For a British person who has settled in France, a crypto account opened with a UK exchange can create several separate legal questions. The first is not whether the account made a profit. It is whether the account falls within the French annual reporting obligation for accounts held abroad. The second is whether a disposal has to be calculated on Form 2086. The third is how to respond if the French tax authority asks for statements, wallet history or an explanation of funds. Since 1 January 2026, the French information-reporting framework for cryptoasset service providers has also become more significant, while HM Revenue and Customs is preparing its own Cryptoasset Reporting Framework reporting cycle. That exchange of data does not replace the taxpayer\u2019s own returns.<\/p>\n
This guide is written for the individual: a British citizen living in France, a UK national who has kept a UK exchange account after Brexit, or a family whose crypto holdings moved with them. It does not cover buying French property, setting up a company or trading through a corporate structure. The law changes with the relevant tax year, the type of platform and the nature of each transaction. The position below is based on the rules and official materials checked on 29 August 2026. It gives a working map for a first review and for an evidence-based reply; it cannot turn an incomplete transaction history into a reliable tax calculation.<\/p>\n
There is a useful distinction throughout: a reporting form identifies an account, a tax form calculates a disposal, and a control procedure tests the evidence. Treating those three tasks as one is the source of many avoidable errors.<\/p>\n
British nationality does not decide the answer. The starting point is the person\u2019s tax residence for the year concerned. French law uses the expression domicile fiscal<\/em>, meaning tax domicile or tax residence. Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code<\/a> lists the principal connecting factors: the home or main place of stay, professional activity and centre of economic interests. For the first factor, the current text refers to That treaty qualification matters to a British person who kept a UK home, works partly in the United Kingdom, or spends substantial time in both countries. Count days, but do not stop there. Gather evidence about the family home, the spouse or civil partner, children, employment, business activity, pension administration, banking, health cover and the location of the person\u2019s economic life. A Brexit residence card is important for immigration status, but it does not by itself prove tax residence. Conversely, a French long-stay residence permit does not automatically answer every treaty question.<\/p>\n The existing guide to a first French tax return after moving from the UK<\/a> deals with the wider residence and arrival file. For crypto, the practical consequence is narrower: if the person is treated as resident in France for the year and is the relevant holder or user of an account with a foreign provider, the French account-reporting rules need to be checked even where the portfolio remained untouched.<\/p>\n \u201cUK account\u201d can also be misleading. The brand may be British while the contractual provider is incorporated in another jurisdiction. A French or European group may operate a separate entity from its UK business. Identify the legal name and address of the entity with which the customer contracted, the account or customer number, the countries in which the service was available, and any migration notice received after Brexit. The provider\u2019s location and the account\u2019s custody arrangement matter more than the currency used, the pound sterling balance or the fact that the customer first opened the account in Britain.<\/p>\n For a move during a tax year, make a dated timeline rather than assuming that the UK concept of split-year treatment transfers mechanically to France. Record the date of arrival, the date the French home became available, the date work began, the date the UK home was retained or let, and the dates on which the account was opened, used or closed. The filing result depends on the status of the person for the relevant French tax year and on the treaty facts, not simply on the date printed on a residence card.<\/p>\n Self-custody also requires care. A private wallet controlled only by its owner is not automatically the same thing as a custodial account maintained by an exchange. The implementing rule in Article 344 G decies of Annex III to the General Tax Code<\/a> defines reportable accounts by reference to a person who habitually receives cryptoassets in deposit. A wallet used only to hold keys, an account at an exchange, a broker arrangement, a staking service and a platform that controls custody can therefore raise different questions. Keep the wallet addresses and transfer records, but do not label every address a foreign account without checking how the service actually operated.<\/p>\n The current wording of Article 1649 bis C<\/a> is broader than a simple \u201cdid I sell crypto?\u201d test. It requires persons or entities domiciled or established in France to report foreign cryptoasset portfolios and, since the 1 July 2026 wording, certain non-fungible cryptoassets held or used abroad. The official provision says that the references must be declared Form 3916-bis is the account-reporting form. It is commonly described in English as the foreign cryptoasset account declaration. It is not a tax calculation and it does not declare the value of every coin. The official French tax administration guidance on foreign cryptoasset accounts<\/a> explains that the form is filed with the annual income return and that the deadline follows the income-return deadline. The current implementing text, Article 344 G decies<\/a>, states that a person must identify each private, professional or mixed-use cryptoasset account separately: For a British resident, a completed 3916-bis file should normally be built from the provider\u2019s onboarding and account documents, not from memory. Article 344 G undecies of Annex III<\/a> requires information such as the name and address of the depositary or manager, the account designation and number, the nature and use of the account, and opening or closing dates where relevant. Download the provider\u2019s annual tax report, terms identifying the contracting entity, statements showing the account number, and any notice that the account moved from a UK platform to an EU platform.<\/p>\n The account is relevant if it was opened, held, used or closed during the year. The implementing rule treats a person as holding an account where they are the holder, co-holder, beneficial owner or economic rights holder. It treats the account as used where at least one credit or debit operation took place, including in some agency situations. A zero balance at 31 December does not erase an account that was used or closed earlier in the year. A dormant account should be checked against the exact statutory tests and the provider\u2019s transaction history rather than being omitted by assumption.<\/p>\n Article 1649 bis C<\/a> is the statutory foundation for that obligation. The 2026 text refers to cryptoassets subject to the European markets-in-crypto-assets regulation and to certain non-fungible cryptoassets. The scope is technical. An account with a UK exchange that accepts deposits, executes purchases and holds assets for the customer is an obvious candidate for review. A non-custodial wallet may require a different analysis. A platform that supplied a debit card, lending, staking or broker service may combine custody and other services. Preserve the contractual documents so the classification can be explained.<\/p>\n Form 2086 has a different function. It records taxable disposals and the calculation of the capital gain or loss. Article 150 VH bis of the General Tax Code<\/a> applies, subject to professional-business rules, to gains realised by individuals who are tax resident in France on a disposal for consideration of covered cryptoassets. The text begins with A disposal can include exchanging cryptoassets for euros or pounds, paying for goods or services, or another transaction that produces a taxable consideration under the applicable rules. By contrast, Article 150 VH bis II A excludes, for the year of exchange, an exchange without a balancing payment between cryptoassets falling within the provision. That does not mean that a long sequence of crypto-to-crypto swaps can be ignored. The dates, asset values, fees, deposits, withdrawals and later fiat disposals still affect the portfolio calculation and the evidence needed to support it.<\/p>\n The French calculation is not simply \u201csale proceeds minus the purchase price of the coin sold\u201d. Article 150 VH bis<\/a> uses the price of disposal, the total acquisition price of the cryptoasset portfolio and the global value of that portfolio at the time of the taxable disposal. Article 41 duovicies J of Annex III<\/a> specifies the information to be reported for each taxable disposal, including the disposal price, acquisition price, portfolio value and resulting gain or loss. It also requires supporting documents to be supplied on request within thirty days. Its wording expressly refers to The official 2026 Form 2086 page<\/a> explains that the form is attached to the income return and that the annual result is carried to the relevant line of the main return. The online tax service guidance<\/a> also describes the 2086 calculation and the distinction between the 3AN gain and 3BN loss boxes. A loss is not a general-purpose deduction against salary, pension or property income; the current official explanation says that it is set against gains of the same nature for the same year and is not carried forward in that context.<\/p>\n Do not use an old spreadsheet that assumes every exchange is taxable or that applies a historic headline tax rate without checking the year. Start with the 2086 form for the relevant year, the current wording of Article 150 VH bis and the complete transaction data. Where the activity looks like a business rather than personal investment, the ordinary private-investor route may not be appropriate. Frequent dealing, leverage, market-making, remuneration in tokens, mining, staking, airdrops and services paid in cryptoassets can require separate income or professional analysis.<\/p>\n The two forms can overlap in one practical file but they answer different questions:<\/p>\nleur foyer ou le lieu de leur s\u00e9jour principal<\/q>. The same article also says that a person meeting a French test can nevertheless be treated as resident elsewhere under an international double-tax treaty.<\/p>\n
en m\u00eame temps que leur d\u00e9claration de revenus<\/q>. The relevant question is therefore the status of the account or asset during the year, not only the existence of a gain.<\/p>\n
B. What the 3916-bis and 2086 forms actually report<\/h3>\n
Chaque compte de crypto-actifs \u00e0 usage priv\u00e9, professionnel ou \u00e0 usage priv\u00e9 et professionnel doit \u00eatre mentionn\u00e9 distinctement.<\/q><\/p>\n
les plus-values r\u00e9alis\u00e9es par les personnes physiques domicili\u00e9es fiscalement en France<\/q>. The reference to French tax residence is why nationality and the place where an exchange was founded do not, by themselves, settle the question.<\/p>\n
Les pi\u00e8ces justifiant des informations<\/q>.<\/p>\n