How do I gift Bitcoin to someone?
Quick Answer
Three routes by recipient type: send to their wallet if they have one, help them set up a wallet first if they're willing to learn, or use a physical backup card / pre-loaded wallet you prepare for total beginners. Never gift via your own exchange account login.
TL;DR
Best gift order: their wallet > help them make a wallet > a prepared seed they'll control. Never 'an account you opened for them.'
Key Takeaways
- 1Sending to their existing wallet is the cleanest path
- 2Setting up a wallet together IS the gift for beginners
- 3Gifting your exchange login violates exchange terms and stays legally yours
- 4Check local tax rules — gifts can be taxable events
Full Explanation
If the recipient already uses Bitcoin, gifting takes one minute: get their receiving address (have them send it through a channel you trust, verify a few segments) and transfer. Add a small test amount first if the sum is meaningful — gift etiquette includes not losing the gift.
For someone new, the wallet setup is the real present. Sit with them, install a reputable wallet, walk through writing down the seed phrase, then send the coins as the graduation ceremony. This beats every shortcut because it gives them actual ownership plus the knowledge to keep it.
What to avoid: 'I opened an exchange account in your name' violates KYC rules, and 'use my account' means the coins remain legally and practically yours. Physical gift options exist — engraved seed plates or paper wallets you generate offline — but the recipient must immediately move funds to a wallet they generated themselves, since any seed you've seen isn't fully theirs. Finally, larger gifts can trigger gift-tax paperwork in many countries; check the local threshold first.