El Salvador Crypto License: How to Get DASP and BSP Registration in 2026

El Salvador has two separate crypto registration regimes administered by different regulators. Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) registration is issued by the National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD), while Bitcoin-specific activities require Bitcoin Service Provider (BSP) registration under a separate regime. By mid-2026, the CNAD registry contained more than ninety registration numbers, including Tether, Binance, Bitfinex, OKX, and Bitget. Although El Salvador offers a lower-cost route than the EU, applicants still need a local entity, resident compliance personnel, and a physical CNAD filing. Neither registration authorizes services in the EU or the US. Learn more about DASP and Bitcoin Service Provider registration in El Salvador.

A Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) is defined under Article 19 of the Law for the Issuance of Digital Assets (LEAD, 2023) as a legal person whose ordinary business involves one or more digital asset services: exchanging digital assets for fiat or other digital assets, operating a trading or exchange platform, providing custody, transferring assets on behalf of clients, receiving and transmitting buy/sell orders, dealing in digital asset derivatives, and placing digital assets on platforms or wallets.

Registration isn't limited to companies domiciled in El Salvador. Under the LEAD definition, a provider that is not domiciled in the country but actively promotes or markets its services to potential clients there also falls within scope. In practice, a foreign platform actively targeting the Salvadoran market can trigger a registration requirement even without a local office. Offering digital asset services without CNAD registration is not permitted under LEAD, and Article 38 sets a fine of up to 114 minimum wages in the commerce and services sector for providers that fail to register.

El Salvador runs two separate registrations, and they are not interchangeable. DASP registration is issued by CNAD under the LEAD law and covers digital assets broadly: stablecoins, tokens, NFTs, exchange, custody and trading platforms. Bitcoin-specific services, including exchange, custody, wallets, ATM operations and BTC payment processing, require a separate Bitcoin Service Provider registration under the Bitcoin Law framework, which a DASP authorisation does not cover.

The two-track structure was amended in 2024, when the Bitcoin service provider regime was brought inside LEAD. Published guidance still varies on the filing route, so it should be confirmed before an application is prepared.

A multi-asset platform handling both Bitcoin and other digital assets generally needs both registrations. Obtaining only one registration leaves part of the platform's activities outside its authorised scope. The Bitcoin Service Provider register already includes Binance, Bitget, and Bitfinex, while Deepcoin was added in June 2026.

A DASP application requires local presence, the Article 20 document package, and the applicable company capital.

• Local presence. A local legal entity (typically an S.A. de C.V. or S.A.S. de C.V.), a certified resident compliance officer and a certified deputy, and a technical contact permanently resident in the country. Certification for the compliance officer and deputy runs through the Unidad de Investigación Financiera's obligated-entity portal, not through CNAD directly — DASPs are registered there as obligated entities under El Salvador's AML/CFT law.
• Document package. The requirements under Article 20 of LEAD, together with Articles 7 and 17–35 of the RPSAD regulation: corporate documents, ownership and UBO structure, a business plan and description of services, AML/KYC policies aligned with FATF standards, risk management, business continuity planning, and cybersecurity documentation.
• Minimum capital. $2,000, set by El Salvador's Commercial Code as the general founding capital for a Sociedad Anónima since the 2008 reform. This is a company-law baseline that applies to the corporate form, and neither LEAD nor CNAD sets a separate capital requirement for DASPs

The CNAD registration process consists of pre-registration, definitive registration, and the issuance of the final certificate.

1. Pre-registration. Complete CNAD's pre-registration form with information about the applicant and the intended operating area. CNAD reviews the submission and may request additional information, which the applicant must supply. CNAD then carries out a second evaluation and issues either an "objection" or "no objection," with reasoning attached. A "no objection" means CNAD specifies the requirements and process for registration in the chosen operating area; an objection is issued only where CNAD lacks territorial or subject-matter competence under Articles 2 and 4 of LEAD.
2. Definitive registration. File the full document package under Article 20 of LEAD with CNAD, in both digital and physical form. CNAD has up to 20 business days to evaluate the application and issue a resolution; if the application is incomplete, the applicant gets 10 business days to complete it. On a favorable resolution, the initial registration fee of $5,475 is due within 10 days.
3. Certificate and notification. CNAD issues a registration certificate and authorization to operate. Tax benefits under Article 36 of LEAD apply from the date the definitive registration number is assigned, and CNAD notifies the Unidad de Investigación Financiera (UIF) of the new registered provider.

If you are preparing a DASP or Bitcoin Service Provider application, schedule a call with the Equilex licensing team to map the entity structure, compliance roles and document package before you file.

CNAD’s registration page lists a one-time government fee of $5,475, payable within 10 days of a favorable resolution — the official figure, not a market estimate. Beyond the initial fee, LEAD itself (Articles 12 and 20(e)) requires registered providers to pay an annual renewal fee during the first quarter of each year, calculated as ten minimum wages in the commerce and services sector; at the minimum wage level used to set the current registration fee, that works out to $3,650 a year. Failure to pay the fee within the required period results in cancellation of the registration.

On timelines, CNAD has up to 20 business days to evaluate a complete definitive-registration package, on top of the pre-registration stage and document preparation. Based on our own casework, a realistic end-to-end timeline runs 3 to 6 months once company formation and the compliance package are factored in, with an all-in launch budget in the $22,000–$28,000 range.

The $5,475 government fee represents only one part of the total project cost. Add company formation, two certified compliance roles, a local technical contact, AML policy development, and — , as a separate line item — banking arrangements. A current, itemized estimate is available on the DASP and BSP registration service page.

Article 36 of LEAD sets out specific exemptions rather than a blanket tax holiday. The nominal value and yield of digital assets are exempt from levies, duties, taxes, rates, and contributions of any kind, and capital gains or ordinary income from the purchase, sale, or other transfer of digital assets — including debt forgiveness — are exempt from taxation.

Registered issuers, certifiers, and digital asset service providers receive these benefits specifically for their digital-asset-related activity: exemption from the Tax on the Transfer of Movable Goods and Rendering of Services, Income Tax, Municipal Tax, and any other tax regardless of its nature, including any related withholding obligation. The law is explicit that none of this applies where digital assets are exchanged for goods or services outside the scope of Article 19, so income unrelated to licensed digital asset activity remains taxable. Article 36 attaches to registered issuers, certifiers and digital asset service providers, so a platform holding both registrations should not assume the same treatment automatically extends to its Bitcoin-side activity.

CNAD's public registry is open and lists each provider's name, website, registration number, date, and permitted operations. The first entry, PSAD-0001, is dated November 2023; by mid-2026, the registry had reached PSAD-0092, with roughly twenty new registrations added in the first half of the year alone. Holders include several Tether entities, Binance, Bitfinex, OKX, Bitget, PrimeXBT, WEEX, the state-run Chivo wallet, and Strike. The registry is also the fastest way to check whether a prospective counterparty or acquisition target is actually authorised, and for which operations.

The main differences between El Salvador, the EU, the US, and Georgia concern market access, regulatory scope, and tax treatment. Our guide to the best countries to get a crypto license in 2026 provides a broader comparison of available jurisdictions.

Versus the EU: CNAD registration does not provide passporting rights or authorization to operate in any EU member state. Serving EU clients requires a MiCA CASP authorization, while national VASP transitional regimes closed on 1 July 2026. The implications for unauthorized providers are explained in MiCA Grandfathering Is Over. Malta remains one of the principal EU entry points for obtaining a CASP authorization.

Beyond passporting, the 2024 reform added an explicit statement that registration with CNAD authorises a provider to operate and offer services in El Salvador only, and that activity in other jurisdictions is subject to the rules of those jurisdictions.

Versus the US: A DASP registration does not authorize services for American clients. The US operates its own two-tier system comprising FinCEN MSB registration and state-level money transmitter licensing, which is explained in our MSB USA guide.

Versus Georgia: Both jurisdictions offer relatively fast registration routes outside the EU. However, Georgia’s VASP regime, administered by the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) since June 2023 under Decree N94/04, provides no sector-specific tax incentives. El Salvador combines DASP registration with the Article 36 tax benefits and an established position as a Latin American crypto hub. The VASP registration route in Georgia may be more suitable for businesses targeting different geographic markets. The appropriate jurisdiction primarily depends on the location of the company’s target clients.

If your platform handles Bitcoin alongside other digital assets, yes. The DASP registration is issued by CNAD under the LEAD law and covers digital assets, while Bitcoin-specific services fall under the separate Bitcoin service provider regime. Many multi-asset platforms hold both.

The CNAD registration fee is $5,475, payable within ten days of a favorable resolution. That figure is the government fee only. A realistic launch budget also covers company formation, a certified compliance officer and deputy, AML policy development and banking arrangements.

CNAD has up to 20 business days to evaluate a complete application and issue its resolution, with 10 business days granted to supply missing documents. Pre-registration and document preparation come first, so the full process is longer than the statutory review period alone.

The regime applies to providers domiciled in El Salvador and to providers that actively promote or market their services to clients in the country. In practice most applicants incorporate locally, since a resident compliance officer and deputy are required.

No. Neither registration carries EU passporting rights, and since 1 July 2026 serving EU clients requires a MiCA CASP authorization. US clients fall under FinCEN registration and state money transmitter licensing. El Salvador suits LatAm and global operations outside those two blocs.

Jurisdiction comparisons and licensing support for other markets are available through the Equilex crypto licensing hub.