Tuesday, 10 December, the Latvian euro starter kits will go on sale in this country: it is an additional opportunity for anyone to get acquainted with the new circulation coins in a timely manner: even before the euro changeover day of 1 January 2014.
The starter kit's value is 10 lats or 14.23 euro, which matches the irreversibly fixed changeover rate, and kits can be bought at the branches of commercial banks, 302 post offices, as well as at the Bank of Latvia and its branches in Daugavpils and Liepāja: in other words, in all those locations where lats will be exchanged for euro after 1 January.
The sales of such starter kits is a practice recommended by the European Commission, for it helps people feel extra safe when using the new money. Those who cannot or will not purchase the starter kit, can simply wait till the beginning of the new year to obtain the Latvian euro coins through an exchange process at a bank, post office or shopping. The starter kits, as the "small" exchange money, will make the parallel circulation period, the first two weeks of next year, easier. This is not meant to be the way for accumulating the new money or exchanging the saved lats coins for euro.
The kits were assembled in Germany where, at the Baden-Würtemberg State Mint, the Latvian euro coins were struck. So that as many people as possible may have a chance to acquaint themselves with the new coins one customer will be able to purchase no more than five starter kits.
It is important to remember that the content of the starter kit – two 2-euro, four 1-euro, seven 50 euro cent, eight 20 euro cent, seven 10 euro cent, five 5 euro cent, six 2 euro cent and six 1 euro cent coins – will be possible to put to use only as of 1 January, up till then, the Latvian euro coins do not have the status of legal tender.
Even though the starter kits will contain only Latvian euro coins, those of any other euro area country will be legal tender in Latvia as of 1 January and, conversely, Latvian euro coins will be legal tender throughout the euro area. The euro banknotes are the same throughout the euro area.