xmr.irish / legal status
Jurisdiction tracker · 80 regions
Monero legal status
How 50 US states and 30 countries classify Monero — from fully legal to outright banned. Updated regularly.
⚠ Informational only — not legal advice. Research your jurisdiction.
Legal — no restrictions
Exchange limited — holding legal
Gray zone — unclear/regulatory barrier
Restricted — banned
Fully legal
—
Exchange limited
—
Gray zone
—
Restricted
United States — 50 states
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New York BitLicense — deep dive
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For individuals

No license required to hold, mine, or use Monero personally. BitLicense applies only to businesses providing virtual currency services.

For businesses

Must apply for BitLicense ($5,000 fee, extensive compliance). Most exchanges block NY. Only ~30 licenses issued since 2015. This is a barrier for businesses, not individuals.

For mining

Personal mining legal. Commercial may need permits. RandomX (CPU) not specifically targeted by any PoW moratorium.

Privacy coins specifically

No NY law specifically bans privacy coins. NYDFS informally discourages exchange listings, but holding and mining XMR is legal for individuals.

Bottom line — Gray Zone, not Restricted

In NY you can legally hold, mine, and send Monero. BitLicense creates a regulatory barrier for businesses, not a ban on the technology. Acquire via P2P, atomic swaps, or non-custodial exchanges (Haveno, Trocador).

International — 30 countries
Sorted by status
Monero is legal in the vast majority of tracked jurisdictions. The trend is toward regulation of exchanges, not prohibition of the technology. Privacy is not illegal.
Statistics last verified: April 2026 · Some figures update automatically from live data
xmr.irish / legal · updated April 2026 · not legal advice