Canada’s $20 bill is getting a major redesign.
Credit: Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada has unveiled a new vertical bank note featuring King Charles III, making it the first Canadian note to carry his portrait and the first time in more than 70 years that a new monarch has appeared on the $20 denomination.
Design Features:
Credit: Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem called the note “striking, symbolic and secure.”
If you look closely at the front, you will also find floral emblems representing all 13 provinces and territories, surrounding the King’s portrait.
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France remains on the reverse side, recognizing Canada’s military service and sacrifices.
A circular transparent window, visible from both sides, features plants that hold cultural significance for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The Bank’s Indigenous Advisory Circle helped develop that element.
The $20 note becomes the second entry in Canada’s vertical bank note series, following the $10 bill featuring Viola Desmond.
Security features to look for:
Credit: Bank of Canada
The biggest changes are not just visual.
A purple security stripe contains elements that spin, transform and pulse when you move the note. Tilt the purple security stripe to see images move, a 3D bubble magnify the 20s, a maple leaf pulse and bands spin inside the poppy.
The background 20s change into maple leaves, while raised ink can be felt on the portrait, large number and “CANADA.”
The Bank says these features have never previously appeared on Canadian currency and are designed to make the bill easier for you to authenticate and harder to counterfeit.
When will the new $20 enter circulation?
You will begin seeing the redesigned bills gradually from late February 2027.
Before then, the Bank plans to work with financial institutions, retailers, equipment manufacturers and cash-handling businesses so machines can be adapted where necessary.
Secretary of State Wayne Long said the bill tells “a distinctly Canadian story,” combining the country’s natural landscape, history and international connections.