Bulgaria has become one of the first European Union countries to write a concrete deadline into its own crypto tax law, forcing every licensed exchange and wallet provider operating on its soil to hand over customer records to the state. The vote landed on September 9, and it did so with almost no political friction — a rare moment of consensus in a parliament that rarely agrees on much. For crypto users in the country, the message is blunt: the tax office is about to know exactly who is trading what.
Key takeaways
- Bulgaria’s National Assembly passed crypto reporting amendments with 149 votes in favor, none against, and 10 abstentions on September 9.
- Crypto providers must report customer identities, tax residency, and full transaction details to the National Revenue Agency.
- The law transposes the EU’s DAC8 directive, more than eight months after the bloc’s December 31, 2025 deadline.
- Data collection started January 1, 2026, with the first full reports due in 2027.
- Non-compliant customers risk account restrictions after two reminders and a 60-day compliance window.
Bulgaria’s Parliamentary Approval of Crypto Tax Reporting Amendments
Bulgaria’s parliament approved the amendments almost unanimously, signaling that crypto tax reporting has moved from a technical EU obligation to settled domestic policy. Lawmakers in the 240-seat National Assembly backed the bill by a wide margin, and no faction pushed back publicly against the substance of the reform.
The Vote and Legislative Process
The bill passed its second and final reading with 149 votes in favor, none against, and 10 abstentions. It was introduced by the Cabinet as an amendment to the Tax and Social Security Procedure Code, and the lopsided result suggests Bulgarian lawmakers saw little upside in delaying compliance any further, given how late the country already was.
What the Amendments Change
The core change is straightforward: crypto companies operating in Bulgaria must register with the National Revenue Agency and start feeding it customer and transaction data on an ongoing basis. Enforcement of the new rules stays with Bulgaria’s own tax authorities, who will apply penalties under existing domestic tax law rather than a newly created enforcement regime.
Key Requirements for Crypto Providers and Reporting Scope
Under the Bulgaria crypto tax law, licensed providers now carry reporting duties that cover nearly every transaction touching their platforms, with no minimum threshold exempting small trades.
Customer Data and Transaction Reporting
For every customer, providers are required to report the name, address, birth date and place, tax identification number, and country of tax residence. On top of identity data, companies must disclose the type of crypto asset involved, the total gross amount from transactions, and the number of units traded. Reporting covers purchases, sales, transfers, and exchanges — including deals made purely with fiat currency and crypto-to-crypto trades that don’t touch cash at all, closing a gap where those swaps might otherwise slip through unnoticed.
Self-Custody Wallets and Compliance Deadlines
Withdrawals sent to external addresses linked to self-custody wallets can still land in a provider’s report, since the transaction passes through a registered platform before it leaves. Activity that stays entirely inside a self-custody wallet, without ever touching a licensed provider, falls outside continuous reporting obligations.
Crypto providers began collecting the required information starting January 1, 2026. Existing customers generally have until January 1, 2027, to supply valid tax-residency details, and providers must send two reminders and allow a 60-day window before restricting accounts that stay non-compliant. Reports covering the 2026 calendar year are due at the tax agency by June 30, 2027 — the first full filing cycle under the new system.
Bulgaria’s Place in the EU and Global Tax Framework
Bulgaria’s law brings the country into line with an EU-wide push to track crypto income the same way banks already track interest and dividends, though the timing puts Bulgaria well behind the original schedule.
DAC8 and Cross-Border Data Exchange
The amendments transpose the EU’s DAC8 directive into Bulgarian law, arriving more than eight months after the December 31, 2025 deadline member states faced to pass equivalent legislation. Once fully operational, tax authorities across EU member states and partner jurisdictions will exchange information on crypto users to flag unreported income or gains, with automatic sharing between EU states expected to begin by September 30, 2027. The European Commission has framed the effort as a response to how easily cross-border crypto activity can slip past national tax authorities acting alone.
Relation to OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework
Bulgaria’s rules will run alongside the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, the parallel international standard coordinated by the OECD, which began collecting data across 48 jurisdictions at the start of 2026. This dual-track setup, one obligation flowing from EU law and one from an OECD-backed global standard, mirrors the layered approach many other member states are adopting as crypto tax compliance becomes standard practice rather than an afterthought.
Why the Delay and Timing Matter
Bulgaria’s eight-month lag behind the EU’s own deadline is worth pausing on. It leaves a window where Bulgarian providers were technically out of step with peers in other member states that transposed DAC8 on schedule, even as data collection itself started on the EU’s intended date of January 1, 2026. That mismatch between legal transposition and operational start illustrates how member states can run behind on paperwork while still keeping the underlying reporting machinery moving. For crypto companies weighing where to base European operations, the episode is a reminder that regulatory alignment on paper and regulatory readiness in practice don’t always arrive together.
FAQ
What are the main reporting obligations imposed on crypto companies under the new Bulgarian law?
Crypto companies must register with Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency and report detailed customer identity, tax residency, and all transaction data including purchases, sales, transfers, and exchanges involving fiat or crypto assets.
When did crypto providers in Bulgaria start collecting the required reporting information?
Crypto providers began collecting the required information on January 1, 2026, with the first full reporting year expected in 2027.
How does the law address transactions involving self-custody wallets?
Withdrawals to external addresses linked to self-custody wallets may be reported by crypto providers, but transactions conducted entirely within self-custody wallets are excluded from continuous reporting.
What are the consequences for crypto users who fail to provide required tax information?
Non-compliant customers may face account restrictions after the crypto providers send two reminders and allow a 60-day compliance window.
Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.