How to buy bitcoin in New Hampshire
- Status
- Legal
- State licensing
- Virtual currency exempt by statute since 2017
- Available
- 9 of 9 tracked exchanges
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-23
New Hampshire wrote its bitcoin friendliness into statute back in 2017: RSA 399-G:3 exempts virtual currency businesses from the state's money transmitter act, so exchanges serve Granite Staters without a state license. All eight platforms we track accept New Hampshire customers, from Coinbase and Kraken to Gemini, Binance.US, River, Swan Bitcoin, Strike, and Coinmama. The tax side matches: the state collects nothing on wages, and its interest and dividends tax ended on January 1, 2025, so only federal capital gains tax applies when you sell. In May 2025 New Hampshire also became the first state to sign a strategic bitcoin reserve law, HB 302. Fund your account by ACH transfer for free, or pay debit card fees when you want the bitcoin immediately.
Best exchanges in New Hampshire
Our national ranking, narrowed to the platforms that actually serve New Hampshire residents. Rankings are never sold.
| # | Exchange | Rating | Fees | ID check | Pay with | Visit or read the review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coinbase | 4.5 | Maker-taker on Advanced Trade | Required | Visit | |
| 2 | Kraken | 4.7 | From 0.25% maker, 0.40% taker | Required | Visit | |
| 3 | Gemini | 4.4 | 0.5% + flat fee on easy buys | Required | Visit | |
| 4 | River | 4.6Bitcoin-only | Free recurring, 1.2% one-off | Required | Visit | |
| 5 | Swan Bitcoin | 4.4Bitcoin-only | About 0.99% per purchase | Required | Visit | |
| 6 | Strike | 4.6Bitcoin-only | Fee shown before you confirm | Required | Visit | |
| 7 | Binance.US | 3.9 | 0% maker, 0.02% taker | Required | Visit | |
| 8 | Coinmama | 3.9 | Commission plus card surcharge | Required | Visit | |
| 9 | CEX.IO | 4.0 | Maker-taker; card costs more | Required | Visit |
Why these picks
1. Coinbase The easiest US on-ramp for beginners, publicly listed, and legally in the clear since the SEC dropped its case.
Debit card: Coinbase does not support credit cards for US buys
PayPal: buy/sell via linked bank or card; sell-to-PayPal balance supported
2. Kraken A 2011-vintage exchange with one of the cleanest security records in the business, heading toward a US stock listing.
ACH transfer: instant credit for trading; 7-day hold before withdrawal on first-time deposits
Debit card: 72-hour withdrawal hold on first purchase
PayPal: 72-hour withdrawal hold on first deposit
3. Gemini The NYDFS-chartered trust company the Winklevoss twins founded, serving all 50 states including New York, listed on Nasdaq since 2025.
ACH transfer: US customers only; 4-5 business days to clear for withdrawal
Wire transfer: $25.01 minimum, $25 withdrawal fee
Debit card: retail clients only; $1,000/day limit; cannot withdraw fiat to card
PayPal: deposits and instant buys only; no withdrawals to PayPal
4. River US bitcoin-only brokerage with zero-fee recurring buys, phone support and full proof of reserves.
Wire transfer: used for larger purchases
5. Swan Bitcoin DCA-first bitcoin-only platform with 0.99 percent fees, automatic withdrawals to self-custody and Bitcoin IRA options.
Wire transfer: for larger/IRA purchases
6. Strike Lightning-native app for buying bitcoin and sending it anywhere instantly, with no added fee on transfers.
Wire transfer: flat-fee deposits suited to larger amounts
7. Binance.US The lowest spot fees in the US market, offset by a twelve-state coverage gap and a rebuilt post-2023 operation.
ACH transfer: zero Binance.US fee; bank fees may apply
8. Coinmama A card-first broker that sends bitcoin straight to your own wallet instead of holding it for you.
Debit card: credit cards also accepted
9. CEX.IO A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.
Payment methods in New Hampshire
Which rails work depends on the exchange, and in a few states on where you live; the table above shows exactly which methods each platform takes here.
- ACH transferPrimary
Bitcoin wallets available in New Hampshire
A wallet is where bitcoin lives after you buy it, which is the opposite of the exchanges above: those sell it, these hold it. Every maker below publishes its shipping and eligibility by country rather than by state, so this is United States coverage, and it is the same in New Hampshire as it is everywhere else in the country. The exchange list above is the part that genuinely differs where you live.
Hardware devices
- Keystone 3 Pro$149Air-gapped signing on a 4 inch touchscreen, with three security chips and a fingerprint reader, at $149.
- Ledger Flex$249The Ledger to buy if you want a touchscreen: $249, the same certified chip as the Stax, and more screen pixels than it.
- Ledger Nano S Plus$59Ledger's $59 entry device: the same certified secure element as the $399 Stax, no Bluetooth, and no iPhone support at all.
- Ledger Nano X$79The cheapest Ledger with Bluetooth, now $79 on Ledger's own store, and the one to buy if you want to sign from a phone.
- Ledger Stax$399Ledger's $399 flagship, with the biggest screen it sells and exactly the same secure element as the $59 Nano S Plus.
- Tangem Wallet$59.9A smart card you tap against your phone, sold only in sets of two or three so your backup is another card rather than a written seed.
Desktop and browser
Compare every wallet, including the ones we tell you not to buy
Watch: how to choose an exchange
This is our general video rather than a walkthrough for New Hampshire. It shows the method in two steps: first the country you are buying in, then the exchange. You have done step one by being here, so start from the exchanges ranked above.
We have not filmed a walkthrough for New Hampshire yet, so this is our general one, from our YouTube channel @dontgetrekt. It also sits on the home page, next to the country search it starts from.
Do you need a VPN?
A VPN hides which sites you visit from the network you are on and from your internet provider, which is worth having when you move money over a connection you do not control. It does not get you past an exchange's identity checks: every platform we list verifies who you are no matter where you connect from.
If you want one, the strongest records on our list belong to NordVPN (6 independent no-logs audits, the most of any service we review), Windscribe (its no-logs claim tested in the real world 3 times) and Proton VPN (the most audited service with a free tier).
Legal status and licensing in New Hampshire
Bitcoin is legal in New Hampshire, and the state took itself out of the crypto licensing business early: HB 436 amended RSA 399-G:3 to exempt persons conducting business in virtual currency from money transmitter registration, effective August 1, 2017. The New Hampshire Banking Department therefore does not license bitcoin exchanges, though the exemption keeps them subject to state consumer protection laws, and federal FinCEN registration applies regardless.
Taxes in New Hampshire
New Hampshire taxes no wage income, and its last income levy, the 3 percent tax on interest and dividends, was repealed effective January 1, 2025. That leaves no state income tax to touch your bitcoin gains, but federal capital gains tax still applies in full when you sell.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is buying bitcoin allowed in New Hampshire?
Yes. Since August 2017, RSA 399-G:3 has exempted virtual currency businesses from the state's money transmitter licensing, so exchanges operate freely here. Federal law, which governs bitcoin's legality nationwide, treats buying and holding it as legal.
Are any exchanges unavailable to New Hampshire residents?
No. All eight exchanges we track serve New Hampshire without restrictions, a cleaner picture than neighboring New York or Maine, both of which Kraken skips.
Will New Hampshire tax my bitcoin gains?
No. The state has no tax on wage income and repealed its interest and dividends tax effective January 1, 2025, so there is no state income tax left to apply. You still owe federal capital gains tax when you sell at a profit.
What is New Hampshire's bitcoin reserve law?
HB 302, signed May 6, 2025, made New Hampshire the first state authorized to hold bitcoin in a strategic reserve, capped at 5 percent of certain public funds. It authorizes purchases rather than mandating them, and it changes nothing about how residents buy.