Cómo declarar criptomonedas en Francia
France applies a 30% "flat tax" on capital gains from digital assets, but only when you convert to euros or spend your cryptocurrencies: exchanges between crypto assets do not generate tax at the time of exchange.
Quick Tax Summary
- Tax type
- Capital gain on digital assets (PFU)
- Tipo aplicable
- 30% (12.8% tax + 17.2% social contributions)
- Tax-exempt minimum
- Total sales under 305 € per year are exempt
- Crypto-to-crypto
- No, crypto-to-crypto exchanges are deferred
- Staking y recompensas
- Taxed as income according to its nature
- Losses
- Offsettable against capital gains from digital assets in the same year
- Filing deadline
- May – June of the following year
- Formularios
- Form 2086 and appendix 3916-bis for foreign accounts
- Sanciones
- 750 € per undeclared foreign account, up to 1,500 € for large accounts
- Autoridad fiscal
- Direction générale des Finances publiques
Only conversion to euros is taxable
The taxable event is the transfer of digital assets in exchange for legal tender or a good or service. As long as you remain within the crypto ecosystem, taxation is deferred, which greatly simplifies accounting.
Capital gains are calculated using a proportional formula based on the total portfolio value at the time of sale, not transaction by transaction. You need to know your overall portfolio value and total acquisition cost.
Declare accounts on foreign exchanges
Every account opened on a platform domiciled outside France must be declared each year on form 3916-bis, even if it's empty or you haven't traded.
The penalty for omission is 750 € per account, a figure that rises to 1,500 € if the balance exceeds 50,000 €. This is the most frequent error among French taxpayers.
Before filing: have your history in order
The first step to a proper tax declaration is to download the complete transaction history from each platform you use. MiCA-licensed exchanges often provide ready-to-use annual reports, which significantly simplifies the filing process.
See exchanges with MiCA licenseFrequently Asked Questions
Other countries in the same region · Europe
This guide provides general information and does not constitute tax advice. Rules change frequently: always confirm details with your country's tax authority or a tax advisor.