Crypto-assets have long had a reputation for escaping the tax authorities’ notice. Two European texts change the picture: the “Travel Rule”, applicable since 30 December 2024, and the DAC8 directive, which from 2026 organises the collection and automatic exchange of information on crypto-asset transactions.
These texts do not change French tax rules, but they increase the information available to the tax authorities. This article recalls the French rules applicable to individuals and presents the new obligations of platforms and their practical effects. The tax rules are detailed on the page on cryptocurrency taxation. Each situation deserves to be analysed, ideally with a lawyer.
In brief
- In France, an individual’s gain on crypto-assets is in principle taxable on a disposal for legal tender or for goods or services; exchanges between crypto-assets are in principle neutral.
- It is in principle taxed under the 31.4% flat tax for disposals made since 2025, unless the progressive scale is opted for; disposals are declared on form no. 2086 and accounts opened with foreign platforms on form no. 3916-bis.
- Since 30 December 2024, the Travel Rule requires providers to transmit the identity of the sender and the beneficiary of crypto-asset transfers.
- The DAC8 directive provides that platforms collect, from 2026, information on their users and their transactions, transmitted to the tax authorities from 2027.
- These rules make transactions more visible to the tax authorities; keeping supporting documents and, where appropriate, reviewing past years with a lawyer may be useful.
Contents
French rules in brief
For an individual who manages their assets without a professional activity, the main rules are as follows:
| Transaction | Tax treatment in principle |
|---|---|
| Sale of crypto-assets for euros or another legal tender | Taxable gain |
| Purchase of goods or services paid for in crypto-assets, including with a crypto-backed card | Taxable gain |
| Exchange of one crypto-asset for another | Neutral transaction: no immediate taxation |
| Disposals in the year totalling no more than €305 | Gains exempt |
| Transactions carried out in conditions similar to those of a professional | Taxation as non-commercial profits (see the line between individual and professional) |
The gain is in principle taxed under the 31.4% flat tax for disposals made since 2025 (12.8% income tax and 18.6% social security contributions; 30% previously), unless an overall option is made for the progressive scale. Disposals are in principle declared on form no. 2086, the result being carried over to boxes 3AN or 3BN of return no. 2042 C, and accounts opened with platforms established abroad on form no. 3916-bis (see how to declare cryptocurrencies).
The Travel Rule: identified transfers
Regulation (EU) 2023/1113, applicable since 30 December 2024, extends to crypto-assets the rule already applied to bank transfers. In practice:
- every transfer of crypto-assets between providers is accompanied by information on the sender and the beneficiary, with no minimum threshold;
- transfers to or from personal wallets (self-custody) give rise to the collection of information and, above €1,000, to verifications;
- providers keep this information, which may be requested by the authorities in the exercise of their powers.
DAC8: an automatic exchange of information
Directive (EU) 2023/2226 of 17 October 2023, known as DAC8, extends to crypto-assets the automatic exchange of information between tax authorities. From 1 January 2026, crypto-asset service providers collect information on their users, transmitted to the authorities from 2027 for the year 2026, then every year:
- the identity of users, with their tax identification number and country of residence;
- the gross amounts of acquisitions and disposals, grouped by type of crypto-asset;
- transfers, in particular to external wallets;
- certain information on payments made in crypto-assets.
This information does not directly give the taxable gain, which is still calculated by the taxpayer under French rules; it does, however, allow the tax authorities to compare the transactions reported by platforms with taxpayers’ returns.
What this changes in practice
Such comparisons may make it easier to detect omissions: undeclared gains, undeclared accounts opened abroad, inconsistencies between assets and income. In the event of an audit, an omission may lead to a tax reassessment with late-payment interest and, depending on the case, a 10%, 40% or 80% surcharge.
For an undeclared digital asset account opened abroad, a fine of €750 per account, raised to €1,500 where its value exceeds €50,000, may also apply, and the period during which the tax authorities may claim the tax may be extended (see the declaration of foreign cryptocurrency accounts). Where past transactions have not been declared, regularisation may, depending on the case, be considered; its terms deserve to be examined with a lawyer.
What could happen from the end of 2027, once the tax authorities have received the first information from platforms, is set out, in the light of the precedent of foreign bank accounts, in the article crypto-assets and DAC 8: letters from the tax authorities as early as the end of 2027?
Useful supporting documents
The calculation of the gain is in principle based on the total acquisition price of the portfolio and on the history of transactions. The following items are generally useful, in particular in the event of an audit:
- exports of the transactions from each platform (CSV files);
- the history of purchases and disposals, with fees;
- bank statements corresponding to deposits and withdrawals;
- traceability of transfers between wallets;
- the detailed calculation of the gains declared.
The timetable
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 30 December 2024 | Entry into application of the Travel Rule for crypto-asset transfers |
| 1 January 2026 | Start of the collection of information by providers under DAC8 |
| 2027 | First automatic exchanges between tax authorities, for 2026 transactions |
The Travel Rule and DAC8 do not create a new tax, but they make crypto-asset transactions more visible. An analysis with a lawyer generally makes it possible to check returns, gather supporting documents and, where appropriate, examine the situation for past years.
FAQ
Does DAC8 create a new tax on crypto-assets?
No. It organises the collection and automatic exchange of information between tax authorities; the tax rules remain those of French law.
Are exchanges between crypto-assets taxable?
In principle no: taxation arises on a disposal for legal tender or for goods or services. Exchanges between crypto-assets are in principle neutral.
Is an account opened with a foreign platform declared even without disposals?
In principle yes: a digital asset account opened, held, used or closed with a provider established abroad is declared every year on form no. 3916-bis, whether or not there have been disposals.
Are personal wallets concerned?
A personal wallet, held without an intermediary, is in principle not an account to be declared on form no. 3916-bis. Disposals made from that wallet remain in principle taxable, and transfers with platforms give rise to information under the Travel Rule.
What can happen in the event of an omission?
A tax reassessment with late-payment interest and, depending on the case, surcharges; for an undeclared foreign account, a fine and an extended reassessment period. Regularisation may, depending on the case, be considered; its terms deserve to be examined with a lawyer.
Read more
- Exchanging crypto for stablecoins: taxable from 2027?
- Crypto-assets and DAC 8: letters from the tax authorities as early as the end of 2027?
- Cryptocurrency Taxation
- How to Declare Your Cryptocurrencies?
- Declaring Foreign Cryptocurrency Accounts in France
- Crypto Taxes: Individual or Professional, Where Is the Line?
- Crypto-Assets and Tax in France: What the Cour des Comptes Really Says, and How to Prepare
