Timor-Leste centavo coins

Timor-Leste centavo coins
Several East Timorese coins.
Denominations
Superunit
100United States dollar
Banknotesnot yet issued1
Coins1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 centavos
Demographics
User(s) Timor-Leste
(alongside the U.S. dollar)
Issuance
Central bankTimor-Leste
Valuation
Pegged withUnited States dollar (at 1:100 ratio)
1 Timor-Leste also uses U.S. dollar notes.

Timor-Leste centavo coins were introduced in Timor-Leste (East Timor) in 2003 for use alongside United States dollar banknotes and coins, which were introduced in 2000 to replace the Indonesian rupiah following the commencement of U.N. administration. One centavo is equal to one U.S. cent. Coins issued for general circulation are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 centavos and feature images of local plants and animals. In 2013 a 100 centavos coin was introduced followed by a 200 centavos coin in 2017. The higher value coins, equivalent to US$1 and US$2 respectively, were designed to reduce the expense of replacing low-denomination U.S. banknotes as they wear out. As of 2024, Timor-Leste does not yet issue its own banknotes.

The centavo coins are minted in Lisbon by the Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, the Portuguese national mint. Unlike coins issued for the Panamanian balboa or the Ecuadorian centavo, the East Timorese coins are not identical in size to their U.S. cent counterparts.

Timor-Leste centavo coins
ImageValueTechnical parametersDescription
ReverseObverseDiameterCompositionWeightReverseObverse
1 centavo 17 mm Nickel-coated steel 3.1 g Nautilus shell, state title, year of emission Value, word centavo or centavos, kaibauk representation below value, tais pattern along border
5 centavos 18.75 mm 4.1 g Rice plant, state title, year of emission
10 centavos 20.75 mm 5.2 g Fighting rooster, state title, year of emission
25 centavos 21.25 mm Nickel-brass 5.85 g Traditional fishing boat (beiro), state title, year of emission
50 centavos 25 mm 6.5 g Coffee beans, state title, year of emission
100 centavos 23.75 mm Nickel-brass ring with a cupronickel center plug 7.25 g Boaventura de Manufahi; state title, year of emission
200 centavos 25.5 mm Cupronickel ring with a brass center plug 8.46 g Swamp buffalo in rice paddy with Matebian background; state title, year of emission