Why we ask for your nationality, identification number and tax details
Summary: European regulations, specifically MiCA and DAC8, require Bitvavo to hold certain information about every account holder. We therefore ask you to confirm your nationality, provide a personal identification number, and complete your tax details. For most customers this takes around two minutes and largely involves confirming information we already hold.
Bitvavo is a licensed and regulated crypto platform in the European Union, and that license comes with requirements regarding the information we hold about our customers. Where our records are incomplete, you may be asked to complete one or more of the following details.
What we ask for
- Your nationality: We may already hold one nationality from your identity document and ask you to confirm it.
- Your personal identification number: The identifier we are required to hold for you as a customer, derived from your nationality and the number of an official document such as your passport or ID card. Where your existing document contains what we need, we complete this field for you.
- Your tax details: Your tax identification number, your country or countries of tax residency, your place and country of birth, and a confirmation that these details are correct and complete.
Why we need it
MiCA is the European regulation under which crypto platforms such as Bitvavo are licensed. It requires us to hold an identification number for every customer, in a format that depends on your nationality, so that we can identify you correctly should a regulator request information about our customers.
DAC8 is a European directive on tax transparency. From 2027, all crypto platforms in the EU are required to report certain customer 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, and your place and country of birth.
Where to find these details
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) | 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 |
Please 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 the tax identification number. You may also look up your country on the European Commission's Tax Identification Number (TIN) portal.
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.
What happens if these details are missing
Your crypto and euros remain yours at all times, and full access is restored immediately once your tax details are complete.
Your nationality and personal identification number are required as well, and we will continue to ask for them until we have received them. At present, no account limitation applies to these specific details. Completing them takes approximately one minute.
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 yet received them, we will send you a reminder. Where they remain outstanding 60 days after our first request, we are obliged to apply a temporary limitation. You can continue to sell your crypto and withdraw your euros, while purchases of crypto, euro deposits, and crypto deposits are paused. Your crypto and euros remain yours at all times, and full access is restored immediately once your tax details are complete.
Why is this being asked now, when I have been a customer for some time?
MiCA and DAC8 are recent European regulations, and they apply to existing customers 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 completed it for you.
Is it possible to skip this?
Your tax details are required, and a limitation applies 60 days after our first request if they remain outstanding. Your nationality and personal identification number are also required. No limitation applies to these at present, though we will continue to ask for 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.
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. If a limitation applies because your tax details are outstanding, you can still sell your crypto and withdraw your euros, and the limitation is lifted as soon as the details are completed.
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