Banco de México tells everyone to check a note three ways: touch it, look at it against the light, and tilt it1. No single feature proves a note is real. Check several at once1. Below is what to check on each note of the current G series, from 20 to 1000 pesos.
Updated 2026-10-29. Numbers carry a small link to their source. Fees and rules change, check the screen or the form before you pay.
Download on theApp StoreComing soonFree. No ads. Ever.Download on theApp StoreComing soonRun a finger over the portrait and the big number. Real notes have raised print you can feel1.
The 20, 50 and 100 are plastic (polymer). The 200, 500 and 1000 are cotton paper1. Normal office paper feels soft and flat, like a photocopy.
On the 20, 50 and 100, find the clear plastic window. You should see straight through it1.
On the 200, 500 and 1000, look for the watermark: a faint portrait with the number under it, visible only against light1. On the 500 it is Benito Juárez with 5002.
The serial number on the 50 grows in size from left to right. The 100, 200, 500 and 1000 have two serials, one fixed and one growing1.
Download on theApp StoreComing soonTilt the note slowly. The big number in the corner shifts colour on every G note1. On the 500 it goes from green to blue2.
The 200, 500 and 1000 have a moving thread: a strip that seems to slide as you tilt1. The 20, 50 and 100 have an element that changes colour instead1.
A tick means the feature is on that note, according to Banco de México1.
| Feature | 20 | 50 | 100 | 200 | 500 | 1000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polymer (plastic) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cotton paper | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Raised print | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clear window | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Watermark | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Moving thread | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Colour shifting number | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Colour changing element | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Glows under UV light | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Under a magnifier the colours are made of fine lines, not dots. Printers and copiers make dots1.
Under UV (black) light, real cotton and polymer stay dark while office paper glows. The back of every note shows fluorescent ink1.
Take it to any bank branch and ask the cashier to check it. The bank keeps the note, gives you a receipt and sends it to Banco de México1. If it is real, you get your money back. If it is fake, you lose it1.
Got it from an ATM or a bank counter? You can file a claim within 5 banking days1. Do not mark notes with a pen to test them. Banco de México says that trick does not work1.
No. Banco de México says the pen test is not reliable and only damages notes1.
The 20, 50 and 100 of the G series are polymer. The 200, 500 and 1000 are cotton paper1.
The bank holds it, gives you a receipt and sends it to Banco de México, which decides if it is real1.
Exchy shows what each note is worth in your money, offline, so you know at a glance what you are being handed. Get Exchy on Google Play.
ATM fees for the country you land in, a booth check and a converter with no ads. Ever.
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