Country guide
UK for nomads: cards, crypto tax and the residence test
By DmytroLast checked
- Currency
- GBP
- Crypto tax
- Capital Gains Tax on disposals above the allowance
- Tax residence test
- Statutory Residence Test; under 183 days can count
- Remote-work stay
- Visitors may work remotely for an overseas job
Short answer
In the UK, pay in pounds (GBP). Crypto firms need FCA registration or authorisation, and selling, swapping, spending or giving away crypto counts as a disposal for Capital Gains Tax. Visitors may keep doing their overseas job remotely, and HMRC’s Statutory Residence Test can make you resident with fewer than 183 UK days.
Crypto card availability
FCA rules cover cryptoasset promotions to UK consumers, so a crypto card marketed abroad may not be offered to you in the UK.
Banks and cards
If your main phone number is foreign, make sure bank alerts and one-time codes arrive while roaming.
Currency, ATMs and cash
If you live in the UK, Revolut’s Standard plan allows 5 withdrawals or GBP 200 per rolling month without a Revolut ATM fee, whichever comes first, then 2% with a GBP 1 minimum (UK Standard plan, as of 26 Sep 2026). The ATM operator’s own fee appears on screen before you confirm.
Crypto rules
Which of the two a firm needs depends on its activity. Registration under the money-laundering rules is a compliance check, not an endorsement of the firm or its products.
Gifts to a spouse, civil partner or charity fall outside the disposal rules. If your total gains for the tax year (6 April to 5 April) are above the Capital Gains Tax annual exempt amount, you report them and pay the tax.
The FCA’s consumer guide, Crypto: The basics, explains the risks of buying crypto; read it before you fund an exchange or card.
Tax and residency
The Statutory Residence Test works per tax year, in order: the automatic overseas tests, then the automatic UK tests, then sufficient ties.
As a visitor, remote work must not be the main purpose of your trip (Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, PA 4(h)).
Checklist
- Look up any crypto firm on the FCA register before you fund an account.
- Log each crypto disposal with its date and sterling value.
- Count your UK days and ties for each tax year.
Sources
- Cryptoassets: our work — Financial Conduct Authority
- Crypto: The basics — Financial Conduct Authority
- Cryptoassets: AML / CTF regime — FCA
- RDR3: Statutory Residence Test (SRT) notes — HMRC
- Check if you need to pay tax when you sell cryptoassets — HMRC
- Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities — Home Office
- Personal Fees (Standard) — Revolut
Tax, visa and residence rules depend on your situation, so confirm them with the official authority. How we compare