing the image of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz; and the 500-peso bill bearing the image of Ignacio Zaragoza.
The complete list of banknotes and coins being phased out can be found on this Bank of Mexico website, along with their respective characteristics and years of circulation in the country.
Source: elpais
