Since June 25, 2026, French tax authorities have had a new tool for recovering unpaid tax debts: they can now contact a taxpayer's crypto platform directly to obtain payment, or even the forced sale, of their digital assets. This extension of the administrative third-party garnishment order (the “saisie administrative à tiers détenteur,” or SATD—France's procedure for ordering a third party to pay a debtor's tax debt directly) to crypto-assets is a game-changer for millions of holders of bitcoin, ether, or stablecoins in France.
A standard tax tool extended to crypto-assets
The SATD has long existed for bank accounts: it allows the public accountant to require a third party—a bank, an employer—to pay over directly the sums it holds on behalf of a debtor. Law No. 2026-534 of June 25, 2026, on combating social and tax fraud, extends this mechanism to crypto-asset service providers (PSCA), meaning licensed exchange platforms and brokers that hold digital assets for their clients.
How the procedure works
Once the platform has been notified, the debtor-taxpayer has a period set by decree to sell the necessary assets themselves and pay the amount owed to the tax authorities. Failing that, the platform carries out the sale of enough positions to cover the debt—directly, if authorized to do so, or by entrusting the operation to a licensed service provider.
- The seizure covers the entire portfolio held on the day of notification, strictly limited to the amount owed.
- Only assets entrusted to a third party (platform, broker) fall within the scope.
- Fees charged by the platform are capped at 10% of the amount owed, within a ceiling set by decree—to prevent them from exceeding those charged by banks.
Personal wallets fall outside the system
This new power only applies to crypto-assets held by a third party. A holder who keeps their bitcoin on a private key or a hardware wallet (such as a Ledger or Trezor), without going through a platform, remains outside the scope of the SATD: in that case, there is no third-party holder to notify of the seizure. The question does arise, however, for users of crypto platforms now licensed under the European MiCA regulation, the only ones authorized to operate in France since the end of the transitional PSAN regime.
Tax scrutiny of crypto is tightening
This extension of the SATD did not come out of nowhere. For several months, French tax authorities have been stepping up traceability tools for crypto-assets, as the gap between actual gains and declared amounts worries the tax administration. At the same time, the confidentiality of tax data itself remains a point of concern, following the data leak that affected the DGFiP (France's directorate general of public finances) in 2026. In terms of tax law, the trend is the same everywhere in the digital economy: crypto is gradually moving out of its regulatory gray zone.
What this actually changes
For a holder who is current on their tax obligations, nothing changes: the measure only targets debts that have already been established and not settled. For others, the arrival of the SATD on crypto platforms closes a blind spot: until now, a bank account could be seized, but a crypto wallet held on a French platform effectively escaped this type of direct collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can tax authorities seize my cryptocurrency without an established tax debt?
No. The SATD only applies to a tax claim that has already been established and remains unpaid; it does not authorize any control or withdrawal of assets unrelated to an existing debt.
Are my crypto assets on a personal hardware wallet affected?
No, the measure only targets assets held by a third party (platform or broker). A wallet for which you alone hold the private key is not a third-party holder within the meaning of the law.
Can the platform charge me any amount to carry out the seizure?
No, fees are capped at 10% of the amount owed, within a ceiling set by decree, to stay in line with banking practices.
Sources
- Légifrance — Administrative Third-Party Garnishment (Article L262)
- Journal du Coin — Tax authorities can now have your crypto sold directly on your platform
- Nathalie Aflalo, tax attorney — The seizure of crypto-assets by tax authorities in 2026
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy
