DAC8 is the EU directive that makes crypto platforms report their users' identities and transactions to tax authorities. It has applied since 1 January 2026, so every trade, swap and transfer you make this year through a reporting platform is being recorded against your name and tax number. Platforms file the 2026 data in 2027, and EU tax authorities must swap it with each other by 30 September 2027.
The legal text is Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 of 17 October 2023, which amends the EU's existing directive on administrative cooperation in tax (2011/16/EU). It's the eighth amendment, hence "DAC8".
What DAC8 is and when it started
DAC8 extends the automatic exchange of tax information the EU already runs for bank accounts (under the Common Reporting Standard) and for digital platforms (DAC7) to crypto-assets. The Council adopted it on 17 October 2023 and it was published in the Official Journal on 24 October 2023. Member States had to put it into national law by 31 December 2025 and apply it from 1 January 2026 (Article 2 of the directive).
The timeline in practice:
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 17 October 2023 | Council adopts Directive (EU) 2023/2226 | EUR-Lex |
| 31 December 2025 | Deadline for Member States to adopt national rules | Article 2(1) |
| 1 January 2026 | Rules apply; platforms start collecting data on EU-resident users | Article 2(1), Annex VI |
| During 2027 | Platforms report calendar-year 2026 data to their tax authority | Annex VI, Section II(D) |
| By 30 September 2027 | First exchange of 2026 data between EU tax authorities | Article 8ad(6); European Commission |
| Taxable periods from 1 January 2028 | Member States must require the home-country TIN in more DAC reports | Article 27c(3) |
So 2026 is the first reporting year. If you sold, swapped or moved crypto on a regulated platform since January, that activity is already in the file that will reach your tax office next year.
DAC8 crypto reporting: who has to report
The obligation sits with "Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers". The directive defines them as any provider that carries out exchange transactions for or on behalf of a user, which covers exchanges, brokers and custodial services. Staking and lending services count as crypto-asset services too (Annex VI, Section IV(B)).
There are two groups:
- Providers authorised under MiCA. Any crypto-asset service provider licensed in a Member State under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 reports there. Our MiCA and VARA comparison explains that licence.
- Providers outside MiCA with an EU link. A "Crypto-Asset Operator" that isn't MiCA-authorised still reports if it's tax resident in a Member State, incorporated there, managed from there, or has a regular place of business there. These operators must register in one single Member State (Article 8ad(7)). The Commission sums it up as "single registration in the Member State if you operate in the EU but are not authorised under MiCA."
What about a platform based fully outside the EU? DAC8 lets a provider skip EU reporting only where it already reports the same data in a "Qualified Non-Union Jurisdiction", meaning a country with an effective agreement to pass that data to EU tax authorities. That country is then the channel. This is where the OECD framework comes in.
Enforcement on the operator side is specific. If a registered operator still hasn't reported after two reminders, its Member State of registration must revoke the registration no earlier than 30 and no later than 90 days after the second reminder (Annex VI, Section V(F)(7)).
What gets reported about you
For each user who is resident in an EU Member State, the platform reports (Article 8ad(3) and Annex VI, Section II):
- Name, address, Member State(s) of residence and tax identification number (TIN). Date of birth is included; place of birth only where national law already requires the platform to collect it.
- For companies and other entities, the same data on each controlling person who is a reportable person.
- For each type of crypto-asset: the full name of the asset, and the aggregate amounts, units and number of transactions for purchases and sales against fiat currency.
- The aggregate fair market value of crypto-to-crypto swaps, both acquisitions and disposals.
- Transfers into and out of your account, split by transfer type where the platform knows it.
- Transfers to wallet addresses not known to belong to another regulated provider (self-custody wallets, in practice).
- Retail payments in crypto for goods or services above USD 50,000.
There's no minimum for ordinary trades. The USD 50,000 threshold applies only to retail payment transactions; exchanges and transfers are reported whatever their size. Central bank digital currencies and e-money are excluded from the crypto reporting, since they're covered by the bank-account rules instead.
Providing your details isn't optional. If you don't supply the self-certification and TIN the platform asks for after two reminders, and at least 60 days have passed, the platform must block you from making reportable transactions (Annex VI, Section V(A)(2)).
DAC8 and the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF)
DAC8 is the EU version of the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, which the OECD completed and published with G20 countries in June 2023. The definitions and reporting fields match closely. The directive itself says that where a non-EU country runs CARF with an effective agreement covering all Member States, the Commission doesn't need to check equivalence separately (recital 21). The Commission also says the OECD's CARF Commentary and FAQs can serve as interpretive material for DAC8.
So DAC8 covers the 27 EU states, while CARF carries the same data between the EU and the rest of the world. The OECD Global Forum's commitment list, last updated 14 September 2026, groups jurisdictions by when they start exchanging:
| First CARF exchanges by | Number | Examples (from the OECD list) |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 46 | Most EU states (Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovak Republic), United Kingdom, Liechtenstein, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Japan, Korea, Brazil |
| 2028 | 27 | United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong (China), Canada, Australia, Bahrain, Panama, British Virgin Islands, Cyprus |
| 2029 | 4 | United States, Argentina, Mexico, Azerbaijan |
| Not yet committed | 4 | El Salvador, Georgia, India, Viet Nam |
That's 77 jurisdictions committed in total. A first exchange "by 2028" means the data for calendar year 2027.
The UAE and CARF: the timeline
The UAE is in the 2028 group, and its own Ministry of Finance has confirmed the dates:
- November 2024: the UAE became one of 61 jurisdictions to commit to implementing CARF, undertaking to start exchanges by 2028 for calendar year 2027 (MoF CARF guidance).
- September 2025: the Ministry announced it had signed the CARF Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement, the treaty that switches on exchange relationships. It said implementation is "scheduled to go-live in 2027, with the first exchanges of information expected in 2028" (MoF announcement, 20 September 2025).
- 15 September to 8 November 2025: public consultation on how CARF will apply in the UAE.
- November 2025: the UAE also committed to the updated Common Reporting Standard (CRS 2.0) from 1 January 2027, with first exchanges in 2028, aligned with the CARF timeline (MoF announcement, 8 November 2025).
In practice, once the rules go live in 2027, UAE-regulated crypto providers (licensed by VARA in Dubai, the SCA federally, or the regulators in ADGM and DIFC) are expected to collect the tax residence and TIN of their users. In 2028, data on users who are tax resident in an EU country starts flowing from the UAE to that country. We haven't seen the final UAE implementing rules published as of 15 October 2026, so check the Ministry's AEOI page before relying on the operational detail.
What an EU-resident investor should do now
- Assume your tax office will see your 2026 activity. Your platform's annual report goes to the tax authority of the country you told it you live in. Declare crypto gains and income under your own country's rules for 2026; the reported data will be compared against your return.
- Get your records in order per platform. DAC8 reports aggregates per asset (totals bought, sold, swapped and transferred), not your cost basis. You still need your own purchase prices and dates to calculate a gain. Export full transaction histories from every account, including ones you've closed.
- Check what each platform holds on you. Make sure your address, tax residence and TIN are current. A wrong residence means your data goes to the wrong country, which is a problem to fix, not a loophole.
- Look at earlier years. DAC8 starts with 2026, but tax offices can use the new data to ask questions about where the coins came from. If earlier gains weren't declared, some EU countries treat a voluntary correction more leniently than an error found in an audit. Ask a local tax adviser what applies where you live.
- Don't count on self-custody being invisible. Transfers from a reporting platform to a private wallet are reported as such, with value and units.
If you've moved to the UAE (or plan to)
DAC8 only reports users resident in an EU Member State. Once you are genuinely tax resident in the UAE and no longer resident in your EU home country, an EU platform shouldn't list you as an EU reportable user. Under CARF, though, your data will travel to the UAE from 2028 for 2027 activity, and UAE platforms will report you to any other country you're resident in.
Three things to get right:
- Residence has to be real on both sides. Telling a platform you live in Dubai doesn't end your EU tax residence. Your home country's rules decide that, based on where your home, family and centre of life are. If you're still resident there, or resident in both, you're still reportable there. Our guide to UAE tax residency covers what the UAE certificate needs.
- Update every account when you move. Give each platform your new address, a new self-certification and supporting documents. Keep proof of the date your residence changed.
- Check exit tax before you leave. Several EU countries tax unrealised gains on certain assets when you give up residence, and the rules differ by country. Read our overview of EU exit tax rules before you set a moving date, not after.
The UAE now exchanges crypto data the way most financial centres do. Any benefit of moving comes from a properly documented change of tax residence, not from a gap in reporting. That gap closes for most of the countries on the OECD list in 2027 and 2028.
Common questions
When does DAC8 start?
DAC8 has applied since 1 January 2026. Platforms collect data on 2026 transactions now, report it to their tax authority during 2027, and EU tax authorities must exchange it by 30 September 2027.
Does DAC8 apply to non-EU crypto exchanges?
It applies to MiCA-licensed providers and to unlicensed operators with an EU link such as tax residence, incorporation, management or a regular place of business in a Member State; those operators must register in one Member State. A provider outside the EU can instead report in a non-EU country that exchanges the same data with the EU under the OECD's CARF.
What does DAC8 report about me?
Your name, address, country of residence, tax identification number and date of birth, plus per-asset totals for purchases, sales, crypto-to-crypto swaps and transfers in and out of your account. Transfers to private wallets and retail payments above USD 50,000 are reported too.
Is there a minimum amount before DAC8 reporting applies?
No, not for ordinary trades and transfers. The only threshold is USD 50,000 for retail payment transactions, meaning crypto paid for goods or services.
Will my crypto data be shared if I live in the UAE?
Yes, from 2028. The UAE has signed the CARF agreement and its Ministry of Finance expects go-live in 2027 and first exchanges in 2028. If you're tax resident in an EU country, data from UAE platforms will be sent there; if you're only UAE resident, foreign platforms will report you to the UAE.
What is the difference between DAC8 and CARF?
CARF is the OECD's global standard for crypto tax reporting, published in June 2023. DAC8 puts the same rules into EU law and adds EU-specific parts such as single registration for operators and penalties set by Member States.
If you want to check how DAC8 and a move to the UAE fit your situation, you can request a free assessment.
Sources
- Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 of 17 October 2023 (DAC8), Official Journal L 2023/2226, 24 October 2023. Text checked 15 October 2026 via the Publications Office copy.
- European Commission, DAC8 page, checked 15 October 2026.
- OECD Global Forum, Jurisdictions committed to implement the CARF, last updated 14 September 2026, checked 15 October 2026.
- OECD, Delivering Tax Transparency to Crypto-Assets: A Step-by-Step Guide to the CARF, 2024, checked 15 October 2026.
- UAE Ministry of Finance, UAE signs CARF Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement, 20 September 2025, checked 15 October 2026.
- UAE Ministry of Finance, The Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework: General Overview, September 2025, checked 15 October 2026.
- UAE Ministry of Finance, UAE commitment to CRS 2.0, 8 November 2025, checked 15 October 2026.