Expats and crypto: tax residence, reporting and what a Belgian IBAN changes

Tax residence: where every obligation starts

For an expat holding crypto, one question comes before all others: where are you tax resident? That country decides, under its own rules, what you must declare and what may be taxed, including converting crypto into euros.

You do not choose your tax residence by opening an account. In France, tax domicile is defined by article 4 B of the French General Tax Code; every country has its own criteria. The country of your IBAN changes nothing: a Belgian IBAN does not make you a Belgian resident, and does not end a French tax residence.

When you open an account with a crypto-asset service provider, you declare your tax residence and your tax identification number (TIN): this is the tax self-certification that the DAC8 directive makes mandatory. Without this information, after two reminders, the provider must block transactions. An accurate declaration matters: it decides which country the information is sent to.

What tax authorities see: DAC8, CRS and CARF

Three automatic exchange systems work together. Between them, an account or crypto held in another country remains visible to the tax authority of your country of tax residence.

In practice, information flows to the country of tax residence you declared. Living outside the EU does not keep your crypto out of view: under the CARF, around fifty jurisdictions start similar exchanges in 2027, and other countries follow.

Any promise of “discretion” on these matters would be misleading. The sound approach is the opposite: know what is reported, and declare consistently.

French tax residents: forms 3916 and 3916-bis

If you are tax domiciled in France, you must declare every year, with your income tax return, the accounts you have opened, held or used abroad. Form 3916 covers accounts abroad; form 3916-bis covers digital-asset accounts opened with providers established abroad.

An account with a Belgian IBAN falls within this scope: for a French tax resident, it is an account abroad. Depending on the nature of each account, a payment or e-money account on one side and a digital-asset account on the other, the form is not the same; your tax office or an adviser can tell you which one applies to your situation.

The year you leave deserves particular care: you are still concerned for that year, and your accounts abroad must appear in the corresponding return. For an account abroad not declared on form 3916, the penalty is €1,500 per account.

Belgian residents: the 10% capital gains tax

Since 1 January 2026, Belgian residents have been taxed at 10% on the capital gains they realise on financial assets, crypto included. For them, converting crypto into euros may therefore trigger this tax; for how it is calculated, ask the Belgian tax administration (SPF Finances) or an adviser.

Belgium also published its law transposing DAC8 on 1 April 2026: crypto providers collect their users’ data so that it can be passed on to the tax administration.

Conversely, opening an account with a Belgian IBAN does not make you a Belgian resident. The Belgian tax targets residents: an expat living in Portugal or Switzerland who uses a Belgian IBAN remains subject to the rules of their own country of residence.

What a Belgian IBAN changes, and what it does not

A Belgian IBAN is a tool for payments and mobility, not a tax status. It makes an expat’s life in euros simpler; it does not change any reporting obligation.

At CryptoIBAN, you declare your tax residence and TIN when you open the account, and the information the law requires is then reported (DAC8, CRS). Your account’s PDF statements and receipts can support your return or your adviser’s work. We do not provide tax advice.

Checklist for expats holding crypto

Before you move, or if you already live abroad, these points help you avoid unpleasant surprises. None requires advanced tax knowledge; all require rigour.

A special case: Monaco is on the EU list of high-risk third countries (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1184). EU providers therefore apply enhanced due diligence to relationships linked to it: if you live there, expect more thorough checks.

• Establish your country of tax residence, with your tax authority or an adviser if in doubt.
• Declare that residence and a correct TIN every time you open an account.
• French tax resident: list your accounts abroad (3916) and digital-asset accounts (3916-bis), including for the year you leave.
• Keep records of your crypto purchases and of each conversion: date, amount, rate applied.
• Find out how conversions are taxed in your country of residence before any large transaction.
• Keep statements and transfer receipts for at least as long as your tax authority can ask for them.