MiCA License

MiCA does not use the word license. It grants authorizations. When founders, banks, and partners ask for a MiCA license, they mean a CASP authorization issued by the national competent authority of an EU member state.

The authorization permits the holder to provide regulated crypto asset services across the EU. The home authority grants it after it checks the full file. The holder then notifies other member states before it starts activity there. That notification route is passporting under MiCA Article 65.

MiCA entered into force in June 2023. The CASP rules in Title V applied from 30 December 2024. The transitional cover for firms that operated legally before that date under national law ran to 1 July 2026 under Article 143(3). That window is closed. New activity for EU users now needs an authorization. The MiCA regulation tracker follows national implementation, the MiCA compliance guide explains current obligations in plain terms, and ESMA’s MiCA page links the official texts and registers.

A MiCA compliance training course is not a license. Courses teach staff how the framework works. Only a home authority can authorize a firm.

The test is activity based. Any business that provides crypto asset services to EU users on a professional basis needs a CASP authorization. The place of incorporation does not remove the duty. If you target EU clients, you fall in scope.

Third country firms must form an EU legal entity before they apply. A branch of a non EU company cannot hold the authorization directly. After the EU entity wins authorization, it passports into the states it wants to serve.

Reverse solicitation does not solve the entry problem at scale. ESMA reads it narrowly. It covers cases where an EU client approaches the firm on its own initiative with no prior promotion. Any marketing, referral payments, or EU facing funnels point the other way.

Firms outside the EU that only hold an offshore registration stay outside the EU market. The VASP license guide explains where FATF based registrations still work and where they do not grant EU access. If your roadmap includes the EU, plan for an EU entity and a CASP file.

MiCA sets the capital floor by law in Annex IV. It applies in every member state. Your service scope decides which tier you meet.

A firm that seeks services across classes meets the highest applicable tier. Authorities can ask for more capital based on the risk profile of the model.

Filing fees, annual supervision fees, office and staffing costs, and legal preparation vary by member state. LegalBison does not publish flat fee bands because the file depends on your services, governance, and jurisdiction. Every engagement is scoped to the model after an initial assessment. Contact us for a project specific estimate.

Ongoing duties add to the post authorization budget. Expect AML program costs, regulatory reporting, audit, and ICT resilience duties, including DORA alignment for CASPs as financial sector entities. The legal services overview describes how the firm structures that work, and company registration covers the EU entity step.

LegalBison acts as a licensed Corporate Service Provider and project manager for the full route. The firm confirms the correct authorization, picks the jurisdiction that fits your services and banking needs, forms the EU entity, drafts the program of operations and governance pack, files with the home authority, and coordinates passport notifications.

The work starts with a free consultation on model and jurisdiction. You receive a scoped plan with steps, documents, and timeline before you engage.