Is crypto legal in Bulgaria?

Yes, crypto is legal in Bulgaria. People can own and trade bitcoin and other crypto, and the restrictions fall on businesses that provide crypto services without a licence. As of October 2026, the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) licenses those firms under the EU's MiCA rules and a national law passed in 2025.

Is bitcoin legal in Bulgaria?

Yes. A 2026 Chambers practice guide says Bulgaria does not prohibit crypto assets as such. The limits apply to specific conduct, such as offering regulated services without authorisation, misleading marketing, money laundering and market abuse.

Bitcoin is not legal tender, the same guide notes. Parties can agree to use crypto as payment, but it must be valued, accounted for and taxed in euros or another official currency, and base salaries must be paid in money. Gains on selling crypto are taxed as income from financial assets, as set out in how crypto is taxed in Bulgaria.

What is Bulgaria's crypto law?

The EU's MiCA regulation applies directly. Bulgaria's parliament adopted the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act on June 20, 2025 to put it into practice, CMS reported. The FSC licenses and supervises crypto service providers and most token issuers, while the Bulgarian National Bank oversees e-money token issuers that are banks or e-money institutions.

The law gives the FSC strong tools. Wolf Theiss notes fines for a first serious breach can reach the higher of 15 million lev or 7.5% of global annual turnover, and CMS says the FSC can block websites, restrict social media profiles and order apps removed.

Before MiCA, crypto firms registered with the National Revenue Agency (NRA) under anti-money laundering rules. Bulgaria chose the full 18-month transition, according to ESMA, so NRA-registered firms could keep operating domestically until July 1, 2026. Firms that registered later had to apply for a licence by October 8, 2025.

When the transition ended, the FSC said only licensed providers may offer crypto services in the EU. It had licensed two Bulgarian providers, which Economic.bg named as Alaric Securities and Biller. Firms licensed elsewhere in the EU can serve Bulgarians after notifying the FSC. Clients of unlicensed firms were told to move assets to a licensed provider or a personal wallet, or to close positions. Compare other countries in crypto regulation around the world.

Is crypto mining legal in Bulgaria?

Mining is not banned, and it is not one of the services MiCA licenses. The legal problems have come from how some miners got power. In 2019 the utility CEZ said crypto mining machines were among the most common illegal electricity users it found in western Bulgaria in 2018. Those cases concerned stolen power, not mining itself, and mining income is usually taxed as business income. See is crypto mining legal for other countries.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the regulator or a qualified professional for your own situation.