Declaring your MetaMask or Ledger wallet in 2026: no specific obligation in France
The December 2025 amendment that would have required declaration of self-custody wallets above €5,000 was removed from the final bill by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on April 28, 2026. Factual recap and best practices for holders of MetaMask, Ledger and other non-custodial wallets.
Written by Cheminaud Damien
Digital asset enthusiast
Self-custody wallets: the tax situation in France in 2026
As of May 1, 2026, no specific declaration obligation applies to holders of self-custody wallets (MetaMask, Ledger, Trust Wallet, Phantom, Rabby…) in France. An amendment had been adopted in committee by the National Assembly on December 9, 2025 to create an annual declaration obligation for self-custody wallets whose value exceeds €5,000, but this provision was removed from the final text by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (CMP) on April 28, 2026. The bill on the fight against tax and social fraud was passed in early May without this article 3 quater. In practice: if you hold cryptocurrencies on a wallet whose private keys you control, you have no specific declaration to make in 2026 for mere holding. Obligations on capital gains (form 2086) and foreign exchange accounts (form 3916-bis) remain in force — see section 6.
What is a self-custody wallet?
A self-custody wallet (also called non-custodial or auto-hosted) is a crypto wallet for which you alone hold the private keys. Unlike an account on a centralized platform (Binance, Coinbase, Kraken) where the exchange holds your funds, a MetaMask wallet, a Ledger hardware wallet or a Phantom mobile wallet gives you direct control over your assets. No third party can freeze your funds or transfer them on your behalf. This embodies the principle “not your keys, not your coins”. For the French tax authority, these wallets are not handled by any crypto-asset service provider (PSAN) — the State therefore has no direct visibility on the funds they contain, except when you interact with a centralized platform where you are identified.
The failed amendment: €5,000 threshold and what was planned
The amendment filed in December 2025 provided that any holder of a self-custody wallet whose total value exceeds €5,000 on December 31 would have to declare it annually to the tax authority. The measure specifically targeted wallets “held directly on the blockchain without recourse to an intermediary service provider” — i.e. MetaMask, Ledger, Rabby, Deblock, Trust Wallet, Phantom, etc. The obligation would have been triggered by mere holding (not by a transaction), with valuation at market value on December 31. Specific terms (form, sanctions) were to be set by decree. This provision was adopted by the Finance Committee of the National Assembly on December 9, 2025 as article 3 quater inserted into bill no. 2115 on the fight against tax and social fraud.
Article 1649 AC bis of the CGI: what the text actually says
Article 1649 AC bis of the French Tax Code does exist, introduced by law no. 2025-127 of February 14, 2025 (in force since January 1, 2026). But it does not concern individual holders of self-custody wallets: it imposes on crypto-asset service providers (PSAN/CASP under MiCA — exchanges, brokers, custodians) an annual declaration obligation regarding their French tax residents. This is the transposition of the European DAC8 directive, the crypto equivalent of CRS/FATCA for banks. Decree no. 2025-1276 of December 19, 2025 details the obligations on platforms, not on individuals. The December 2025 amendment sought to extend this scheme to individuals holding non-custodial wallets: it is this extension that was ultimately not retained.
Removal at CMP on April 28, 2026: why the obligation was dropped
On April 28, 2026, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (gathering 7 deputies and 7 senators to find a compromise between the two chambers) decided to remove article 3 quater from the bill on tax and social fraud. Several reasons: (1) technical inapplicability — a self-custody wallet has no reliable identifier tied to its holder, so the administration cannot verify declarations; (2) opposition from the French crypto industry — the “Don't touch our cryptos” campaign mobilized industry players (Ledger, Coinhouse, FFPC) and deputies; (3) duplication with DAC8 — flows between wallets and platforms are already tracked through the PSAN reporting obligation; (4) constitutional risk — disproportionate intrusion on privacy relative to a marginally fraudulent use. Final votes in early May at the Assembly and Senate confirmed the absence of the obligation in the enacted text.
What remains mandatory in 2026 for crypto holders in France
Even without a specific obligation on self-custody wallets, you remain subject to existing requirements: (1) Form 2086 — declaration of capital gains on digital-asset disposals, to be filed for any sale, crypto-fiat conversion or crypto payment beyond the €305 annual disposal threshold. Taxed at the flat 30% PFU (or progressive rate on option). (2) Form 3916-bis — declaration of digital-asset accounts held abroad (Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit…). Mandatory as soon as an account was opened, used or closed during the year. Penalty: €750 per undeclared account, €1,500 if balance > €50,000. (3) Form 2042-C — reporting the overall result of disposals. (4) Staking, lending, airdrops — taxable as BNC or non-commercial income depending on the regularity of the activity. Important: simply holding crypto on a self-custody wallet triggers no declaration; only disposals and income are taxable.
Best practices in 2026 for MetaMask, Ledger and other self-custody wallet holders
Even without a specific declaration obligation, plan ahead: (1) Inventory your wallets — keep an up-to-date list of all your portfolios (public addresses, type, estimated value). (2) Keep your transaction history — CSV exports from Etherscan, Solscan or via an aggregator. The administration can request proof up to 10 years back. (3) Trace the origin of your funds — each crypto received on a self-custody wallet comes either from a purchase (with its acquisition price) or from taxable income (to declare). Without traceability, in case of audit, the administration can reclassify it as taxable income. (4) Value your holdings on December 31 — the reference date for annual tracking. (5) Anticipate DAC8 traceability — flows between self-custody wallets and centralized platforms are now transmitted to the administration. Any inconsistency between your declarations and observed flows can trigger an audit. A tool like Taxes Crypto automates inventory, capital-gains computation and form generation.
What's next? DAC8, MiCA and the future of crypto taxation in France
The withdrawal of the self-custody amendment does not mean the end of regulatory pressure on non-custodial wallets. Several developments to watch: (1) DAC8 — since January 1, 2026, all European PSANs automatically transmit to the French tax authority the data of their clients resident in France (transactions, balances, transfers to external wallets). A €50,000 transfer from Binance to MetaMask is now flagged. (2) MiCA — European regulation in force since December 2024, sets PSAN licensing and obligations (enhanced KYC, fund segregation, audits). (3) FATF Travel Rule — since 2026, crypto transfers > €1,000 between providers must include identification data of sender and beneficiary. (4) Future legislative attempts — the amendment was withdrawn but the topic will return: precise terms will likely be the subject of a specific text in the medium term. Follow crypto tax news on Taxes Crypto to stay informed.
Official legal sources
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional for your personal situation.
Cheminaud Damien
Digital asset enthusiast
Cheminaud Damien is a digital asset enthusiast. He built Taxes Crypto to help European investors calculate and report their cryptocurrencies, drawing on each country's official tax sources. His content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax advice.
Digital assets · Taxation · DAC8 · MiCA
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