---
title: "MiCA: the 1 July 2026 deadline and the CASP transitional regime in Spain"
url: "https://www.unknowngravity.com/en/articulos/mica-deadline-espana-2026"
site: Unknown Gravity
published: "2026-05-31T13:17:16+00:00"
modified: "2026-07-15T10:51:31+00:00"
language: en-US
description: "Quick answer: the transitional regime that lets crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) operate in Spain without MiCA authorisation ends on 1 July 2026."
section: "Home > Cryptocurrencies and tokens > MiCA: the 1 July 2026 deadline and the CASP transitional regime in Spain"
---

# MiCA: the 1 July 2026 deadline and the CASP transitional regime in Spain

**Quick answer:** the transitional regime that lets crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) operate in Spain without MiCA authorisation ends on **1 July 2026**. Providers registered with the Banco de España as of 30 December 2024 may keep offering their services until that date; after it, only providers authorised by the CNMV, or passported in from another European authority, may operate (MiCA, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, Art. 143).

## What ends on 1 July 2026

MiCA has applied in full to crypto-asset service providers since 30 December 2024. Spain chose the maximum 18-month transitional period, so firms already operating remain covered until 1 July 2026 without needing the new authorisation. From that date, providing crypto-asset services without the CNMV's CASP authorisation, or without a European passport, is no longer permitted. The CNMV has already published its authorisation criteria in a questions-and-answers document (December 2025).

## Who it affects, and who it does not

The deadline affects **CASPs**: exchange platforms, crypto-asset custodians and services for the execution, advice on, or portfolio management of crypto-assets. These services fall within MiCA because they relate to crypto-assets that are not financial instruments.

It does not affect **security tokens**. A tokenised security (a share, a bond, a fund unit) is a financial instrument and sits outside MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, Art. 2(4)): it falls under MiFID II (Directive 2014/65/EU) and, in Spain, under Ley 6/2023 (Spain's Securities Markets Law, LMVSI), and its on-chain registration runs through an ERIR (the entity responsible for the registration and recording of DLT-based securities). Confusing the two regimes is the costliest mistake in this field.

## What to do if you are a CASP

- Confirm whether you were registered with the Banco de España as of 30 December 2024 and therefore covered by the transitional regime.
- Prepare and file the CASP authorisation application with the CNMV well before 1 July 2026; authorisation is not immediate.
- Review capital, governance, custody and conflict-of-interest requirements, along with the CNMV guidance (December 2025 questions and answers).
- If the model touches tokenised financial instruments, ring-fence that part clearly: it falls under MiFID II and the LMVSI, not under the CASP authorisation.

## MiCA timeline

- **30 June 2024:** the rules for e-money tokens (EMTs) and asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) apply, Titles III and IV.
- **30 December 2024:** full application to the remaining crypto-assets and to CASPs, Titles II and V.
- **1 July 2026:** the Spanish transitional regime for CASPs ends. From this date, only authorised providers operate.

## What this means for you

If you provide crypto-asset services, the time to regularise your authorisation is running out: get the file moving. If your project is about issuing tokenised securities, the MiCA calendar is not your calendar; your framework is MiFID II, the LMVSI and the appointment of an ERIR.

## Frequently asked questions

### When exactly does the transitional regime end in Spain?

On 1 July 2026. Until then, providers registered with the Banco de España as of 30 December 2024 may keep operating.

### Does the MiCA deadline affect security tokens?

No. Security tokens are financial instruments, excluded from MiCA (Art. 2(4)) and governed by MiFID II and the LMVSI.

### What happens if I do not obtain the CASP authorisation in time?

From 1 July 2026 you will not be able to provide crypto-asset services in Spain without CNMV authorisation or a European passport.

*This content is for general information and educational purposes only. It is not legal, tax or investment advice and does not replace consultation with a qualified professional. Regulation on tokenisation and crypto-assets evolves; always check the version in force of the rules cited in the BOE (boe.es) and EUR-Lex (eur-lex.europa.eu).*

Does your company need to comply before 1 July 2026? At Unknown Gravity we classify your token and guide you through the framework that applies. [Book a meeting](/en/meeting).