Canada’s most commonly used banknote is getting a historic redesign.
On September 3, 2026, the Bank of Canada unveiled the country’s new vertical $20 bill. The predominantly green polymer note features King Charles III on the front and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on the back.
It will be the first Canadian banknote to carry an image of King Charles III and the first new monarch to appear on Canadian paper currency in more than 70 years.
The Bank of Canada plans to place the new $20 note into circulation in late February 2027.
What does Canada’s new $20 bill look like?
The redesigned note follows the vertical format introduced with Canada’s Viola Desmond $10 bill in 2018.
Its front features an engraved portrait of King Charles III surrounded by botanical imagery. According to the Bank of Canada, the plants and leaves reflect the King’s environmental advocacy while giving the note a distinctly Canadian appearance.
The note remains predominantly green—the colour Canadians have long associated with the $20 denomination—but adds a contrasting purple security stripe containing several advanced anti-counterfeiting features.
Canada’s 13 provinces and territories are represented through their official floral emblems. Their stems and leaves are based on illustrations found in the Books of Remembrance housed on Parliament Hill.
The front of the note also includes large, high-contrast numerals, raised ink and tactile features to help Canadians who are blind or partially sighted identify the denomination.
Indigenous plants carry special meaning
A clear circular window contains four plants with cultural significance to Indigenous Peoples in Canada:
- Wild strawberries
- Western red cedar
- Braided sweetgrass
- Arctic cotton
These plants were recommended by the Bank of Canada’s Indigenous Advisory Circle. Together, they represent sustenance, gratitude and healing.
Their inclusion gives Indigenous knowledge and symbolism a visible place on one of Canada’s most frequently exchanged national objects.
The Vimy Memorial remains on the back
The reverse side retains the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, connecting the new note to the current $20 bill.
The memorial stands on the site of the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge and honours Canadians who served during the First World War—particularly those who died in France and have no known grave.
Approximately 3,600 Canadians were killed during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, while thousands more were wounded. The names of 11,285 Canadians killed in France whose final resting places were unknown are engraved on the memorial.
The back of the note also includes poppies as symbols of remembrance. Their appearance recalls the flowers that grew across battlefields and cemeteries along the Western Front.
Keeping Vimy on the new bill preserves one of the most meaningful elements of the existing design. It recognizes military sacrifice while linking Canada’s history, identity and emergence on the international stage.
A historic portrait change
King Charles III succeeds Queen Elizabeth II as the monarch depicted on Canada’s $20 banknote.
Although Charles became King in September 2022 and Canadian coins bearing his portrait entered circulation in 2023, replacing a banknote is considerably more complicated than updating a coin. The Bank of Canada must develop the design, engrave the portrait, test new security technology and ensure that the note works reliably in automated banking machines, vending equipment and other cash-handling systems.
The new $20 bill marks the first appearance of a new monarch on a regularly circulating Canadian banknote in more than seven decades.
Queen Elizabeth II first appeared on a Canadian banknote in 1935 when, as eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth, she was featured on the Bank of Canada’s inaugural $20 note. An image of Elizabeth subsequently appeared on every regular Canadian banknote series issued during her reign.
The new note carries the signatures of Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem and Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers.
New security features designed to be difficult to copy
Canada’s polymer banknotes are already considered difficult to counterfeit, but the new $20 introduces security technology not previously used on a Canadian note.
The Bank of Canada recommends checking the bill by remembering four actions: feel, look, tilt and flip.
Important security features include:
Purple security stripe
Tilting the note causes images inside the purple stripe to move. A three-dimensional bubble magnifies tiny number 20s, while a maple leaf appears to pulse.
A poppy contains bands that seem to spin inside its petals, and the background pattern changes from number 20s into maple leaves.
Raised ink
Raised ink can be felt on King Charles III’s portrait, the large denomination number and the word “CANADA.”
Gold maple leaves
When the note is tilted, the inner portions of the gold maple leaves appear to pulse.
Transparent polymer windows
The bill is manufactured from a single piece of polymer containing transparent areas. These windows are incorporated into the artwork and security system rather than being merely decorative.
The movement and changing effects cannot be fully appreciated in a still photograph, which is one reason the Bank encourages Canadians to examine a real note from several angles.
Will the current Queen Elizabeth II $20 bills become worthless?
No.
The introduction of the King Charles III note does not mean Canadians must immediately exchange their existing $20 bills. The current polymer notes bearing Queen Elizabeth II will continue circulating alongside the new design.
Banknotes are normally replaced gradually as financial institutions return worn or damaged notes to the Bank of Canada. That means Canadians are likely to see both designs in wallets and cash registers for years.
Older $20 bills do not suddenly lose their value simply because a new design enters circulation.
Is the new bill larger?
No. The vertical layout may make the bill appear taller in photographs, but its physical dimensions remain consistent with Canadian banknotes.
The new note measures 152.4 by 69.85 millimetres, or approximately six by 2.75 inches. It should therefore fit existing wallets, cash drawers and banknote equipment once the required software and detection systems have been updated.
When can Canadians expect to see it?
The Bank of Canada says the new vertical $20 note will begin circulating in late February 2027.
Between the September 2026 unveiling and its release, the Bank will test the note in cash-handling machines and work with retailers, law-enforcement agencies, banks and equipment manufacturers. This preparation is intended to ensure that automated systems recognize the new design and that businesses understand its security features.
Because new notes enter circulation through financial institutions, availability may initially vary between communities.
More than a change of portrait
The new $20 bill is more than a simple replacement of Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait with that of King Charles III.
Its design brings together the Crown, Canada’s provinces and territories, Indigenous plant traditions, the maple leaf, the poppy and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. It also introduces new security features intended to protect the integrity of the country’s most widely used banknote.
Some Canadians will focus on the King’s portrait, while others may be more interested in the vertical format, Indigenous imagery, accessibility improvements or the decision to retain Vimy. Whatever Canadians think of the monarchy, the new note represents a significant moment in the history of Canadian currency.
By early 2027, it will begin appearing in bank machines, businesses and wallets across the country—marking the start of a new chapter for Canada’s familiar green twenty.
Verified sources
- Bank of Canada: New vertical $20 note design elements
- Bank of Canada: Security features of the vertical $20 note
- Bank of Canada: Official unveiling remarks by Governor Tiff Macklem
- Bank of Canada: Official announcement of the September 3 unveiling
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