Crypto license in Poland

Regime not in forceLast reviewed 2026-08-24

Do you need a crypto license in Poland?

No, and that is the answer rather than a gap in our research. Poland is the only EU member state with no national law implementing MiCA, so KNF has no power to authorise anyone, and the transition that let existing firms keep trading expired on 1 July 2026.

Read this before you plan an application

Any page offering a Polish crypto licence is selling something that cannot be issued. KNF has no power to grant a CASP authorisation, and the transitional cover for the old register ended on 1 July 2026.

Poland is the one place in this comparison where a founder cannot get a licence at any price. MiCA applies here as directly effective EU law, but a regulation needs a national act to name the competent authority and give it powers, and Poland does not have one. The Crypto-Asset Market Act was passed three times and vetoed three times by President Karol Nawrocki, and a Sejm attempt to override the second veto failed on 17 April 2026 with 243 votes against the 263 needed. The consequence landed on 1 July 2026, when the MiCA transition for the legacy national register expired. Firms on that register had to stop providing crypto-asset services the following day.

Regime: Regime not in force
Regulator: Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (Polish Financial Supervision Authority, KNF)
Foreign owners: Nationality is not the obstacle. No applicant of any nationality, Polish included, can obtain a CASP authorisation in Poland while the implementing act is not in force.

Why there is nothing to apply for

MiCA is a regulation, so it binds Poland directly, but it leaves each member state to designate a competent authority and equip it with supervisory powers through national law. Poland's vehicle for that was the Crypto-Asset Market Act, and it never made it into force.

The sequence matters, because it explains why this is a political deadlock rather than a delay:

The President vetoed the first version on 1 December 2025, objecting to the powers it gave the General Inspector of Financial Information and to a mechanism for blocking internet domains.
The Sejm passed a modified version in December 2025. That was vetoed on 12 February 2026.
An override attempt failed on 17 April 2026: 243 votes, where three fifths of the chamber, 263, were required.
A third version passed the Sejm on 15 May 2026 by 241 to 200 and the Senate on 21 May 2026. It was vetoed in June 2026.

KNF is named as supervisor in every version, and has no authority under any of them until one is in force.

What happened on 1 July 2026

Under MiCA Article 143(3), firms already entered on a national register could keep operating under the old national rules for a transitional period. Poland's ran to 1 July 2026. KNF stated that the date could not be extended by national law or by any decision of its own, because it is set by EU regulation.

So on 2 July 2026 the entities on Poland's register of activities in virtual currencies, more than 1,300 of them at the start of the year, lost the right to provide crypto-asset services in Poland. There was no Polish authorisation for them to move to.

What a founder actually does instead

The practical route is to obtain a CASP authorisation in another member state and passport into Poland, which MiCA permits and which needs no Polish authorisation at all. Every jurisdiction in this comparison marked as a MiCA state can do that. Serving Polish customers is lawful on a passport; being established in Poland without one is not.

What to watch

A fourth version, or a successful override, would change this page completely. Until then, treat any offer of a Polish crypto licence as describing something that does not exist.

The application process

Confirm there is no Polish route
KNF cannot accept a CASP application while the implementing act is not in force
Authorise in another member state
Obtain a CASP authorisation from a national competent authority that is operating
Passport into Poland
Notify under MiCA and serve Polish customers on the passport, which needs no Polish authorisation

Costs and taxation

There is no application fee because there is no application. The cost of operating in Poland today is the cost of authorisation in another member state, plus the passporting notification.

Polish corporate income tax is 19 percent, with a reduced 9 percent rate for small taxpayers and companies in their first year. The tax position is not the reason to avoid Poland right now; the absence of an authorisation route is.

Who is licensed today

The legacy register of activities in virtual currencies held more than 1,300 entities in January 2026 and was closed to new entrants. Entries on it stopped conferring any right to operate on 1 July 2026, so it is a historical list rather than a register of authorised firms.

Planning a license application in Poland?

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Frequently asked questions

Can I get a crypto licence in Poland?

No. KNF has no legal power to grant one, because the national act implementing MiCA has been vetoed three times and is not in force.

What happened to Polish crypto companies on 1 July 2026?

The MiCA transition expired and they lost the right to provide crypto-asset services in Poland from 2 July 2026, with no Polish authorisation available to move to.

Can I still serve Polish customers?

Yes, with a CASP authorisation from another EU member state, passported into Poland under MiCA. That route needs no Polish authorisation.

Why has the Polish law not passed?

President Karol Nawrocki vetoed it three times, and a Sejm override attempt failed on 17 April 2026 with 243 votes against the 263 required.

Is Poland the only EU country in this position?

Yes. It is the only member state with no national law implementing MiCA.

Sources

Buying bitcoin as an individual is a different question entirely: how to buy bitcoin in Poland covers exchanges, payment methods and legality for residents, and the crypto license hub compares every jurisdiction we track.