Twelve countries will introduce Euro notes and coins on 1 January, 2002: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

The UK, Denmark and Sweden, who are also members of the European Union, are not part of the Euro area and neither are any countries outside the EU, for instance Turkey and Switzerland. Euro notes will be identical for all countries and usable in all EU countries.

Each EU member country will produce their own coins, with one common side and one national side, but they can be used in any of the Euro area countries. Cash dispensers will dispense Euro notes and national notes and coins can be used until 28th February 2002, except in the Netherlands, Ireland and France.

Euro notes can be purchased from most banks and Bureaux de Change from 1st January 2002. If you have existing foreign currency for EU countries, unless you intend to visit these countries very early in 2002, you should exchange them now.

Don’t wait too long as you will not be able to use old currencies by March 2002 at the latest.

Source: http://www.fco.gov.uk/