Which countries use bitcoin as legal tender?

Only two countries have adopted bitcoin as legal tender, and as of November 2026 neither treats it like an official currency that everyone must accept. El Salvador was first, in 2021. The Central African Republic followed in 2022 and reversed course a year later. Legal tender generally means money that must be accepted to settle a debt, which is why those reversals matter.

What was the first country to use bitcoin as legal tender?

El Salvador. Its Bitcoin Law took effect in September 2021 and originally required businesses to accept bitcoin alongside the US dollar. That changed with Decree 199, passed on January 29, 2025. The consolidated text still describes bitcoin as legal tender, but acceptance is voluntary and limited to individuals and wholly private companies, and public institutions are excluded, EFE reported via Swissinfo. Paying taxes in bitcoin was repealed.

The reform was a condition of a roughly $1.4 billion IMF arrangement approved in February 2025. The IMF said it requires tax payments in US dollars only and limits government purchases of bitcoin. The full story is in is bitcoin still legal tender in El Salvador.

What happened with Central African Republic bitcoin?

The Central African Republic (CAR) became the second country, and the first in Africa, to make bitcoin legal tender. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra signed the law in April 2022 after a unanimous vote, The Block reported, citing AFP. CAR does not issue its own currency and uses the CFA franc.

The move was controversial with partners in the regional monetary union. On March 23, 2023, CAR's legislature unanimously amended the 2022 law and repealed bitcoin's legal tender status, Central Banking reported. A separate law that year set up a framework for using bitcoin and a planned national token, Sango, for investment and the tokenisation of land and natural resources, Capital FM reported.

Which countries use crypto as legal tender today?

In the strict sense, none. El Salvador's law keeps the label but no longer forces anyone to accept bitcoin, and CAR dropped it. Many other countries allow people to own and trade crypto without making it money, and some ban it, as shown in is cryptocurrency legal and crypto regulation around the world.

Using bitcoin to pay is still possible wherever a seller agrees to it, which is a private choice rather than a legal duty. Whether crypto counts as money at all is covered in is cryptocurrency real money.

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