Crypto Tax in Romania: Key Insights for 2025
Whether you are a casual investor, a seasoned trader, or just entering the crypto world, understanding how crypto is taxed in Romania is not optional. This breakdown of key taxes, thresholds, and exemptions applicable for the 2025 fiscal year will help you make informed and confident financial decisions.
- Personal Income Tax (PIT)
Romania applies a flat 10% tax on net gains from crypto transactions.1 Your gain is calculated as:
Sale Price – Acquisition Cost – Transaction Fees = Net Gain
If your net gain is less than RON 200 per transaction and your total annual crypto gains don’t exceed RON 600, then you are exempt from PIT.2
Taxable events include:
- Selling crypto for fiat currencies (e.g., RON, EUR, GBP);
- Swapping one crypto for another (e.g., ETH to BTC);
- Using crypto to pay for goods or services.
While selling cryptocurrency for fiat currencies is commonly recognized as a profit-generating activity, many investors struggle to understand why using crypto to purchase goods and services or swapping one cryptocurrency for another also triggers a personal income tax (PIT) liability.
In Romania, any transaction involving the disposal of an asset (tangible or intangible) that results in a profit, both in cash and in kind,3 is considered a taxable event. Swapping one cryptocurrency for another is treated as a taxable event because it involves the disposal of the first crypto asset, even though no fiat money is received. For tax purposes, this means that any gain made on the first cryptocurrency, calculated as the difference between its acquisition cost and its market value at the time of the swap becomes taxable. This treatment is analogous to the disposal of shares in one company to acquire shares in another, where capital gains taxation is triggered upon the increase in value. Using crypto to pay for goods or services is also a disposal of an asset, and the value of the crypto at the time of the transaction is treated as the amount received, making it a taxable transaction.
- Health Insurance Contribution (CASS)
Crypto gains can also trigger an obligation to contribute to Romania’s public health insurance system. This is owed at the rate of 10% only if the total annual non-salary income (which includes crypto gains) exceeds six times the gross minimum salary. For the 2025 tax year, the reference minimum salary is RON 4,050, making the threshold RON 24,300.
Contribution levels are based on income thresholds:
- If annual income is between 6x and 12x the minimum salary → CASS owed is RON 2,430;
- If income is between 12x and 24x → CASS owed is RON 4,860;
- If income exceeds 24x → CASS owed is RON 9,720.
Keep in mind that when filing your 2025 tax return for income earned in 2024, you must use the minimum gross salary applicable in 2024, not the one corresponding to 2025.
- Pension Contributions (CAS)
Cryptocurrency income is excluded from the scope of pension contributions.
- Value-Added Tax (VAT)
The VAT treatment of cryptocurrency transactions in Romania aligns with the European Union’s legal framework and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), notably the Court’s 2015 ruling in Skatteverket v. David Hedqvist.4 Specifically, the CJEU was asked to determine whether VAT should apply to transactions involving the exchange of traditional currency for bitcoin, or vice versa. The Court held that cryptocurrency acts as an alternative means of payment and should be treated in the same way as traditional currencies for VAT purposes. Consequently, such transactions are exempt from VAT.5
- Capital Losses from Crypto
Romanian tax law does not provide for the offsetting of crypto-related losses against gains, nor does it allow carrying forward such losses into subsequent tax years. Each transaction is assessed independently, meaning that a loss in one transaction cannot reduce the tax burden on a gain in another.
- Reporting Obligations
Crypto investors must report their income and pay the PIT until May 26, 2025, using Form D212,6 via ANAF’s Virtual Private Space (SPV) platform, which can be submitted via ANAF’s Virtual Private Space (SPV) platform.
Authored by Renata-Adelina Ionescu – Founding Attorney
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content as of the publication date, tax laws and regulations are subject to change. Readers are encouraged to consult a qualified tax advisor or legal professional for advice tailored to their specific situation.
1 Art. 114(2)(m) corroborated with Art. 64(1) of the Law No. 227/2015 on the Tax Code (“Tax Code”).
2 Art. 116 (2)(c) of the Tax Code.
3 Arts. 76 (1) and (2) of the Tax Code.
4 Case C-264/14, Skatteverket v. David Hedqvist, Judgment of 22 October 2015, EU:C:2015:718.
5 Article 135(1)(e) of the Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax (“VAT Directive”).
6 Available at https://static.anaf.ro/static/10/Anaf/Declaratii_R/declaratie_unica.html
