Is Bitcoin Legal? Status in 98 Countries
Bitcoin is legal to own in most of the world. Of the 98 countries on this page, 70 license or register crypto businesses, 11 allow it with little specific regulation, 7 restrict it (for example by barring banks or payments) and 10 ban it: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Myanmar, Nepal, Tunisia. No country on the list now requires shops to accept bitcoin as legal tender.
Facts checked November 2026 · crypto rules change quickly
Legal and regulated
70
countries
Legal, lightly regulated
11
countries
Restricted
7
countries
Banned
10
countries
| Country | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Banned | No: the Taliban authorities banned crypto trading in 2022, shutting exchanges and arresting dealers. |
| Algeria | Banned | No: since July 2025 Algerian law criminalises buying, selling, holding, mining and promoting crypto, with jail terms of up to one year. |
| Argentina | Legal and regulated | Legal; exchanges registered with the CNV. |
| Armenia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Armenia, and since July 2025 crypto exchanges and brokers need a Central Bank of Armenia licence. |
| Australia | Legal and regulated | Legal; exchanges registered with AUSTRAC; Capital Gains Tax applies. |
| Austria | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Austria, and crypto platforms must be authorised by the FMA under MiCA. |
| Bahrain | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto providers licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain. |
| Bangladesh | Banned | Not permitted: Bangladesh Bank bars dealing in crypto. |
| Belgium | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Belgium; crypto platforms need a MiCA authorisation (FSMA or another EU regulator). |
| Bolivia | Legal and regulated | Yes: Bolivia lifted its crypto ban in June 2024, and crypto service providers now need ASFI authorisation. |
| Brazil | Legal and regulated | Legal; exchanges regulated by the Central Bank. |
| Bulgaria | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Bulgaria, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from the Financial Supervision Commission. |
| Cambodia | Legal and regulated | Yes: since December 2025 Cambodia licenses crypto businesses through its securities regulator, but crypto is not legal tender and unlicensed dealing is penalised. |
| Cameroon | Restricted | Partly: no law bans individuals from owning crypto in Cameroon, but regional rules bar banks, microfinance and payment firms from handling it, and no exchange is licensed. |
| Canada | Legal and regulated | Legal; trading platforms registered with the Canadian Securities Administrators. |
| China | Banned | Banned: crypto trading and mining have been illegal since 2021. |
| Colombia | Legal, lightly regulated | Legal to own; no crypto law; gains taxed by DIAN. |
| Costa Rica | Legal, lightly regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Costa Rica, but it is unregulated and used at your own risk. |
| Croatia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Croatia, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from HANFA. |
| Cyprus | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Cyprus; crypto firms are authorised by CySEC under the EU's MiCA rules, and from 2026 gains are taxed at a flat 8%. |
| Czech Republic | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in the Czech Republic, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from the Czech National Bank. |
| Denmark | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Denmark, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from the Danish FSA. |
| Dominican Republic | Restricted | Partly: individuals may buy and hold bitcoin, but banks and payment-system institutions may not deal in crypto. |
| Ecuador | Restricted | Partly: you can own and invest in bitcoin in Ecuador, but it is not an authorised means of payment and the central bank warns it will report crypto payments to prosecutors. |
| Egypt | Banned | No: Egypt's central bank law prohibits issuing, trading or promoting crypto without a Central Bank of Egypt licence, and no such licence has been granted. |
| El Salvador | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal and regulated in El Salvador, but since the January 2025 reform it no longer functions as legal tender: nobody is obliged to accept it and taxes cannot be paid in it. |
| Estonia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Estonia, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from Finantsinspektsioon. |
| Ethiopia | Restricted | Partly: Ethiopia's central bank says crypto trading and payments are not allowed, but licensed bitcoin mining for export is legal and large. |
| Europe | Legal and regulated | Legal across the euro area; providers authorised under MiCA. |
| Finland | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Finland, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from the FIN-FSA. |
| France | Legal and regulated | Legal; gains taxed at a flat 31.4%; providers authorised under MiCA. |
| Georgia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Georgia; crypto service providers must register with the National Bank of Georgia, and individuals' crypto gains are generally tax-free. |
| Germany | Legal and regulated | Legal; private gains tax-free after one year; providers authorised under MiCA. |
| Ghana | Legal and regulated | Legal; the 2025 VASP Act brings in licensing. |
| Greece | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Greece, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from the Hellenic Capital Market Commission. |
| Hong Kong | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Hong Kong; crypto trading platforms need an SFC licence, and retail investors can trade on licensed platforms. |
| Hungary | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Hungary; strict 2025 rules that threatened unlicensed trading with prison were repealed in August 2026. |
| India | Legal and regulated | Legal to own and trade; platforms must register with FIU-IND; gains taxed at 30% plus 1% TDS. |
| Indonesia | Legal and regulated | Legal to trade; supervised by OJK; a final tax on sales. |
| Iraq | Banned | No: the Central Bank of Iraq has prohibited crypto dealings since 2017, and authorities, including the Kurdistan Regional Government, treat trading as illegal. |
| Ireland | Legal and regulated | Legal; gains subject to Capital Gains Tax; providers authorised under MiCA. |
| Israel | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Israel, crypto service providers need a licence from the Capital Market Authority, and gains are taxed as capital gains. |
| Italy | Legal and regulated | Legal; gains taxed at 33% from 2026; providers authorised under MiCA. |
| Jamaica | Legal, lightly regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Jamaica; a law requiring crypto firms to be licensed by the FSC passed the House in September 2026 but is not yet in force. |
| Japan | Legal and regulated | Legal; exchanges registered with the FSA. |
| Jordan | Legal and regulated | Yes: Jordan replaced its long-standing ban with a licensing law in 2025; crypto platforms need a Jordan Securities Commission licence, but crypto payments still await central-bank rules. |
| Kazakhstan | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Kazakhstan; exchanges must be licensed (by the National Bank, or in the AIFC by the AFSA), and mining is a licensed industry. |
| Kenya | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto service providers licensed under the 2025 VASP Act. |
| Kuwait | Banned | No: since July 2023 Kuwait has imposed an 'absolute prohibition' on using crypto for payments, investment and mining. |
| Liechtenstein | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Liechtenstein, and crypto service providers need MiCA authorisation from the FMA. |
| Lithuania | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Lithuania, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from the Bank of Lithuania. |
| Luxembourg | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Luxembourg; crypto firms are authorised by the CSSF under MiCA, and individuals' gains are tax-free if held for more than six months. |
| Malaysia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Malaysia; exchanges must be registered with the Securities Commission, though bitcoin is not legal tender. |
| Malta | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Malta; crypto firms are licensed by the MFSA under the EU's MiCA rules, and long-term holding gains are generally untaxed. |
| Mexico | Legal, lightly regulated | Legal to own; not legal tender; banks limited by the Bank of Mexico; gains taxed by SAT. |
| Morocco | Restricted | Restricted since 2017; a draft law has not yet passed. |
| Myanmar | Banned | No: the Central Bank of Myanmar says all crypto transactions, online or offline, are prohibited. |
| Nepal | Banned | Banned: crypto trading and mining are illegal. |
| Netherlands | Legal and regulated | Legal; taxed as wealth in Box 3; providers authorised under MiCA. |
| New Zealand | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in New Zealand; crypto exchanges must register as financial service providers and follow anti-money-laundering rules, and gains are usually taxable income. |
| Nigeria | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto is regulated as securities by the SEC. |
| Norway | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Norway, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from Finanstilsynet. |
| Oman | Legal and regulated | Not legal tender; crypto service providers must register with the FSA. |
| Pakistan | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto service providers regulated by PVARA since 2026. |
| Panama | Legal, lightly regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Panama, but there is no crypto licensing law; providers face only AML oversight. |
| Paraguay | Legal, lightly regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal to own, trade and mine in Paraguay, but there is no dedicated crypto law; providers face only AML and tax-reporting rules. |
| Peru | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto providers supervised for AML by UIF-Perú. |
| Philippines | Legal and regulated | Legal; exchanges need a BSP licence and SEC registration. |
| Poland | Legal and regulated | Legal; gains taxed at 19%; the national MiCA licensing law has not yet passed. |
| Portugal | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Portugal, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from the Banco de Portugal. |
| Qatar | Restricted | Partly: individuals are not explicitly criminalised for holding bitcoin in Qatar, but banks are barred from crypto and crypto services are prohibited, including inside the Qatar Financial Centre. |
| Romania | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Romania, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from the ASF. |
| Russia | Legal and regulated | Partly: since 1 September 2026 Russians can legally buy and hold crypto through Bank of Russia-regulated intermediaries (retail capped at 300,000 rubles a year per intermediary), but paying for goods and services with it inside Russia remains banned. |
| Saudi Arabia | Restricted | Partly: owning bitcoin is not explicitly illegal in Saudi Arabia, but no crypto exchange is licensed and banks are told not to deal in it, so access is only through foreign platforms at your own risk. |
| Serbia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Serbia, and crypto service providers must be licensed by the National Bank of Serbia. |
| Singapore | Legal and regulated | Legal; MAS-licensed providers; no capital gains tax. |
| Slovakia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Slovakia, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from the National Bank of Slovakia. |
| Slovenia | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Slovenia, and crypto service providers need a MiCA licence from the Securities Market Agency. |
| South Africa | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto exchanges licensed by the FSCA. |
| South Korea | Legal and regulated | Legal; exchanges registered with KoFIU; a tax on gains is set for 2027. |
| Spain | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Spain, and since 1 July 2026 crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from the CNMV. |
| Sri Lanka | Legal, lightly regulated | Unregulated; the SEC has been named as the future regulator. |
| Sweden | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Sweden, and crypto platforms need a MiCA licence from Finansinspektionen. |
| Switzerland | Legal and regulated | Legal; FINMA oversight; private capital gains tax-free; wealth tax applies. |
| Taiwan | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Taiwan; exchanges must register with the FSC for AML, and a new Virtual Asset Service Act (passed June 2026) brings full licensing. |
| Tanzania | Legal, lightly regulated | Partly: Tanzania's central bank does not recognise crypto and warns against it, but it is not criminalised, it has been taxed since July 2024, and a 2024 High Court ruling upheld crypto deals. |
| Thailand | Legal and regulated | Legal to trade on SEC-licensed exchanges; crypto payments are banned. |
| Tunisia | Banned | No: Tunisia's central bank and foreign-exchange rules prohibit buying, selling and using crypto, although a draft foreign-exchange code would allow it under licence. |
| Turkey | Legal and regulated | Legal to own and trade through licensed platforms, but paying for goods with crypto has been banned since 2021. |
| UAE | Legal and regulated | Legal; providers licensed by VARA, the SCA or ADGM. |
| UK | Legal and regulated | Legal; crypto firms registered with the FCA; gains subject to Capital Gains Tax. |
| Uganda | Legal, lightly regulated | Yes: owning and trading crypto is legal in Uganda at your own risk, but there is no licensing law yet; the central bank says it is not legal tender. |
| Ukraine | Legal, lightly regulated | Yes: owning and trading crypto is legal in Ukraine, but there is still no working licensing regime, because the 2022 Law on Virtual Assets never came into force and the replacement bill has not been finally adopted. |
| United States | Legal and regulated | Legal; taxed as property by the IRS; rules for exchanges and kiosks vary by state. |
| Uruguay | Legal and regulated | Yes: bitcoin is legal in Uruguay, and crypto service providers must be authorised by the Central Bank (BCU). |
| Uzbekistan | Legal and regulated | Yes: Uzbek residents may buy and sell crypto, but only through locally licensed providers overseen by the National Agency of Perspective Projects. |
| Vietnam | Legal, lightly regulated | Not a means of payment; a pilot for licensed exchanges is under way. |
| Zimbabwe | Legal and regulated | Yes: Zimbabwe now permits crypto businesses that register with the Financial Intelligence Unit (since June 2026), though crypto is not legal tender. |
Countries with a full bitcoin price page on this site link to it (legal status, regulator and tax are in its guide). Status is our summary of each country's rules; check with the regulator or a qualified adviser before acting. Not legal or tax advice.
Is Bitcoin Legal? FAQ
Is bitcoin legal?
In most countries, yes: owning, buying and selling bitcoin is legal, and gains are usually taxed. A growing number require exchanges to be licensed (in the EU under MiCA). 10 of the 98 countries here ban it: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Myanmar, Nepal, Tunisia.
Is bitcoin legal tender anywhere?
Not in the sense of shops having to accept it. El Salvador made bitcoin legal tender in 2021 but changed the law in January 2025 so that accepting it is voluntary, and the Central African Republic, which adopted it in 2022, reversed that in 2023.
Where is bitcoin banned?
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Myanmar, Nepal, Tunisia. In some of these, holding it is a criminal offence (Algeria since 2025); in others the ban is aimed at trading, payments and mining.
What does "restricted" mean here?
Owning bitcoin is not itself illegal, but banks are barred from dealing with crypto, crypto payments are banned, or there are no licensed exchanges — so buying it is hard or risky.
Related: bitcoin tax by country · travelling with bitcoin · countries that own bitcoin · bitcoin rules by US state