How to buy bitcoin in Washington
- Status
- Legal
- State licensing
- Money transmitter license, UMSA covers crypto
- Available
- 8 of 9 tracked exchanges
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-23
Washington got its full bitcoin lineup back in July 2025, when Kraken returned after years away and restored every funding option for state residents. That leaves Binance.US as the only tracked exchange still skipping Washington; Coinbase, Gemini, River, Swan, Strike, and Coinmama all serve the state, with free ACH transfers as the standard way to fund. Oversight here is real: the Department of Financial Institutions licenses exchanges under the Uniform Money Services Act, which has explicitly covered virtual currency since amendments took effect in July 2017. One local wrinkle to plan around: Washington has no wage income tax, but its capital gains excise tax, 7 percent on long-term gains above an inflation-adjusted deduction of roughly $250,000 a year, can reach a large bitcoin sale.
Best exchanges in Washington
Our national ranking, narrowed to the platforms that actually serve Washington 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 | Coinmama | 3.9 | Commission plus card surcharge | Required | Visit | |
| 8 | 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
Full Kraken service returned to Washington in July 2025.
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. 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
8. CEX.IO A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.
Not available in Washington
These platforms do not currently accept Washington residents. Their review pages explain what they offer elsewhere.
- Binance.US
Binance.US does not accept residents of this state.
Payment methods in Washington
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 Washington
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 Washington 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 Washington. 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 Washington 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 Washington
Bitcoin is legal in Washington. Exchanges serving state residents need a money transmitter license from the Department of Financial Institutions under the Uniform Money Services Act, chapter 19.230 RCW, which Senate Bill 5031 amended effective July 2017 to pull virtual currency explicitly into the definition of money transmission. DFI also publishes virtual currency guidance and an interim regulatory framework for crypto companies, making Washington one of the stricter licensing states in the country.
Taxes in Washington
Washington has no tax on wages or ordinary income, but its capital gains excise tax applies 7 percent to net long-term gains above an inflation-adjusted annual deduction of about $250,000, with an additional 2.9 percent on gains over $1 million. Federal capital gains tax applies on top.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is buying bitcoin legal in Washington state?
Yes. Exchanges serving Washington residents must hold a Department of Financial Institutions money transmitter license under the Uniform Money Services Act, which has covered virtual currency explicitly since July 2017.
Did Kraken come back to Washington?
Yes, full Kraken service returned to Washington in July 2025 after years of absence. That leaves Binance.US as the only exchange we track that still does not accept Washington residents.
Do bitcoin profits get taxed by Washington state?
Sometimes. Washington has no wage income tax, but its capital gains excise tax takes 7 percent of net long-term gains above an inflation-adjusted annual deduction of about $250,000, plus another 2.9 percent on gains over $1 million. Federal capital gains tax applies either way.
How do most people in Washington fund an exchange account?
Free ACH bank transfers into Coinbase, Kraken, or Gemini are the standard route; debit cards and wires cost more but settle faster. Buying on an exchange's advanced trading view rather than the instant-buy widget keeps fees lowest.