Can I order UK prop money from China?

Identify the issuing bank before choosing artwork

Ask the supplier for clear artwork showing the proposed front and reverse, the bank being copied, the finished dimensions and the material. Identify the issuer from the design rather than treating every sterling note as a Bank of England note. For Scottish or Northern Ireland designs, obtain the named issuer's reproduction conditions directly.

Save the issuer's current conditions and record how your proposed design meets them. UK reproduction law requires prior written consent from the relevant authority, even for part of a British currency note or a reproduction at a different scale. Bank of England says a separate approval request is unnecessary when its conditions are met.

Check counterfeit risk separately from permission

The statutory counterfeit definition includes an imitation resembling a currency note closely enough to be reasonably capable of passing for it, whether the resemblance is on a side or on both. Importing, landing or unloading counterfeit notes without Treasury consent is prohibited. Buying from China therefore needs a counterfeit assessment as well as an issuer-consent check.

Knowingly possessing or controlling counterfeit notes without lawful authority or excuse is also an offence. Treat descriptions such as 'prop money', 'training notes' or 'wedding decoration' as supplier descriptions, not evidence of permission. If the design looks realistic, send the artwork and intended use to a UK solicitor before ordering, including any proposed distribution to guests.

Build a design approval checklist

Open the issuing bank's reproduction policy yourself and turn it into a checklist for the factory. Bank of England physical reproductions must be one sided. Check every other applicable condition rather than assuming that changing the material or adding a disclaimer settles the design. Use our guide to approving factory print artwork to control the file sent to production.

Approve the sample before releasing production

Give the factory the approved artwork, material specification and finished dimensions together. Require your agreement before changing the file, scale, reverse printing or material. Examine a physical sample against the saved issuer checklist. A photograph alone cannot establish the feel of the material or the finished dimensions.

Ask the inspector to compare production goods with the approved sample and artwork, including reverse printing, markings and packaging. Keep the inspection record with the permission evidence and shipment documents. Our quality inspection guide explains the wider inspection process.

Plan how the props will be used and collected

For a wedding, agree who distributes and collects the props and keep them away from cash handling. For a hobby film or club play, nominate someone to control storage and return after use. Agree how unused stock and rejected prints will be handled. Consider an original token design if reproducing a banknote is unnecessary, then assess that finished design before ordering.

If the product is designed or intended for children's play, ask the relevant product safety authority to confirm whether toy safety requirements apply. Use our toys and gifts guide for that separate assessment. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can coordinate factory artwork, sample and shipment checks against the specification you approve.