Are you among those individuals who meticulously and tirelessly look for fresh currency notes as Eid-ul-Fitar approaches? If your answer is yes then there is a good news for you as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has taken a positive initiative once again to provide fresh currency notes to the citizens of Pakistan.
Last year, SBP had issued new currency notes worth a massive Rs249 billion. In 2015, the issuance was worth Rs154 billion. SBP has made the service available this time around as well across the country. An individual would be able to get the fresh currency notes by using a short SMS code.
It is noteworthy to state that the issuance of fresh currency notes will start from 12th June until 23rd June 2017.
You can get hold of the currency notes from 1000 commercial bank branches and state bank offices across 120 cities of Pakistan. Moreover, SBP Banking Services Corporation (SBP BSC) has also established a helpdesk (available during office hours) at 021-111-008-877 to entertain the queries of general public for the same.
Process of acquiring fresh currency notes
The process is very simple. Two things are mandatory to acquire the currency notes. They are:
1- Your CNIC number
2- e-branch ID of your nearest designated bank branch
NOTE: SBP has not released a list of branch codes for 2017. As soon as it will be published, we will update it.
Once you get the list of the branch codes, go to ‘write message’ and type your CNIC number [space] e-branch ID and send that message as an SMS to 8877.
In reply to the SMS, you will receive e-branch address along with the transaction number along with the date to visit the branch. Once you receive the SMS from 8877, you can go to the concerned e-branch along with your National ID card and also the transaction number that you will need to present to get hold of fresh currency notes.
Quota per person
Citizens of Pakistan should be careful about the fact that SBP has allotted a quota of new notes (granted to each person) in order to avoid misuse of the system. The quota consists of 3 packets of Rs10 notes and 2 packets each of Rs50 and Rs100 notes.
Significant points to remember
Please keep the following points in your mind when you apply for fresh currency notes:
- You will be charged Rs1.5+ tax for the SMS
- Each CNIC number and mobile number can be utilized only once
- If an individual misses his assigned quota, the transaction will be nullified
- Branch codes and State Bank’s branch ID’s are two different things
