Due to past inflation, on 1 January 2018 the dobra was redenominated at a rate of 1000 to 1, and given the new ISO 4217 currency code STN.

The exchange rate was fixed at 1 EUR = 24,500 STD[2] on 1 January 2010, which means that the new dobra is pegged to the euro at €1 = 24.5 STN / nDb.

All circulating coins bear the country's coat of arms on the obverse, with the text "Aumentemos a Produção" and the valuation on the reverse.

On 30 September 1977, notes were introduced for 50, 100, 500 and 1000 dobras by the Banco Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe.

The five and 10 dobra notes are printed in polymer, and all the banknotes feature various species of butterfly on the obverse with local wildlife depicted on the reverses.

[5][6][7][8] In July 2009, the government of São Tomé and Príncipe signed a loan deal with Portugal, its one-time colonial mother country.

[14] São Tomé and Príncipe claimed that linking the dobra to the euro would "guarantee stability" in the country.