How to buy crypto in Europe: 6 steps, with the costs in euros

To buy crypto in Europe, choose a MiCA-licensed exchange that serves your country, verify your identity, deposit euros by SEPA bank transfer, place a buy order, and decide where to keep your coins. The whole process usually takes under an hour, plus the time your bank transfer needs. The guides above walk through it on one exchange each; this page covers the steps that are the same at every European crypto exchange, for European traders anywhere in the European Union.

We checked the fees on this page on the exchanges’ own pages on 23 October 2026. We haven’t tested the apps ourselves, so we can’t tell you which has the most user friendly interface; we stick to published steps and fees. Crypto assets and other digital assets are volatile, and you can lose all the money you put in. Some guides above cover exchanges without a MiCA licence, such as Binance and KuCoin; those are for readers outside the EU, and we don’t recommend them to EU residents.

The best crypto exchanges in Europe to buy crypto from

For a first buy, the best crypto exchanges for European traders combine a MiCA licence, free SEPA deposits and low fees. The key factors when you pick the right crypto exchange:

• Licence and regulatory compliance: a MiCA licence passported to your country, with the consumer protection rules that come with it. Check local regulations and warnings too.
• Supported payment methods: SEPA everywhere, plus European payment methods such as iDEAL and Bancontact at Bitvavo.
• Transparent fee structures: Bitvavo, Kraken and OKX publish their trading fees and deposit costs; Gate EU and Bybit EU don’t publish all of their fiat fees.
• Room to grow: experienced traders may later want trading tools such as Kraken Pro’s order book or OKX’s X-Perps futures.

Bitvavo charges 0.25% on a market order, Kraken Pro starts at 0.40% with a limit order, and Coinbase is a large listed provider with higher fees. Our best crypto exchanges for EU residents ranks six licensed crypto trading platforms.

How to buy crypto in Europe, step by step

Payment methods: SEPA, iDEAL, debit card or Apple Pay

A SEPA bank transfer is the cheapest of the payment methods at every exchange we review, and most European traders use it. A debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay is quicker, but each adds a fee on top of the trade.

Payment method	Bitvavo	Kraken	OKX	Crypto.com
SEPA bank transfer	Free	Free	Free	Free from €1
Local method	iDEAL, Wero and Bancontact free	Not in our data	Not in our data	Not in our data
Credit or debit card	1.00% (also Apple Pay, Google Pay)	Not in our data	1.99% (Visa, Mastercard)	3.99% (also Apple Pay, Google Pay)

On a €1,000 deposit, a debit card costs €10 at Bitvavo, €19.90 at OKX and €39.90 at Crypto.com, while a bank transfer costs nothing. Bybit EU also takes card, Apple Pay and Google Pay top-ups in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland, with no Bybit fee on fiat deposits, though payment providers may charge their own.

What it costs to buy Bitcoin: €100 and €1,000 worked out

Trading fees depend on the crypto exchange and the screen you use: an order-book trading platform is cheaper than an instant buy in the app.

How you buy Bitcoin	Fee rate	€100 buy	€1,000 buy
OKX with an X-Perps account, market order	0.10%	€0.10	€1.00
Bitvavo, market order	0.25%	€0.25	€2.50
Kraken Pro, limit order	0.40%	€0.40	€4.00
Kraken Pro, market order	0.80%	€0.80	€8.00
Kraken app, instant buy	1% plus spread	€1.00	€10.00
Coinbase Advanced, market order	1.20%	€1.20	€12.00

How the sums work: €100 × 0.25% = €0.25 and €1,000 × 0.25% = €2.50 at Bitvavo. If you then withdraw the Bitcoin to your own wallet, you also pay a withdrawal fee: Kraken charges 0.000015 BTC and Bitvavo 0.000018 BTC, while Coinbase passes on the network’s transaction fees. Coinbase’s Advanced rates come from its in-app table and may differ for EU accounts. Our crypto exchange fees comparison adds spreads and the other fees.

Where to keep your crypto assets after you buy

You can leave crypto on the exchange or move it to a wallet where you hold the private keys. On the exchange, the company holds your coins; MiCA sets rules for that custody, but crypto assets aren’t covered by investor compensation schemes. A hardware wallet keeps your keys offline in cold storage, but if you lose the recovery phrase, nobody can restore your coins. Whichever you choose, keep two-factor authentication on. Our guide to hot wallets and cold storage explains the trade-off.

Crypto trading beyond your first buy: tools for advanced traders

Once you’ve bought crypto, every MiCA-licensed exchange we recommend also lets you sell crypto back to euros, your fiat currency, and withdraw to your bank account: Bitvavo, Coinbase and OKX charge nothing for a SEPA withdrawal, Kraken €1. Cryptocurrency trading beyond that is optional. Experienced traders can add margin or futures trading on some licensed platforms, such as OKX’s X-Perps or Kraken’s futures after an appropriateness test of your trading experience, but most retail traders lose money with leverage. If you want to buy every month, a recurring buy or savings plan spreads your entry price; see dollar-cost averaging.

For a full walk-through on one exchange, start with how to buy Bitcoin on Kraken or how to buy Bitcoin on Coinbase. Keep a record of every buy and sell for your tax return, because tax depends on the country where you live.

Questions people ask

Is crypto legal in Europe?

Yes. Buying and holding crypto is legal across the EU, and exchanges that serve EU residents need a MiCA licence. Since 1 July 2026 only MiCA-authorised firms may provide crypto services in the EU.

How can I buy Bitcoin in Ireland?

To purchase Bitcoin in Ireland, open an account at a MiCA-licensed exchange that serves Irish residents, such as Kraken, whose EU entity is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland, or Bitvavo, and deposit euros by SEPA bank transfer. We haven't covered Irish crypto tax, so check Revenue's guidance.

Is €100 enough to start with crypto?

Yes. A €100 market buy on Bitvavo costs €0.25 in fees, and some apps let you start smaller. Only put in money you could lose entirely, because the crypto market can fall sharply.

What is the cheapest way to buy crypto in Europe?

Deposit by SEPA bank transfer and buy on an order book rather than an instant-buy screen. A €1,000 market order costs €2.50 at Bitvavo and €1.00 at OKX with an X-Perps account; the same buy by card in the Crypto.com app can cost up to €40.

Can I buy crypto with a debit card or Apple Pay?

Yes, at a price. Bitvavo charges 1.00% for card, Apple Pay and Google Pay deposits, OKX 1.99% for Visa and Mastercard, and Crypto.com 3.99%. A SEPA transfer is free at all three.

Do I have to verify my identity to buy crypto?

Yes. Every MiCA-licensed exchange checks your identity under anti-money laundering rules before you can deposit, usually with an ID document and a selfie or short video. Our KYC guide explains what to expect.