General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; check your country's authorities.
In most countries, owning bitcoin is legal. What is regulated is mainly the businesses that exchange or store it.
Europe and Norway
The EU's MiCA regulation applies fully from 30 December 2024. Exchanges and custodians need a license and must do kyc. Norway implemented MiCA through the crypto-assets act, in force from 1 July 2025. Holding bitcoin in your own wallet does not require a license.
United States
Bitcoin is legal. In January 2024 the SEC approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded products, letting people get exposure through normal brokerage accounts.
Legal tender
El Salvador made bitcoin legal tender in 2021. Under an IMF deal, the law was changed in January 2025 so acceptance is voluntary.
Bans
A Library of Congress survey (November 2021) found 9 jurisdictions with an absolute ban, including China, and 42 with implicit bans, for example forbidding banks to deal in it. The list has changed since.
Why it still works
Bitcoin runs on thousands of nodes worldwide, with no central server to shut down. Laws can restrict businesses and users, but the network itself keeps running.
Takeaway
Legal in most places, regulated where money changes hands. Taxes usually apply to gains.