Passporting an authorisation: 30 countries, or 2
A MiCA authorisation only applies in the countries where it has been notified. In the register that runs from thirty countries down to two — and Kraken appears twice.
A MiCA authorisation is valid across the whole European Economic Area, but only in the countries where the provider has notified it. In the register that ranges from thirty countries down to two. It is there for every legal entity, and it is the figure most often skipped over.
What a passport is
A provider applies for an authorisation in one country. That competent authority grants it, and the company can then notify the authorisation in other EEA countries. Notifying is the passport. Without that step the service may not be offered there, even though the authorisation is valid.
In CASPS.csv it sits on each row in the field with the country codes. We read the file on 31 August 2026; ESMA itself puts 21 August above it.
Thirty, seven, six, two
A few legal entities from the register, with the number of countries their authorisation has been notified to:
Those last two rows are the most interesting.
Kraken appears twice
Kraken holds two authorisations with the Irish central bank. Payward Europe Solutions Limited carries custody, exchange, execution and transmission of orders, placing, portfolio management and transfer services, and is notified in thirty countries, the Netherlands included.
Payward Global Solutions Limited carries exactly one service — operating a trading platform — and is notified in two countries. The Netherlands is not one of them.
That is not a shortcoming and not an accusation; it is how the authorisations have been carved up. But it shows why ‘Kraken has a MiCA authorisation’ is too short a sentence. The question is always: which legal entity, which service, and notified in which country.
A small passport is not the same as a small company
BTC Direct Europe B.V. is notified in seven countries, Coinmerce in six, Bitmymoney in two. That says something about where they want to serve customers, not about their size or their supervision. A provider aiming at the Benelux has no need for thirty notifications, and no reason to apply for thirty.
For you as a reader it means one thing: check whether your country is on the list before you open an account. If it is not, there is a fair chance you will come unstuck at registration over your country of residence — or that you will be using a service that is not covered there by this authorisation.
What the passport does not settle
Three things that stand apart from it.
Availability. A notification is permission, not a promise. A provider can choose not to serve a country, even where it is notified.
Services. The passport applies to the services in that authorisation. A company with a passport in thirty countries for custody does not thereby have a trading platform in those thirty countries.
Tax and law. Your country of residence determines your tax rules and your legal position, not the country of the authorisation.
Checking it yourself
The number of countries is listed per legal entity in our authorisation register, together with the LEI, the competent authority and the service letters. It sits on each provider’s own page as well, for example BTC Direct and Coinmerce.
If you want to know how to look it up in the source yourself, that is set out step by step in how to check a MiCA authorisation.
FAQ
What is the maximum number of countries?
Thirty in practice: the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, though not every provider takes all three EEA countries along.
Does thirty countries mean the platform is better?
No. It tells you where the company may offer its services, nothing about fees, security or service.
My country is not on the list — can I still open an account?
That is up to the provider and to the competent authority in your country. Ask the provider before you transfer any money.
Where exactly is this in the file?
In CASPS.csv, in the field with the country codes behind each authorisation row, separated by a vertical bar.
Sources
- ESMA, CASPS.csv, register of authorised crypto-asset service providers — https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv
- ESMA, Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) — https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica
The file was read first-hand on 31 August 2026; the register version ESMA displays dates from 21 August 2026. The country counts in the table come row by row from that file.