Cryptocurrency in Poland: taxes and the licensing deadlock
In short. Poland charges a flat 19% when you cash out, and leaves crypto-to-crypto trades alone. For holders that combination works well. For anyone wanting to run a platform from Poland it does not, because the president has vetoed the law implementing the European regime three times, the regulator cannot accept licence applications, and since 1 July 2026 operating from Poland without authorisation has been unlawful.
- TAX ON CASHING OUT
- 19%flat, on proceeds minus acquisition cost
- COIN FOR COIN
- Not taxedthe swap is not a paid disposal
- WHERE YOU DECLARE IT
- PIT-38a section of the annual return, due 30 April
- LOCAL LICENCE
- Unavailableno law, so the regulator takes no applications
- FOREIGN PLATFORMS
- Free to serve youpassporting from other EU states works
- LEGAL TENDER
- Nothe zloty stays the only money
The tax part is straightforward
Poland taxes income from the paid disposal of virtual currency at a flat 19%.
Three things count as disposal: selling for zlotys or another fiat currency, exchanging crypto for goods or services, and settling a debt with crypto. Your income is what you received minus what the coins cost you to acquire.
You report it on PIT-38, in the section built for virtual currencies, by 30 April of the following year.
Swapping stays outside the tax
Trade bitcoin for ether and Poland sees no paid disposal, so no tax arises.
You lose something in return. Costs tied to exchanging one virtual currency for another are not deductible either, and your acquisition cost only surfaces at the moment of final disposal into fiat. Rebalance a portfolio fifty times and you produce one taxable event at the exit, with the original purchase price carried all the way through.
France and Italy work the same way. Spain and Australia do not, which matters if you are comparing destinations.
The law that three vetoes stopped
Poland is an EU member, so the European crypto regulation applies here directly. What Poland lacks is the national law that names a supervisor and lets it issue licences.
The government wrote that law, naming the financial supervision authority as the regulator. The president refused to sign it on 1 December 2025, refused again on 12 February 2026, and refused a third time later in the year, arguing each time that the bill over-regulates the market and would push firms out of Poland. The Sejm failed to override, so the bill has to be written from scratch.
The regulator warned in February 2026 what that meant: the European transition ran to 1 July 2026, and without a designated authority, domestic firms would lose the ability to provide crypto services.
What happened on 1 July 2026
The deadline arrived and Poland met it with no law behind it.
The supervisor accepts no licence applications, because none of them have a legal basis. A Polish company has nobody to obtain authorisation from, and providing crypto services from Poland without it became unlawful on that date. The practical routes left are registering in another member state or leaving the European market.
Foreign providers face none of this. A platform authorised in Ireland, Malta or anywhere else in the union passports into Poland and serves Polish clients without obstacle, which leaves the whole gap sitting on Polish firms.
What this means if you are moving there
Hold coins here and the regime treats you well by regional standards; try to build a platform here and you meet the least workable rules in the union.
Nineteen percent on the exit with untaxed rebalancing along the way compares well with Spain next door. Choosing a platform means choosing a foreign one, since the local market cannot licence anybody. And treat the legal position as unsettled: a fourth attempt at the law is the expected route, and the supervisor and its powers could look different when it passes.
Allowed
- Trade one crypto asset for another without triggering tax
- Pay 19% on the gain when you cash out to zlotys
- Use platforms authorised in any other EU member state
- Deduct acquisition costs at the moment of final disposal
Restricted
- Providing crypto services from Poland, which has been unlawful since 1 July 2026
- Deducting the costs of crypto-to-crypto exchanges before you cash out
- Expecting the regulator to accept a licence application, since no law empowers it
- Paying in crypto as of right, since the zloty remains the only money
How the rules took shape
Poland writes virtual currencies into income tax at a flat 19%, with crypto-to-crypto swaps outside the tax.
The president vetoes the crypto market law for the first time.
He vetoes it a second time. The regulator warns that firms will lose the ability to operate.
The European transition closes. Poland has no supervisor, and local licensing stops before it starts.
A third veto follows, and the Sejm fails to override. The bill returns to the drawing board.
Worth knowing
Warsaw's BitBay was the region's largest exchange; in 2021 it rebranded as Zonda and moved to Estonia for a licence. About one Pole in five owns digital assets.
Common questions
How much tax will I pay?
A flat 19% on the income from disposal, meaning what you received minus what the coins cost you. You declare it on PIT-38 by 30 April.
Do I owe tax when I swap one coin for another?
No. Poland does not treat that as a paid disposal. Note the flip side: the costs of such swaps are not deductible, and your acquisition cost applies when you finally cash out.
Can a Polish company get a crypto licence?
Not at present. The law naming a supervisor has been vetoed three times, so the regulator has no power to accept applications.
Can I still use an exchange?
Yes, if it holds authorisation from another EU member state. Those platforms passport into Poland and serve Polish clients without obstacle.
Is running a platform from Poland legal?
Not since 1 July 2026 without authorisation, and authorisation cannot be obtained domestically. Firms are registering elsewhere in the union instead.
Sources
Related reading
Other countries
Updated 20.08.2026 · this is reference material, not investment or tax advice