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Quick answer — Bulgaria, 2026

• Legal: Legal to own and trade, not legal tender
• Tax: Gains taxed at flat 10 percent income tax
• Buying: Via MiCA-authorised exchanges, in euro

Bulgaria is a European Union member state and, since 1 January 2026, a member of the euro area, having adopted the euro in place of the Bulgarian lev (at the fixed rate of EUR 1 = BGN 1.95583). This matters for anyone using cryptocurrency in the country, because Bulgaria's crypto rules are now shaped mainly by directly applicable EU law and its national implementing act rather than by a standalone, crypto-specific national framework built from scratch. Buying, holding, selling and mining Bitcoin and other crypto-assets is legal in Bulgaria, and the sector is regulated under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) together with Bulgaria's national Markets in Crypto-Assets Act, which entered into force on 8 July 2025.

This page explains, in plain terms, the current legal status of crypto in Bulgaria, who regulates it, how it is generally taxed, and practical points about exchanges, registration, mining and consumer protection. This is general information as of 2026 and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, deadlines and rates change, so verify specifics with the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC), the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) and the National Revenue Agency (NRA), or with a licensed Bulgarian professional, before acting. For background you can also read our crypto regulation guide and our crypto taxes overview.

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Yes. Owning, buying, selling and trading Bitcoin and other crypto-assets is legal in Bulgaria. There is no ban on private individuals or businesses holding or transacting in crypto, and there are no broad foreign-exchange or capital controls that prohibit it. As an EU member that joined the euro area in 2026, Bulgaria applies the EU's harmonised rules on crypto-asset services, anti-money-laundering (AML) and financial markets.

What crypto is not in Bulgaria is legal tender. The only legal currency is the euro; the lev ceased to be legal tender from 1 February 2026. Merchants may choose to accept Bitcoin voluntarily, but no one is obliged to accept it as payment, and crypto carries no state guarantee. In practice crypto is treated as a private asset and, when offered as a service, a regulated financial activity, not as money issued by the state.

Supervision is split between three authorities, each with a defined role:

AML supervision and suspicious-activity reporting involve the State Agency for National Security through its Financial Intelligence Directorate (FID). The FSC has published guidance and a frequently-asked-questions section to explain how it applies MiCA in practice, available on its official site: FSC: Crypto-assets (MiCA) FAQ.

Bulgaria's crypto regulation rests on two layers: directly applicable EU regulation, and Bulgarian implementing law.

• MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114): The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation applies directly in all member states, including Bulgaria. It sets harmonised rules for CASPs such as exchanges, custodians and brokers, and for issuers of asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens, covering authorisation, governance, disclosures and consumer protection. You can read the official text on EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA).
• National implementing act: The Bulgarian Parliament adopted the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act (the BG MiCA Act) on 20 June 2025; it entered into force on 8 July 2025. It designates the competent authorities, sets administrative procedures and sanctions, and governs public offerings of crypto-assets, their admission to trading, and the licensing and supervision of CASPs.
• AML/KYC: Before MiCA, crypto businesses were registered under the Measures Against Money Laundering Act regime, then supervised in connection with the National Revenue Agency. The new framework moved crypto from a simple registration system to a comprehensive licensing regime under the FSC, while AML obligations continue to apply.

Because the licensing regime is new and timelines can shift, always confirm current details against the FSC's official publications rather than relying on secondary summaries.

Under MiCA and the BG MiCA Act, any firm offering crypto-asset services to Bulgarian customers on a professional basis (for example exchange between crypto and fiat or between crypto-assets, custody, operating a trading platform, order execution or advice) must be authorised as a crypto-asset service provider (CASP). Authorisation in Bulgaria is granted by the FSC; a CASP licensed in any EU member state can also serve Bulgarian residents through MiCA's passporting mechanism after notifying its home regulator.

A transitional (grandfathering) period applies. Providers that were already entered in the National Revenue Agency's virtual-asset service provider register before 30 December 2024 could continue the activity for which they were registered only until 1 July 2026, under paragraph 3(1) of the transitional provisions of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act. That window closed on 1 July 2026 and was not extended. The FSC has confirmed that an unlicensed provider has no right to provide new services and may carry out crypto-asset transactions only in connection with the way the client chooses to end the relationship, and that it must prepare a plan for ceasing its activity and help clients move assets to a licensed provider, keep them in their own wallet, or close their positions. The FSC granted Bulgaria's first MiCA CASP authorisation by decision of 22 December 2025, to Alaric Securities OOD, an existing Bulgarian investment intermediary, and announced it on 8 January 2026. By August 2026 four Bulgarian firms appeared in the FSC register of licensed providers: Alaric Securities OOD, Belayer OOD (28 April 2026), and Altcoins BG EOOD and Digital Assist OOD (both 21 July 2026). By early February 2026 eight firms had applied and the FSC had refused four at the completeness stage; the head of its directorate for investment intermediaries and crypto-asset service providers said those files were missing between 60 and 70 percent of the required documents. There is no longer a transitional process to be in. Since 1 July 2026 a provider is either authorised or it may not serve you, so check the name against the FSC register of licensed providers, the FSC list of notifications received from firms licensed in other EU member states, and the ESMA MiCA register. Do not rely on the FSC register under paragraph 5(3) of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act: the FSC labels that list as persons who are not licensed and have no right to provide crypto-asset services. The FSC maintains official registers; see the Financial Supervision Commission and its registers and checks section. For a broader view of how licensing differs by country, see our global regulation hub.

Bulgaria does not have separate crypto-specific tax legislation; the National Revenue Agency applies the general tax rules, and it has stated that profits from trading cryptocurrencies are taxable. For individuals, gains from disposing of crypto-assets are generally treated as income from the sale of financial assets and taxed at Bulgaria's flat personal income tax rate of 10 percent, which is among the lowest in the EU.

• Taxable events: Selling crypto for fiat and exchanging one crypto-asset for another are generally taxable; mining and staking rewards are typically taxed as income at their value when received. Simply holding crypto is not, by itself, a taxable event.
• Net gain: The National Revenue Agency calculates the gain or loss on each transaction as the sale price less the acquisition price of the asset. The year's gains less the year's losses give the taxable amount, which is then reduced by 10 percent statutory recognised expenses under Article 33(3) of the Personal Income Tax Act. No advance tax is due during the year on this income. Losses can be set against gains in the same category within the same calendar year, but they are not carried forward to later years; an unused loss expires at year end.
• Filing: Individuals report crypto gains on the annual income tax return, on the appendix for income from the disposal of financial assets (Appendix 5), generally by 30 April of the year following the gains, and should keep transaction records.

The rate turns on how the National Revenue Agency characterises your activity. Occasional disposals by an individual are taxed at the flat 10 percent rate and reported in Appendix 5 of the annual return. If you trade as a merchant within the meaning of the Commerce Act, the financial-asset rules do not apply even if you never registered a business: taxable income is then determined under the sole-trader rules, reported in Appendix 2, and taxed at 15 percent. Confirm your situation with the National Revenue Agency (NRA) or a licensed Bulgarian tax adviser. This is general information, not tax advice; see also our crypto taxes guide.

Crypto-asset service providers are obliged entities under Bulgaria's anti-money-laundering framework, which implements the EU AML directives. In practice this means:

• Customer due diligence (KYC): Providers must identify and verify customers, typically requiring an official ID document and often proof of address; enhanced due diligence applies to higher-risk customers.
• Ongoing monitoring: Transactions are monitored for unusual patterns, and providers must keep detailed records.
• Reporting: Suspicious activity is reported to the Financial Intelligence Directorate (FID).

For users, this means you should expect full identity verification when opening accounts on compliant exchanges, and that larger or unusual activity may trigger additional checks. The EU's Transfer of Funds (travel rule) requirements also apply to crypto transfers handled by regulated providers, attaching originator and beneficiary information to transactions.

Bulgarian residents can buy crypto on EU-authorised and international exchanges, through brokers, and via peer-to-peer platforms. A typical, compliant route looks like this:

• Choose a regulated provider: Use a MiCA-authorised provider. Since 1 July 2026 there is no transitional status to rely on, so check the firm in the FSC register of licensed providers, in the FSC list of notifications from firms licensed elsewhere in the EU, or in the ESMA MiCA register.
• Open and verify your account: Complete KYC with an ID document and, usually, proof of address.
• Fund in euro: Since the euro changeover, deposits, withdrawals and pricing are normally in euro, with SEPA bank transfers and cards the usual on-ramps.
• Place your order and review fees: Compare trading fees, spreads and withdrawal costs before confirming.
• Decide on custody: Leave assets with the platform for convenience, or withdraw to a private wallet you control (hardware wallets offer stronger security).
• Keep records: Save transaction histories and cost-basis details for your tax return.

Self-custody (holding your own private keys) remains legal and widely used. Bitcoin ATMs and peer-to-peer trades exist in larger cities but generally cost more and carry extra counterparty or fraud risk, so a regulated exchange is usually cheaper and better for record-keeping.

Bitcoin mining is legal in Bulgaria. There is no specific prohibition on running mining hardware, and the activity is treated like any other business that consumes electricity and generates taxable income.

• Electricity cost and supply: Profitability depends heavily on power prices, which have been volatile across Europe. Bulgaria has a mix of nuclear, coal, hydro and growing renewables; miners should secure realistic, contracted rates rather than assume cheap power.
• Tax and registration: Mining rewards are generally taxable income at the 10 percent rate, recognised at their value when received. If carried out as a business, normal registration, accounting and tax obligations apply.
• Grid and environmental rules: Larger operations may face grid-connection requirements and scrutiny over energy use, and EU-level sustainability disclosure expectations for crypto activity are increasing.

Mining is the case where the 10 percent rate most often does not apply. The National Revenue Agency gives buying specialised computer systems to mine crypto with a view to systematic profit from selling it as its own example of activity carried on by occupation, which makes the person a merchant under the Commerce Act. Taxable income is then determined under the sole-trader rules at 15 percent and reported in Appendix 2 rather than Appendix 5.

The last two years brought two major changes for crypto in Bulgaria:

• National MiCA implementation (2025): The Markets in Crypto-Assets Act was adopted on 20 June 2025 and entered into force on 8 July 2025, moving crypto from AML-based registration to FSC-supervised licensing. The FSC opened MiCA licensing and, on 28 January 2026, published an extensive FAQ for firms seeking authorisation, covering service categories, application requirements, governance, operational-presence expectations and the transitional arrangements.
• First MiCA licence (2026): Bulgaria's first MiCA authorisation was granted to Alaric Securities OOD by FSC decision No. 783 of 22 December 2025 and announced by the FSC on 8 January 2026. Three more followed: Belayer OOD on 28 April 2026, and Altcoins BG EOOD and Digital Assist OOD on 21 July 2026. Providers grandfathered from the pre-2025 register must still obtain their own FSC licence before the transitional window closes on 1 July 2026.
• Euro adoption (2026): Bulgaria joined the euro area on 1 January 2026, becoming the 21st member; the lev and euro circulated in parallel for cash during January 2026, and from 1 February 2026 the euro became the sole legal tender. As a result, fiat on-ramps and pricing for crypto are now in euro.

The transitional period ended on 1 July 2026. Of the 214 firms on the register the FSC took over from the National Revenue Agency, about 170 remained after deregistrations, eight had applied by early February 2026, and two held a licence when the deadline passed. Two more were licensed on 21 July 2026. The live item is now tax reporting rather than licensing: Bulgaria missed the 31 December 2025 deadline to transpose the EU DAC8 directive, received a European Commission letter of formal notice on 30 January 2026, and the transposing amendment to the Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code was approved by the Budget and Finance Committee on 2 July 2026 but had not completed second reading or been promulgated by early August 2026.

MiCA raises the standards expected of authorised providers (on governance, disclosures, custody and complaints handling), but it does not guarantee the value of any crypto-asset or protect you from market losses. Key risks remain:

• Market volatility: Prices can rise or fall sharply; you can lose part or all of your money.
• Scams and fraud: Fake exchanges, phishing, impersonation and "guaranteed return" schemes are common. Be wary of unsolicited offers and never share private keys or seed phrases.
• Custody and platform risk: Funds held on a platform depend on its security and solvency.
• Irreversibility: On-chain transactions generally cannot be reversed if sent in error or to a scammer.
• Regulatory and tax change: The licensing transition is finished, but the tax reporting rules are not. A bill transposing the EU crypto reporting directive into the Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code was still before parliament in August 2026 and would require Bulgarian providers to report each user and their transaction totals to the National Revenue Agency by 30 June each year.

A sensible approach is to use authorised providers, invest only what you can afford to lose, understand what you are buying, and consider speaking with a licensed Bulgarian financial adviser before committing significant funds. You can check whether a provider is authorised or warned about through the FSC's official registers and notices.

Because this is sensitive financial and legal information that changes over time, always confirm the current position with primary, official sources rather than third-party summaries:

• Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) and its Crypto-assets (MiCA) FAQ for CASP authorisation, registers and supervisory guidance.
• Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) for e-money tokens and payments matters.
• National Revenue Agency (NRA) for taxation and reporting of crypto income and gains.
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) for the EU regulation itself.

This page is general information as of 2026 and is not legal, tax or financial advice; verify your specific situation with the named official regulators, in particular the FSC, or with a licensed Bulgarian professional before acting.

Facts reviewed: 12 August 2026. Page updated: 12 August 2026.

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