Why we ask for your nationality, identification number and tax details – Help Center

European regulations, specifically MiCA and DAC8, require certain information from every user. We therefore ask you to confirm your nationality, provide a personal identification number and complete your tax details. For most users, this largely involves confirming information we already hold.

Which details do we ask for and why?

MiCA

MiCA is the European regulation under which crypto platforms such as Bitvavo are licensed. It requires us to hold an identification number for every user, in a format that depends on nationality, so that we can identify you correctly should a regulator request information about our users. Under MiCA, we need the following:

Your personal identification number: The identifier we are required to hold for you as a user, derived from your nationality and the number of an official document such as a passport or ID card. Where your existing document contains what we need, we complete this field for you.
Your nationality: We may already hold a nationality from your identity document and ask you to confirm it.

DAC8

DAC8 is a European directive on tax transparency. From 2027, all crypto platforms in the EU are required to report certain user information to their national tax authority. For Bitvavo, this is the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst). This is why we need your tax identification number, your country or countries of tax residency, your home address, and your place and country of birth. Under DAC8, we ask for your tax details:

Your tax identification number,
The country or countries where you are a tax resident,
Your place and country of birth,
Your home address.

Read more about these tax details in How do I provide my tax information on Bitvavo?

How to complete your details

Open the Bitvavo app or log in at bitvavo.com.
You will see a notification or banner asking you to review your details. Tap or click it.
Check the details that have already been filled in. Is anything incorrect or missing? Update or complete it.
Confirm your details.

Don’t see a notification? Then everything is complete and you don’t need to do anything. You don’t need to upload your identity document again.

Where to find these details

Your personal identification number

This is not the same as your tax identification number. We derive it from your nationality and the document number of an official document, so you do not need to look up a new number or upload your document again. Select your nationality and document type, and enter the document number as printed. Where we already hold the required information, you will not be asked for it.

Your tax identification number

This is the number your national tax authority uses to identify you. Its name differs from country to country:

Country	What it is called	Where to find it
Netherlands	BSN (burgerservicenummer) 9 digits	Your passport, Dutch ID card or driving license, or correspondence from the Belastingdienst
Germany	IdNr (Steueridentifikationsnummer) 11 digits	Correspondence from the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern. It is not printed on identity documents
France	Numéro fiscal de référence (SPI)	Your pre-printed income tax declaration, or a tax notice (avis d'impôt)
Italy	Codice fiscale	Your codice fiscale card or health card (tessera sanitaria)
Spain	NIF (citizens) or NIE (foreign residents)	Your DNI, electronic ID card, TIE, driving license or tax identification card
Belgium	Rijksregisternummer / numéro de registre national	The reverse of your Belgian ID card, your social security card, or your residence permit

Note: enter the number exactly as it appears on your document. For other countries, and for images showing where the number appears on each document, see our article on where to find your tax identification number. You can also look up your country on the European Commission’s Tax Identification Number (TIN) portal.

What happens if these details are missing

Your tax details are required. We ask you to complete them within 60 days of receiving our email. The date by which you need to do this is in the email you received. If your details are still missing after that date, we are obliged to restrict your account. While your account is restricted, you won’t be able to use Bitvavo fully.

Your crypto and euros remain yours at all times, and full access is restored immediately once your tax details are complete.

How your information is protected

We only request information we are legally required to hold, and we use it solely for that purpose. Your details are stored securely, with the same safeguards we apply to your identity verification data, and we do not share them with any party other than the authorities legally entitled to receive them. Your tax details will be included in the report we are required to submit to the Dutch Tax Administration. Further information is available in our Privacy Notice.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if my tax details are missing?

Your tax details are required. If we have not received them yet, we will send you a reminder with the date by which they need to be completed. If they remain outstanding after that date, we are obliged to restrict your account. You won’t be able to use Bitvavo fully until your tax details are complete. Your crypto and euros remain yours at all times, and full access is restored as soon as your tax details are complete.

Why is this being asked now, when I have been a user for some time?

MiCA and DAC8 are recent European regulations, and they apply to existing users as well as to new ones.

Does every crypto platform have to do this?

Yes. All crypto platforms licensed in the European Union are subject to the same obligations.

I have already provided my ID. Why is additional information needed?

Some of what we are now required to hold does not appear on an identity document. Where the information is available from your document, we have already completed it for you. Open the app or log in at bitvavo.com. Don’t see a notification? Then everything is complete and you don’t need to do anything.

Is it possible to skip this?

Your tax details are required. If they remain outstanding, your account will be restricted and you won’t be able to use Bitvavo fully. Your nationality and personal identification number are also required. No restriction applies to these at the moment, but we will keep asking for them until we receive them.

What if I pay tax in more than one country?

You can add more than one country of tax residency during the process.

Why confirm my nationality if you already hold it?

It is possible to hold more than one nationality, and our records may only reflect the one printed on your document. Your nationality also determines which personal identification number is required.

Do I need to provide my BSN?

Yes, if you are a tax resident in the Netherlands. Under the European DAC8 directive, we are required to record your tax identification number and pass it on to the Belastingdienst. In the Netherlands, this is your BSN. You enter it in your tax details.

Your tax details are required. If they remain outstanding after the date stated in our messages, we are obliged to restrict your account until your details are complete.

I covered my BSN during identity verification. Why are you asking for it now?

You may cover your BSN on your identity document during verification. We are, however, required to record your BSN for DAC8. If we could not read your BSN from your identity document, we ask you to enter it in your tax details.

I have already completed my details, but still received an email. Why?

The email may already have been on its way when you completed your details. No longer seeing a notification in the app or at bitvavo.com? Then everything is in order and you can ignore the email.

What does the self-declaration mean?

It is a legal declaration that the tax details you have entered are correct and complete. Please review them before confirming.

What if my details change at a later date?

Please contact us and we will help you update them.

Is my account at risk?

Your crypto and euros remain yours at all times. If your account is restricted because your tax details are outstanding, you won’t be able to use Bitvavo fully in the meantime. The restriction is lifted as soon as your details are complete. To avoid this, please complete your details before the date stated in our messages.

Is the email asking me to complete my account genuine, or is it a scam?

The email "Complete your account" is genuine and sent by Bitvavo. European regulations (MiCA and DAC8) require us to hold certain information about every user, which is why we ask you to complete your account details before the date stated in the email.

To be sure you are in the right place, you do not need to use the button in the email. Open the Bitvavo app or log in at bitvavo.com yourself. If any details are missing, you will see a request to complete your account there.

Please note that you do not need to upload your identity document again. Bitvavo will never ask for your password or 2FA code, and will never ask you to transfer crypto or euros to another address. Our emails always come from an address ending in @bitvavo.com, @info.bitvavo.com or @news.bitvavo.com. Set up an anti-phishing code to make our emails even easier to recognize.