Travel Rule Basics

The Travel Rule is a compliance concept requiring certain information about the originator and beneficiary to accompany qualifying transfers. In crypto, it can apply when a virtual asset service provider or crypto-asset service provider is involved.

For users, this can appear as requests for name, account, wallet ownership, beneficiary details, source of funds or additional review before a provider releases a transfer.

On-ramp routes can trigger Travel Rule or related checks when crypto is sent from a provider to a wallet or another provider account.

Off-ramp routes can trigger checks when crypto is sent from a wallet to a provider before fiat payout.

Rules differ by jurisdiction, provider type, asset, amount, counterparty and whether a self-hosted wallet is involved. A route label on this site is not a legal determination.

In the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 covers information accompanying transfers of funds and certain crypto-assets when relevant service providers are involved.

The regulation also distinguishes person-to-person crypto transfers carried out without a crypto-asset service provider. For transfers to or from self-hosted addresses above EUR 1,000, EU rules can require service providers to assess ownership or control of the address.

EBA Travel Rule Guidelines specify procedures for detecting missing or incomplete information and managing transfers where required information is not present.

Routes may include Travel Rule, provider reporting or self-hosted wallet warnings when the provider profile, country, route type or compliance context suggests extra review could apply.

These warnings do not mean the transaction is blocked. They mean the user should expect provider-side checks and should keep documentation consistent.

The sources below are the official background for how we describe Travel Rule checks in EU and FATF-aligned contexts.